Detail from "Rain Dance," an original quilt by Sherrie Spangler

Saturday, June 11, 2016

"Spring In the Desert" quilt


I bought a cheerful print fabric of blooming cactuses with birds and lizards when I was in Arizona, so this week I decided to use it in a "Spring In the Desert" quilt. All that's left to do is the binding!


I sewed together wonky blocks, which I cut freehand without a ruler to give organic curves. I arranged the blocks, then filled in where needed with curvy strips and more blocks.


Other than the desert print, I only used solids or prints that read as solids. I painted some of the fabric.

 
The next photo shows it pieced together:.
 

Then I quilted it with horizontal and vertical lines, purposely irregular to continue the organic feel. The binding is attached on the front but I still have to hand sew it to the back. It measures 22" x 33".


Here are the books that inspired the wonky look. "37 Sketches" by Gwen Marston isn't a how-to book, but it has photos of 37 beautiful little wonky quilts. The last three books give good instructions on how to design and piece this style of quilt.






 Have a colorful day

1 comment:

Judy Sall Fiber Art said...

Love it! I have Rayna's book, and love that style of quilting. Your combination of the print and solids works beautifully!