Q&A: The Quilting Process Part I

At the beginning of the year, my friend Erin commented:

I would love to see your thought process or inspirations in terms of seeing something and then making it happen - sort of a craft start to finish? 

So I'm going to chart my my next quilt from start to finish.

Step One: The Inspiration/Spark

A few weeks ago I highlighted this Strippy Striped Quilt by Etsy seller Division of Labor in my Gallery post on Beautiful Modern Quilts.  I found myself thinking and thinking about this quilt, knowing that I had a full stack of vintage bed linen striped fat quarters. 

Step Two: Play/Sketches

I made some sketches of some possibilities and Ian and I voted on our favorites.  We chose the concept from the bottom line, which I thought out fully in the sketch below.




Step Three: Design

I planned to pair off the striped fabrics, and arrange a full 8.5" x 8.5" square of each print on each side.  The next squares in would be divided in half: a 4.25" x 8.5" of each print, the next squares dived in four, and the middle square divided into 8 small squares.  In between each block is the "sashing" fabric.  Instead of lining up each row the same, I'm going to offset the blocks to give the design some more movement.


My plan is for the finished quilt to be big enough for a queen sized bed: about 96" x 108".  That's the plan, anyways - we'll see how the math pans out!



Step Four: Select/Pair Off Fabrics

With all of my thinking about color lately, I have resolved not to shy away from color in this project!  Spring! Bring it on!

Here are my stripes, paired and ready to go!

Check back for the next steps as it all comes together!