Penny Patch Quilt

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Penny Patch Quilt

Six months and 12 bobbins of quilting thread later, the Penny Patch Quilt is finally finished! I made this twin-sized (66" x 90") quilt closely following the instructions on Stitched in Color's Penny Patch Quilt Along.

  Penny patch - piecing

I spent an afternoon selecting, cutting and pairing fabric for each block back in October and then finally started piecing the top in January. I really like the mix of fabrics I chose for this, especially because I'm on a purple kick right now.

Penny Patch Quilt - Basting

After the quilt was basted, it hung on my sewing room door for 2 months while I practiced doodling dogwood quilting during meetings and on phone calls.

Penny Patch Quilt - Basting

Penny Patch - dogwood quilting

Once the pattern finally clicked for me, it took a few weeks to pull out the big guns and attempt using my sewing machine. A week ago,  I finally took the plunge and quilted the first two lines on the quilt. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I definitely shouldn't have procrastinated so long on this!

Penny Patch Quilt

My dogwoods aren't anywhere near perfect and not one looks alike or is uniform in size, but I'm pleased with the overall look and I'm glad I reached outside of my comfort zone. My shoulders are still sore after all of the maneuvering, so it will be a while before I attempt a large scale free motion quilting job again.


Penny Patch Quilt

I modified the pattern in the tutorial a bit by adding alternating rows of four-patch blocks. The tutorial pattern used a checkerboard pattern of single square and penny patch blocks, but I added the four-patch blocks to try and avoid some of the stair-stepping patterns that you see above. If I were to make this quilt again or offer suggestions to other quilters interested in this pattern, I would use a selection of medium tone fabrics rather than a mix of low-volume and high-volume fabrics. I think it would lend to a more vintage look and avoid the stair step pops of high intensity colors. It's not as noticeable up close, but the "steps" do pop at a distance.


Penny Patch Quilt

It's backed with Botanics cross hatch 108" wide fabric from Pink Castle Fabrics (a dream for someone who puts off the backing selection and construction until the last minute!)

As soon as I pulled it out of the dryer and took pictures, I tossed the quilt on a chair. When I turned around, I found Nuku Nuku had already claimed her spot. I'm glad she loves this one as much as I do!

Nuku Nuku approves

7 comments

  1. Gorgeous! I love your colour choices.. gives it great texture.

    PS - great to see you back on the web. :-)

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  2. Beautiful quilt! I really like the photo of the quilt against the grayed wood fence.

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  3. nuku nuku has great taste... this quilt is amazing!!

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  4. I really like the high contrast. Well done!

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  5. I really like the high contrast. Well done!

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  6. Bontanics backing is a smart choice and I love the dogwood quilting. Nicely done.

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  7. this quilt is stunning! Great Work! I love the colour combo!

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