Red, White, and Blue Twister Quilt Finish

 I'm still trying to stay focused on finishing my Gathered Harvest appliqué quilt, but I managed to sneak in some binding on a long standing UFO.

According to a previous blog post, I started the quilt in early June, 2012!

 

 

 

I loved collecting all the red, white, and blue fabrics for the quilt, but didn't love the resulting quilt top and put it away to marinate. 

 

I rediscovered the quilt top about 2 years ago, and inspiration struck.  I added the white (white on white scattered stars) and blue (Moda Grunge) borders and was happy with the result.

 

After some starry quilting by Diane Knott (Butterfly Threads Quilting), all that was needed was binding, a hanging sleeve, and a label.

 

 I'm still working out the label idea, but the binding and sleeve are done.

 

The quilt design reminds me of fireworks, so I think the name will be Illuminations - inspired by John Adams' thoughts on how American Independence should be celebrated.  In a letter to his wife Abigail, he wrote:

I am apt to believe it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as a great anniversary Festival.  It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of Devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Twisted Discovery and Giveaway!

I was digging through the closet last week - trying to make room for new stash enhancement acquisitions - and this quilt top reappeared! 

I made the top in 2012 using a stash of red, white, and blue fabrics, and the Twister Tool.  I was excited to use the RWB fabrics, but disappointed in how the quilt turned out.  It just didn't have the zing I remembered from the quilt shop example.  I put the top away, figuring I'd get back to it some day.

I guess I laid my hands on the quilt top on just the right "some day", as I was inspired to add two borders and call it a finished flimsy.  Both border fabrics were already in my stash, so it was quick work to wrap things up.  The inner border is a white on white featuring scattered stars, and the outer border is a medium blue Moda Grunge.

Once the top is quilted, it can function as a wall-hanging or a lap quilt, as it measures about 66 inches square.

Now that I've had the experience of making a Twister quilt, I don't really want to make another one.  It's not a difficult design to assemble, and the tool works as advertised, but one quilt is enough for me!

With that thought in mind, I'm offering my Twister Tool free to anyone who is interested. 

This version of the tool works with 10 inch squares of fabric (aka Layer Cakes), but of course, you can also cut the 10 inch squares from fat quarters or yardage.  

To provide some inspiration, I'll also include ten 10 inch squares of red, white, and blue fabric with the tool. 

Let me know in the comments (include your email address!!) that you are interested in the Twister Tool package, and I'll draw a name and announce the winner next Monday (October 19th).  United States residents only - sorry!  Postage and the postal system are just too crazy these days!

(Insert Corny "Twist" Pun Here)

OK, so I finished cutting and re-piecing  my Twister quilt.  As the twisted blocks began to take shape, I kept waiting for the "ah-ha!" moment.  It never really happened.  There's not a lot of challenge in cutting out squares, sewing them together and then cutting out more squares and sewing the new squares together.  I just kept feeling like I was making a cake from a cake mix: it got the job done, but there was little creative satisfaction in it.  Maybe I'm just a piecing snob!

I'm glad I made the quilt, if for no other reason than I enjoyed collecting all the fabrics.  It looks more vibrant in person than in the photograph.  This type of quilt is definitely about fabric choices and placement.  What looks pleasing as a layout of squares on the design wall does not necessarily translate to a pleasing layout of tessellated pinwheels.  And the outer border fabric was kind of an afterthought - I purchased it last and was in a hurry to get started on the quilt, so I didn't shop very thoroughly.  I'm thinking a 2 or 3 inch border of white tone on tone type fabric, followed by an outer border of dark blue or red will help pull everything together.

There are enough fabric scraps to make a Lil Twister quilt.  I think I'll pass.  But then there's Christine Porter's Tessellation Quilts - maybe there's a pattern in there calling my name!

When finished, I think I will gift it to my youngest son.  He left his LSU quilt at home when he went off to his first job.  As a sports reporter, he feels strongly about being impartial, so maybe a red, white and blue quilt will offer the comforts of home without showing partiality!