When I was a child in school (1960s and 70s), we celebrated President's Day - two of them. George Washington on one day and Abraham Lincoln on another. Now, we just combine them into one generic day and it's February 21rst this year.
Here's a great photo of a really old Windham Fabrics collection that had George Washington's image on it. I gave away all the fabrics I had and wish I had kept some!
Storybook Americana is a fabric collection from 2017. These are reproduction fabrics based on REAL prints from the 1930s or so. Take a look at this one! George is being scolded for chopping down that famous cherry tree!
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| George Washington chopping down that cherry tree! |
And the quilt I designed for Keepsake Quilting catalog using these fabrics. It ran in the catalog as a kit and pattern. The
Lone Star has NO y-seams and is a 19" block. So easy to cut and sew with any acrylic ruler with those extra 45 degree lines on it (they all do, btw).
And one I made with some of the leftovers. Steps to the Whitehouse. Yes, that George-cherry tree print is right in the middle (in blue). And the reason the borders are two different prints has to do with not having enough of either one. Pretty clever, huh?
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| Steps to the White House |
When I design for fabric companies they don't always settle on the first thing I offer. I often go back to the drawing board. Here are a few pitches that were axed. This first one is based on my Sweet Baby Logs pattern (which they used for another collection). This is a fun way to use up lots of strips and scraps. Notice that the borders are not one "slab" of fabric. Very fat quarter friendly. I called it Amazing Logs!
Here is the 3 block quilt which I usually bring out for the 4th of July, but I recently gave it away to Rosie O., a new friend in my community who loves all things Americana. I call this "Hey, Hey, USA."
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| Hey, Hey USA wall banner |
Then I used one of my patterns based on the vintage Blazing Star. I like it; they didn't.
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| Blazing Star |
Then there's Big Block Stars, which I've showcased here on this blog many times in many fabric collections. Do you recognize it?
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| Big Block Stars |
And one more (if you're still with me!) This is my pattern for
Baby Blocks with NO y-seams! The diamonds AND triangles are rotary cut - no templates if you have a multi-sized 60 degree triangle ruler (triangle template is in the pattern). Those diamonds are easy to cut with your standard 6 x 12 acrylic ruler with those mysterious 60 degree diagonal lines on them. Now you can use them!
So, if you're still with me, you now have some insider secrets of a pattern designer. It's not all easy, but it sure can be fun! Happy President's Day to all who celebrate.
Happy President's Day to you too. The Storybook Americana Lone Star, Steps to the White House, and Baby Blocks are favorites. I never get tired of these designs.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. Yes, I go back time and again to the tried and true blocks. Steps to the White House is one of my favorites. And Baby Blocks has so many possibilities, too.
DeleteI loved President's Day as we celebrated it as a child. It had so much meaning, celebrating our forefathers. Your little quilts are spectacular. So colorful. I love them all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words, MS. Your email doesn't come through, so I hope you can come back to see that I replied! Little quilts are fun to make and pull out for quick decorations, too.
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