Black & White Quilts

December 2, 2016

Have you been in to the shop to see all of our Christmas displays? We’ve had a great time making new samples for the store this year and we are excited to tell you all about them! First up today – the front window!

We decided together on a bold black and white theme, then Connie and I each ran with our own ideas. Connie’s – an oversized sasquatch based on the Legendary pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. Roxanne’s – a giant pixelated snowflake.

Connie:

I have a family of firm sasquatch believers so I thought it would be fun to try the Legendary quilt. Because of our idea to use it for the front window it had to be huge, in true squatch fashion! Katie worked out the math to make the floor pillow included in the pattern into a 45x45” quilt. We have a handout available in the shop along with the Legendary pattern if you’re interested in creating a similar sized sasquatch.

I have to be honest – I was initially dreading piecing this quilt. I was sure it was going to be too fussy and complicated. But once I dug into the pattern I realized it was not that way at all! Hartman has a great method for piecing, which is very un-complicated! Her style of design and pattern writing is my favorite – great illustrations with no need for words (although she includes those too)! Her instructions help keep things organized as well with her method of cutting and labeling. It all speaks well to my visual brain. It was a ton of fun watching this guy come to life as I pieced. Quilting this was a lot of fun too! I did an all over “fur” design on the sasquatch (I only wish I had used a more contrasting thread so the fur popped a bit more). The trees were quilted with a diagonal pattern. I added horizontal lines through the background. I really love how it all turned out and am excited to try more of Elizabeth Hartman’s patterns!

Details:

Pattern: Legendary by Elizabeth Hartman, enlarged. (Free handout available in store with pattern purchase.)

Fabric: Background - Thicket Swirls (similar)

Sasquatch - Bricka in Black

Tree - Spectacular Azur

Roxanne:

I based the pixelated snowflake quilt design off of an old cross-stitch pattern. The rows are made up of squares and strips to create the design – which means it goes together really quick! I stuck with a simple black and white design using Kona Cotton in Black and Bella Solids in Off White, but the possibilities are endless! I’ve heard some ideas in the shop of using Sprinkles in Black for the background, or using all different shades of low value whites for the snowflake. So many great ideas! You canfind the pattern here! Feel free to scale it up or down to create the perfect snowflake quilt for you! I kept the quilting simple on this one and just outlined the snowflake to help it stand out. An all over design would be fun too!