Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Patterns… and Quilts

When I saw Cee’s challenge this week is patterns, I thought of the many photos I have that show patterns in nature. I almost started putting together that post, but I felt a strong pull towards a different kind of pattern – the pattern that develops when small pieces of fabric are sewn together into a quilt top.

This pattern is called Contrary Wife. I wrote about how making this was a healing project; you can read about it here. What I love about this quilt pattern is how, when the squares are sewn together, a secondary pattern is formed of strong, dark diagonal lines.

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This next quilt pattern is my favorite – Storm at Sea. This wall hanging is one of many variations of that pattern. When the fabric is carefully chosen and the pieces are precisely sewn together, this pattern is full of motion and curves, even though all the pieces of fabric have straight sides. I did a post on how I made this and you can read about it here.

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I made the following quilt for my daughter and a similar one for my son. They are watercolor quilts and the designs are made by hundreds of one inch squares of fabric sewn together. Wall hangings are made by putting these little pieces on a flannel board until the desired pattern is laid out. My queen sized quilts were made by sewing strips of fabric together and then cutting them crosswise strips, and sewing those strips of squares together to make blocks. The process is somewhat complex but easy, as long as measurement and sewing are precise.

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Those of you who have been following my posts on Emily’s quilt will recognize this one. I just finished piecing the top of this Log Cabin pattern. The strips are two different widths, so when blocks are sewn together a wavy pattern is formed.

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If you love patterns as much as I do, you will enjoy the other interpretations by visiting Cee at:

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Patterns