3 Cheers for the Red White & Blue
I just finished this project and I'm probably breaking rules by posting it here now but rules were made to be broken, right? (I must be feeling feisty today.) I belong to an applique group here in San Jose that I won't name and then I won't be breaking the rules so badly. OK, it's the Applique Goddesses. Every so often we have a challenge in which you receive a group of fat quarters. I don't remember the rules too clearly since I'm so good at breaking rules, but you have to use a certain number of the fabrics in the packet and you can add a certain amount of fabrics. The quilt also has to be exactly 30'' square. I think I managed to follow that rule. The quilts are supposed to be a secret until they are exhibited in May at Prairie Queens quilt shop in San Jose so that is the main rule I'm breaking here.
This time the fabrics were red, white and blue -- one of which had roosters on it but I chose not to include the roosters. (I still recall walking through my Aunt Catharine's chicken coop as a child and getting my feet pecked!) I used all the fabrics in the packet and I added the blue toile in the corners and the binding.
This quilt is based roughly on a pattern by Lisa DeBee Schiller published in McCall's Quilting magazine, October 2004. I recognized Lisa's pattern as being based on an antique silk crib quilt called "Framed Medallion" published in Country Living's Country Quilts, Hearst Books, 1992. Here is a picture of the Framed Medallion from the book.
I had admired this quilt for a long time and I'm happy that I've now finally been able to make my version of the quilt. Due to the size restriction of the Challenge, I couldn't add the pieced diamond border of the original quilt or the appliqued border on Lisa's quilt. And, I chose not to include the half stars in the corners of the medallion found in both the original and in Lisa's version. For one brief moment, I thought about appliqueing the roosters in the corners but quickly regained my sanity and thought better of it!
If you're in the area in May, stop by Prairie Queens www.prairiequeensquilts.com/ to see the rest of the Red White and Blue challenge quilts. I know there will be some great entries in this challenge.
