Pretty in Purple

Last summer I got to spend half an hour in a lovely little quilt shop, People, Places & Quilts in the heart of old Charleston, SC. An employee was doing a demo of the "Lil' Twister," a plastic template tool made by the Country Schoolhouse to help you make easy pinwheel quilts. Naturally, I had to have one.

At my quilting retreat last month I pulled out a stack of purple batik or hand-dyed fabrics and started cutting them into squares.
When I was finished, I laid them out rather randomly, just trying to make sure there was some contrast between a block and all of its neighbors. This was about as far as I got before the retreat ended.
Last Saturday, International Quilting Day, I pulled those squares out and set to work again. After all of the blocks were sewn together and a border added to the outside, I was able to use the tool to cut new blocks that were centered on the intersection of 4 blocks. Here's an idea of what the process looked like:
Next, those new squares are sewn together. And viola! Pinwheels. The resulting top is almost half the size of the original piece.
And here it is, all quilted and bound. Photographed in much better light, too. This picture below is a good representation of the colors. I like the sense of movement. It's a little risky making something like this in a monochromatic color scheme. I was lucky to have a wide range of fabrics to choose from (hey! that's an excuse to keep building up my fabric stash!). The final quilt measures only 21" x 15".
I think it would be quite interesting to make this in a selection of fall colors. But for now, on to other projects.

Comments

  1. ChristineMarch 25, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    So pretty, Phyl! I like that "pinwheel" design and agree that it would be lovely in fall colors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PhylMarch 28, 2012 at 9:16 PM

    Thanks Christine! I think I'll have to make a point of doing something fall-like later this year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Buriedbybooks April 2, 2012 at 12:46 PM

    Pretty! Oddly enough, my mom's best friend was showing me this exact tool/method (in fall colors no less) last week! It's things like this that make me wish I could sew :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. PhylApril 3, 2012 at 5:29 PM

    Thanks! And I wish I could bake :-)
    How funny that your mom's friend made one in fall colors. I am really motivated to do one. I think I'll make it bigger, too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ChristineApril 16, 2012 at 10:28 PM

    Just stopping by to say hello! Hope you're well. xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylApril 17, 2012 at 10:00 AM

      Why thank you! I am. But apparently I'm falling behind again... New posts coming up soon. Promise!

      Delete
  6. Kuri SutsureAugust 10, 2023 at 2:22 PM

    This is great.

    ReplyDelete

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