Haberdashery Quilt
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen lots of “in progress” shots of this quilt. I just finished it up and couldn’t be happier with it! My goal was to experiment with the diamond shape in a minimalist design with a restrained color palette. I drafted a simple paper pieced block with two diamonds of unequal size. I used the Pure Elements Empire Yellow for the diamonds and the background is made up of Pure Elements Creme de la Creme and Linen White (I believe) as well as the two tone on tone white prints from Carolyn Friedlander’s Doe collection. The various shades of white/off white in the background add interest and dimension. I think that this layout creates a bit of an optical illusion too. Do you see it? The rows look like that are at an angle though I assure you, they are square-I blocked it and everything! It was something I noticed even in my initial sketch. Funny, I couldn’t have created an optical illusion if I had tried to. It was clearly accidental.
The backing is Lotta Jansdotter’s Bergen in Myer Yellow from Mormor. It’s nearly the perfect color match plus I love the similar minimalist feel. I particularly love this front/back combo.
Normally, I don’t decide on my quilting until the quilt is well underway but the plan for this quilt was a tight grid right from the start. The lines are spaced about 1/2″ apart. I used a 50 weight Aurifil #2021. The quilting is by no means perfect but I am pretty happy with the consistency in the spacing, the straightness of the lines and lack of shifting. I took this photo with light on one side only and it really highlights the amazing texture that the tight grid achieves!
My mom often helps me name my quilts and this one is no exception. We both saw ties in the quilt, though that was certainly not my intent. I thought of playing off that idea and she suggested Haberdashery. I love the word for this quilt because in America, the word means a shop that sells men’s accessories, such as ties. In the UK, it means a shop that sells sewing notions. I love the fact that the name is associated both with ties and sewing.
The finished quilt measures 49″ x 56″.
