My original concept for a USA quilt started in the 1980's when I was a quilt rookie. I collected a binder full of block ideas but abandoned the idea because of a combination of my lack of talent, wrong scale, too much color variation, lack of ambition....etc. Recently, I have been intrigued by the Dear Jane Quilts with their little blocks. I want to make a quilt of 6" red and white blocks.
I envision traditional blocks that are symbolic of the state i.e. Kansas Dugout, Maryland Beauty or Orange Peel for Florida, Bear Paw for Alaska.
To add to the interest, I would like the red fabric to to be purchased in (or come out of a quilter's stash of fabric) in that state.
July 2010 Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa Tennesee
August 2010
Florida
Illinois, Nebraska, Wyoming
Alabama, Montana, Alaska
Sept 2010: Wisconsin
Oct 2010 Maine, Michigan, Kentucky
California, New York, Texas New Hampshire
November 2010: Kansas
January 2011: Minnesota, North Carolina
June 2011: Washington
October 2011: Georgia, Rhode Island
October 2012: North Dakota, South Carolina, Vermont
Louisiana, Oregon, South Dakota, Indiana
Mass, Oklahoma, Hawaii
Arkansas, Colorado, Deleware
July 2013: Quilt Retreat blocks finished: NV, Mo, MD, VA, ID, MI, NJ, NM, WV, UT, CT
Dec 2013 Quilting Started!
I tried my hand at sashiko stitching, and made this holder for my state blocks where I collected them all in the long years that I worked on this quilt.
Alabama
Florida
"Orange Peel"
Melani & Brie - Orlando
This block was made with fabric sent by my high school friend Melani, that she and her daughter Brie picked out. They aren't quilters and headed to the fabric shop just to buy this for me!
Georgia
Sherman's March
I have both friends and relatives in Georgia, but I think this may have been made from the collective leftovers.
Hawaii
"Pineapple"
Debbie
Fabric purchased while my friend Debbie was on the island.
Idaho
"Double Sawtooth"
My Stash
The Sawtooth mountain range is where I spent much of my summers backpacking as I was growing up. Now the ride to that valley is one of our favorite day rides on the motorcycle.
Illinois
"North Wind"
The Fabric Center, Morris, IL
I bought this fabric while on vacation too. I picked this pattern because of Chicago being famous for "the windy city". It would have been appropriate for most of those northern plains states too.
Indiana
"Indiana Puzzle"
Heather
Iowa
This quilt shop is 7 miles North of I-80. We drove past fields and fields of corn and beans. The block choice was obvious.
Kansas
"Kansas Dugout"
Heather
Kentucky
"Kentucky Crossroads"
Lucy
Lucy picked up the fabric for me. The quilt shop saleslady suggested this fabric to represent the Wildcats. I've been worried that the blue & yellow may stand out with all the other fabrics being mono-chromatic. Perhaps people will be distracted by my un-even piecing instead. Or the 2-tone background.
Louisiana
"Captain's Wheel"
Bryanna
We asked one of my daughter's friends to pick up some fabric while she was visiting her mom over the summer. We found out later that her mom had moved from Louisiana to Pennsylvania. Still count it as LA.
Maine
"Maple Leaf"
Daughter and Grandma picked up the fabric when they were in New Hampshire for my niece's wedding. As noted on the NH block, it is one of my only repeat fabrics...I picked it out for another state while we were traveling.
Maryland
Shannon
Massachusetts
"Mayflower"
Michigan
"Michigan Beauty"
The fabric might look familiar. The dots are also in the NH block (familial fabric picking syndrome). And I really liked these colors with the fabric that Anne sent from Alabama, so I borrowed some since the Southern Belle block pattern I had used 3 fabrics.
Minnesota
"Lady of the Lakes"
Lynn
Picked up by a blogger friend while on vaction.
Mississippi
Missouri
"Saint Louis Star"
Heather
Montana
"Delectable Mountains"
Lynne @ Quilting in the Pines
I met Lynne on-line while working on the Joseph's Coat Quilt Along. We've been encouraging each other on projects ever since.
Nebraska
"Farmers Daughter"
Prairie Point Junction, Cozad, NE
Another vacation buy.
Nevada
"Card Trick"
My friend Cassi kept planning to buy me fabric. In the end, I used fabric from the collective and just thought about her while I made it.
New Hampshire
Water Wheel
Grandma
New Jersey
"State of New Jersey"
New Mexico
"Squash Blossom"
Veronica
New York
"Empire Star"
Lisa
North Carolina
"propeller"
Rae Anne or Jill
North Dakota
Lynn
Ohio
Ohio Star
Lucy @ Oh Lucy What Did You Do?
Lucy is a high school friend who has just started quilting. I'm afraid that I've been a bad influence on her and she's now fully addicted. We reconnected recently through Facebook and were able to meet for supper during our Epic Road Trip.
Oklahoma
Twister
Hillary - my niece who attended college in Oklahoma City
Oregon
Tall Pine Tree
Hubby
Pennsylvania
"Anvil"
Laurel H @ Lively Stitches
Laurel is a blog friend whom I met through the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I picked Anvil because it reminds me of the Steelers. I had a secret crush on Meril Hodge when we were both at Idaho State and cheered for the Steelers because of him.
Rhode Island
"Algonquin Charm"
South Carolina
Missy
South Dakota
"Dakota Star"
Debbie
Tennesee
"Crockett Cabin"
Quilter's Attic, Goodlettesville TN
A favorite vacation buy. Not only is it red...it's batik :-)
Texas
"Texas Rose"
Vacation buy
Utah
"Salt Lake City"
Anna
Vermont
"Maple Leaf"
ET
Virginia
"Jamestown Square"
Amy
Washington
"Grape Basket"
Dianna
West Virginia
"Belle of West Virginia"
Lucy
This fabric was from a fellow blogger. It took me forever to do because she sent 2 terrific fabrics and I kept trying to put them together. Once I decided to only use one, it was fast, easy and a nice change from piecing.
Wyoming
"Cowboy Star"
Quilt Essentials, Laramie, WY
This was our first quilt shop on the Epic Road Trip. It took a lot of searching to find a pattern I could use that would also show off the words printed on the fabric.
July 2010 Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa Tennesee
August 2010
Florida
Illinois, Nebraska, Wyoming
Alabama, Montana, Alaska
Sept 2010: Wisconsin
Oct 2010 Maine, Michigan, Kentucky
California, New York, Texas New Hampshire
November 2010: Kansas
January 2011: Minnesota, North Carolina
June 2011: Washington
October 2011: Georgia, Rhode Island
October 2012: North Dakota, South Carolina, Vermont
Louisiana, Oregon, South Dakota, Indiana
Mass, Oklahoma, Hawaii
Arkansas, Colorado, Deleware
July 2013: Quilt Retreat blocks finished: NV, Mo, MD, VA, ID, MI, NJ, NM, WV, UT, CT
Dec 2013 Quilting Started!
Alabama
"Southern Belle"
Anne at Film & Thread
Anne is a fellow blogger I met through the Bloggers Quilt Festival. She was one of the first quilters who answered my request for fabrics. I contemplated about a dozen different designs for Alabama, then took the easy way out with this one. I added some other fabrics to finish the design.
Alaska
"Bear Paws"
Marti
The most amazing fabric I received was from my friend Debbie's cousin Marti who lives in Alaska. This fabric came from her stash. I tried a couple variations of "Bear Paw" before I opted for this size to show off the bear motif.
Arizona
"Cactus Flower"
Laura
Fabric from my sister-in-law who is also a quilter, living in Phoenix.
Arkansas
"Arkansas Cross Roads"
This was one of the blocks where I didn't get donation fabric. To make me feel better about "fudging the rules", I thought of my friend Gail the whole time I was stitching it. She's from Arkansas.
California
"Road to California"
Rita
Fabric from another of my sisters in law, one who doesn't quilt but happily bought me some fabric.
Connecticut
Delaware
" Delaware Flagstones"
Amy
Anne at Film & Thread
Anne is a fellow blogger I met through the Bloggers Quilt Festival. She was one of the first quilters who answered my request for fabrics. I contemplated about a dozen different designs for Alabama, then took the easy way out with this one. I added some other fabrics to finish the design.
"Bear Paws"
Marti
The most amazing fabric I received was from my friend Debbie's cousin Marti who lives in Alaska. This fabric came from her stash. I tried a couple variations of "Bear Paw" before I opted for this size to show off the bear motif.
Arizona
"Cactus Flower"
Laura
Fabric from my sister-in-law who is also a quilter, living in Phoenix.
"Arkansas Cross Roads"
This was one of the blocks where I didn't get donation fabric. To make me feel better about "fudging the rules", I thought of my friend Gail the whole time I was stitching it. She's from Arkansas.
"Road to California"
Rita
Fabric from another of my sisters in law, one who doesn't quilt but happily bought me some fabric.
Connecticut
Delaware
" Delaware Flagstones"
Amy
"Orange Peel"
Melani & Brie - Orlando
This block was made with fabric sent by my high school friend Melani, that she and her daughter Brie picked out. They aren't quilters and headed to the fabric shop just to buy this for me!
Georgia
Sherman's March
I have both friends and relatives in Georgia, but I think this may have been made from the collective leftovers.
Hawaii
"Pineapple"
Debbie
Fabric purchased while my friend Debbie was on the island.
Idaho
"Double Sawtooth"
My Stash
The Sawtooth mountain range is where I spent much of my summers backpacking as I was growing up. Now the ride to that valley is one of our favorite day rides on the motorcycle.
"North Wind"
The Fabric Center, Morris, IL
I bought this fabric while on vacation too. I picked this pattern because of Chicago being famous for "the windy city". It would have been appropriate for most of those northern plains states too.
Indiana
"Indiana Puzzle"
Heather
"Corn & Beans"
Prairie Star Quilts, Elk Horn IA"Kansas Dugout"
Heather
Kentucky
"Kentucky Crossroads"
Lucy
Lucy picked up the fabric for me. The quilt shop saleslady suggested this fabric to represent the Wildcats. I've been worried that the blue & yellow may stand out with all the other fabrics being mono-chromatic. Perhaps people will be distracted by my un-even piecing instead. Or the 2-tone background.
Louisiana
"Captain's Wheel"
Bryanna
We asked one of my daughter's friends to pick up some fabric while she was visiting her mom over the summer. We found out later that her mom had moved from Louisiana to Pennsylvania. Still count it as LA.
Maine
"Maple Leaf"
Daughter and Grandma picked up the fabric when they were in New Hampshire for my niece's wedding. As noted on the NH block, it is one of my only repeat fabrics...I picked it out for another state while we were traveling.
Shannon
Massachusetts
"Mayflower"
Michigan
"Michigan Beauty"
The fabric might look familiar. The dots are also in the NH block (familial fabric picking syndrome). And I really liked these colors with the fabric that Anne sent from Alabama, so I borrowed some since the Southern Belle block pattern I had used 3 fabrics.
"Lady of the Lakes"
Lynn
Picked up by a blogger friend while on vaction.
Mississippi
Missouri
"Saint Louis Star"
Heather
"Delectable Mountains"
Lynne @ Quilting in the Pines
I met Lynne on-line while working on the Joseph's Coat Quilt Along. We've been encouraging each other on projects ever since.
"Farmers Daughter"
Prairie Point Junction, Cozad, NE
Another vacation buy.
Nevada
"Card Trick"
My friend Cassi kept planning to buy me fabric. In the end, I used fabric from the collective and just thought about her while I made it.
New Hampshire
Water Wheel
Grandma
New Jersey
"State of New Jersey"
New Mexico
"Squash Blossom"
Veronica
"Empire Star"
Lisa
North Carolina
"propeller"
Rae Anne or Jill
North Dakota
Lynn
Ohio Star
Lucy @ Oh Lucy What Did You Do?
Lucy is a high school friend who has just started quilting. I'm afraid that I've been a bad influence on her and she's now fully addicted. We reconnected recently through Facebook and were able to meet for supper during our Epic Road Trip.
Twister
Hillary - my niece who attended college in Oklahoma City
Oregon
Tall Pine Tree
Hubby
"Anvil"
Laurel H @ Lively Stitches
Laurel is a blog friend whom I met through the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I picked Anvil because it reminds me of the Steelers. I had a secret crush on Meril Hodge when we were both at Idaho State and cheered for the Steelers because of him.
"Algonquin Charm"
South Carolina
Missy
South Dakota
"Dakota Star"
Debbie
"Crockett Cabin"
Quilter's Attic, Goodlettesville TN
A favorite vacation buy. Not only is it red...it's batik :-)
"Texas Rose"
Vacation buy
Utah
"Salt Lake City"
Anna
Vermont
"Maple Leaf"
ET
Virginia
"Jamestown Square"
Amy
Washington
"Grape Basket"
Dianna
"Belle of West Virginia"
Lucy
Wisconsin
"Polka Dot"
This fabric was from a fellow blogger. It took me forever to do because she sent 2 terrific fabrics and I kept trying to put them together. Once I decided to only use one, it was fast, easy and a nice change from piecing.
"Cowboy Star"
Quilt Essentials, Laramie, WY
This was our first quilt shop on the Epic Road Trip. It took a lot of searching to find a pattern I could use that would also show off the words printed on the fabric.
