churn dash | spolgarquilts

This quilt has been featured in previous posts found here, here, here, and here.

The day has come that I can finally say: I finished!

It feels so exhilarating finishing a massive quilt top! This sucker is 7 ft by 7 ft! It contains 49- 12 inch churn dash blocks! Each of those are made up of 1 square, 8 rectangles, and 4 HST units! This quilt is epic. I. LOVE. IT.

That’s a lot of cutting I had to do. (Probably my least favorite part)

I hung my quilt top on my “design corner” this morning to finish it up. I hoped to finish in time for the Kate Spain blog hop hosted by Blossom Heart Quilts but running short on Kona Ash, not finding it in local stores, procrastinating to order it, then waiting, and making 3 super totes, delayed my finish. But all good things take time. I almost wanted to just leave the blocks on the wall it felt like I was in this amazing summer garden and I was being all nerdy and giddy twirling in front like a little girl :)

I chose to make a few different colored blocks with different arrangements as well. I think the overall look is fantastic!

I even made a filled in churn dash. I hope to add a little embroidery here :)

I hope everyone finds time to CHURN out a finish this weekend! haha (I love puns)

Time seems to fly around this time of year! Especially with all the big events!

Yup! I graduated college! Now to find a real job because I don’t think quilting can support me at this moment. I’m still pretty slow especially on commissioned quilts!

It’s been a while since I last discussed my Kate Spain Honey Honey quilt! I was originally feeling a chevron but the more I played with the pattern on my design wall (i.e. a hunter green fleece blanket taped to the wall (and yes if you’re wondering it fell…repeatedly)) the cooler the designs that came out.

I contemplated the chevron….

Alternating squares…

Linked concentric squares….

I also really thought about doing just one giant concentric square. Think just the left side.

Even a star made of half square triangles known as Aunt Rachel’s star…

I didn’t take any pictures of this but here’s a similar idea.

But ultimately I decided on a quilt block, a classic, one with deep roots in the dairy/quilty community…the churn dash! I love this block!

Check out that perfect piecing! I impressed myself! All that trimming and pressing really pays off!

And here’s my plan for the overall layout…

I got lazy and stopped sketching the feature fabric! SO the sold white churn dashes on white background aren’t happening. This picture was clearly taken at a weird angle.

A few problems:

1) this one is a doozy…because I was letting the fabric decide on the pattern, I had made most of the kona ash I had on hand into hst units! And now with the Kate Spain blog hop deadline lurking I can’t find kona ash anywhere local and I don’t know that I can get it in time to finish if I order it! (I need it for the dashes)

I’ve seen the block made with three different colors but I think that’s too old fashioned make do ish. I really love the sharp contrast of the bright aqua and corals with the pale grey.

Before I sink in to plan b, I’m heading to western mass to clean out my college apartment maybe the Joann’s on nearby and/or on the way home has some kona ash in stock.

2) Steam —did you know steam is a “frenemy”?! I found out after I steamed all my half square triangles so not all my piecing was perfect!

Check out this great episode of Quilty! You guys I’m assuming know about Quilty magazine. But do you know Mary Fons has her own web show?! If you didn’t and your a beginner you must watch! Everytime I think I’m gaining an edge on some other beginers (which technically I still am) She teaches me something that totally blows my mind :)

O and her favorite block is the churn dash! Go figure!