Swallows and Diamonds

Two vintage quilt patterns use 45 degree diamonds to indicate swallows. First, there's Flying Swallows. (I'll be back with some Swallows in the Window quilts later this week). There seems to be a serious interest in this pattern. My Etsy shop has sold a few dozen in the past 2 weeks!

Flying Swallows is based on an 8 Pointed Star, as seen here by one I created in 2002 for Quilt Magazine.

Flying Swallows, 2002

I have designed a few digital quilts since then for a few fabric companies. Here's one I used for Blank Quilting in 2008:

Flying Swallows using the Fun Dip Collection

This is a class sample from 2020 using some lovely red fabrics by Windham. That center is a whopping 24" block!

Flying Swallows. 24" center. 38" x 38" quilt

Oh. Don't get nervous! There aren't any y-seams, I promise! Here is another of my class samples. I made it in bright colors. First - the 45 degree diamonds. 

45 degree diamonds in bright colors

How did I cut those diamonds? Templates? Absolutely NOT. I used the 45 degree line on my ruler as shown below (and measured 3-1/2" from flat side to flat side).

Let's see the quilt, ok? It's still a quilt top so that any students who take the class can see the seams from the back.

Flying Swallows

Here is just the block center. Notice how I used 2 different colors for the background (the white and the light blue). All of the fabrics are Michael Miller Fairy Frost!

Here are the diamonds stitched with the two different colored triangles:

Here's the single 24" block:

24" Flying Swallows block

I created one using the Jamestown Collection by Windham in 2018. This is a simple digital rendition, but those outside setting triangles and squares are pieced !

Flying Swallows for Windham Fabrics

Now, I want you to go back and look at the centers of these quilts. Notice in the first one, that black fabric resembles a crab that is anxious to jump out and bite you with its claws! It's the placement of the fabrics.

In the three (minus the red one), I changed out the colors of the background for those diamonds, and now you see a pinwheel (without those crab claws!)

Here's a page of the way it's put together. Does it look too hard? Remember: no templates; all rotary cut AND no set-in seams.

Check out my 7 page pdf pattern in my Etsy shop. I'll be sharing my lovely Swallows in the Window quilts later this week.