Hurray for the Red White and Blue
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5 Comments »
My friend Kathy's son, Sam, is in the military. Kathy loves everything that's red, white and blue, and is a true, flag-waving quilt momma. When I first met her, she was piecing a gajillion HSTs to go into a magnificent flag-themed quilt for her son. I admired that quilt (heck, I coveted that quilt), so she knew I was attracted to patriotic themes as well. She sent me a picture of a flag made with tumbler blocks. I loved it. I thought, wouldn't this be a great thing to make with my Accuquilt Go! Cutter?
So when Kathy's church hosted a Quilt Day on Saturday, I thought it was the perfect project to try. Here's the result:
When I finished the flag at Quilt Day, all of the other quilters broke out into a rousing rendition of God Bless America, complete with harmony and salutes. Indeed!
So when Kathy's church hosted a Quilt Day on Saturday, I thought it was the perfect project to try. Here's the result:
I used Civil War repro fabrics, but you could use any combo of R,W & B. As a matter of fact, my hubby is not fond of these reds ("too brown", he says) and is pushing me to make another flag with brighter reds and brighter blues. The other revision that I would make would be to increase the size of the field of blue by expanding it by one row to the right and one row down.
The finished flag measures approximately 35.5" x 26". Once it's quilted, I plan to bind it in a muted goldish print, keeping the wavy edges rather than cutting them straight.
The tumblers are cut using the 3.5" tumbler die for the Go!/Baby Go! cutter. For the revised flag, you will need:
15 dark blue tumblers
15 medium blue tumblers
57 assorted red tumblers
50 assorted white/cream with red tumblers
When you lay out the blocks, pay attention to putting lighter blocks next to darker ones to give the flag an undulating effect.
I am so pleased with the result, that I think I will send it to the Accuquilt folks.
ADDENDUM: I went on the Accuquilt forum and someone else had a flag picture posted. It wasn't nearly as nice (she said shamelessly), being made with a solid white and a solid red, and 2 different blues, but it was there none the less. Y'all (sorry, in Philly we say "Youz") are welcome to make your very own variation too!
When I finished the flag at Quilt Day, all of the other quilters broke out into a rousing rendition of God Bless America, complete with harmony and salutes. Indeed!
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5 comments:
O my, this is grand!
Beautiful! You have been quilting up a storm lately! I would absolutely send it to the Accuquilt people. Maybe you should get it copyrighted?
Pat, this is really great. I love it! What a great share. Inspiring for sure.
I adore this, and am quite fond of antiqued R,W and B myself. It is a Grand Old Flag.
Oh, how I wish I had a "Go!" *sigh*.
Love this beautiful wall hanging!
Carolyn
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