Sunday 25 March 2018

handkerchief corner in pastel



It was a wet Saturday yesterday here in Auckland NZ, perfect for sewing. You may remember my 1/4 log cabin WiP from last year, otherwise known as the 'handkerchief corner' quilt, see back here in October 2017. There were only a handful of blocks made up so I got busy slicing strips & sewing.

Low volumes, backgrounds, neutrals, pastels . . . there's lots of names for those lighter fabrics we use and recently I've been quite focused on sewing with a good dose of them, using fabrics from my stash.

This quilt was an attempt at a toned down version of a vintage inspired 'handkerchief corner' quilt from one of Kaffe's early books 'A Colourful Journey'. Kaffe's pattern is made up of one square patch and one trapezium patch shape, however I simply added my strips in regular log cabin style around two sides of each square.


I'm sure there a lots of ways to set these blocks, here's a few options I played with . . .




And this one, the combination of on point handkerchief corner blocks and a few bold stripes seems to transform it into a very interesting modern design . . .


In the end, I decided to stick with my original idea of joining the 10 1/2" blocks side by side and set them 5 x 6. The finished quilt measures approx. 55" (140cms) x 68" (173cms). I didn't strictly alternate the light/dark blocks either, so you can see a bit of merging happening occasionally.

I do wish I had more of the Kaffe pretty pastel floral I used for the borders though, as I would have preferred the borders to be a bit wider than they are, but I guess it's the risk you take when sewing from the stash. 




Hoping you have all had a lovely weekend too.
Linking up with Cynthia for 'oh scrap' here - where there's lots more scrappy inspiration

19 comments:

Julie said...

Very pretty, luckly you had a wet day. We had glorious weather out Maraetai/ Clevedon till about 3pm

somethingrosemade14@blogspot.com said...

I just love your quilt and I have so many of the fabrics you used. You know I love checks/plaids/stripes mixed with florals. I wished you lived down the street from me or at least the same continent because I have some of the pastel border you wish you had more of. It's one of my favorite prints.

Kate said...

Very pretty. Love the soft colors with the pops of bold and bright.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I think your quilt turned out really well, love all the colors in it

Quiltdivajulie said...

I'm glad you went with this layout - it is truly lovely with a bit of pizzazz in there (the brighter pieces and the plaids). Saving this one for my someday idea file!

Karyn said...

So pretty.

Leeanne said...

Pretty, so much movement in this top

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

So soft and inviting! This pattern is on my to do list. I have a ton of strings and this block is a perfect way to use them. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap and inspiring us!

Karen's Korner said...

Such pretty fabrics and the border fabric fits in perfectly.

The Joyful Quilter said...

All variations are pleasing. You couldn't really go wrong!

Karen S said...

That is lovely to see the blocks together. Well done getting your flimsy finished. it looks great.

O'Quilts said...

just lovely

Janie said...

Beautiful layout Linda. I love the blues with the pink flowers in the border.
It's a rainy spring day here, perfect quilt top for today.

Ann said...

So lovely. Thanks for sharing different settings, always something to think about. I'm so glad you put yours together and hope you enjoy it.

Mystic Quilter said...

It's beautiful Linda! As you say there a number of settings for this block, I like the one you went with. Are you going to quilt this yourself?

Nifty Quilts said...

It's a beautiful quilts, Kaja! Congratulations on this finish! This pattern has been on my list for a long time. You've inspired me to possibly make it sooner than later.

Kaja said...

It's always fun to see the different layouts. I like the version you went with in the end and love the clean feel your colour scheme gives. Your border fabric is fabulous too - I keep meaning to try using a big floral like this; I always love it when you do it.

Linda said...

Another lovely pastel quilt top. Such a fresh look to it, a timeless design. Congratulations on making it all from stash.

Suz J said...

The magic of quilting where fabrics that shouldn't really come together just seem to turn into their own thing that is truly beautiful! Wonderful achievement.