Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along - A Modern Take!

Hi, all!

Welcome to the third week of the Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along!  If this is your first time stopping by, here's a rundown of what's happened so far.  The first week, we discussed several different ways to make sixteen-patch blocks.  Last week I showed you one way to use those blocks…

 …by alternating them with pinwheel blocks.  A fresh take on two traditional blocks!  (By the way, this quilt is being raffled off to help raise money for my daughter's adoption of Nathanael, a sweet little boy from China.  You can read more about that raffle here.)

(From ArtsyFartsyDesigns.blogspot.com)

Today I want to show you a more modern take on the sixteen patch quilt, which I created based on inspiration from the picture above this paragraph…

This is a true scrappy quilt!  Those sixteen-patch blocks were made from 5-patch strips left over from a postage stamp quilt I made several years ago.  I repurposed those strips into the sixteen-patch blocks you see.  Each block finishes at 8" square.  

Since I had sixteen of the sixteen-patch blocks, I chose to make my quilt 64" square.  (Eight rows of two 8" sixteen-patch blocks each.)  I started by laying out the block design, separating each pair of blocks with a four inch wide background piece.  (Graph paper is my friend!)  My top row of sixteen-patch blocks is 12" from the right edge of the quilt and 32" from the left edge.   It's fairly easy to figure out the size of the background pieces from that.  I chose to work the quilt in rows all the way across rather than piecing the center section and doing large pieces to either side, although either way would work.

The back is several large remnant pieces of batik, separated by 1" strips of the background fabric from the top (in this case, Kona Khaki, I believe.)

But what I love most about this quilt is the actual quilting!  This design is from Christina Cameli's new book, Step By Step Free Motion Quilting.  I love the contrast between the straight lines of the piecing and the wavy, organic lines of the quilting. This was a very simple pattern to create, too.  I'll be doing a review of Christina's book (and her Craftsy class!) next week - be sure to come back and check it out!

All in all, a fairly simple quilt to make, and one that lends itself to some creative quilting if you are so inclined.  It would look equally good with a simple random meander, straight line or organic straight line quilting, too!

And remember that fundraiser I mentioned earlier?  Well, if we get to $500 in donations (and we're getting close) this quilt will be added in to the raffle, so there will be two winners!  Help us #bringNathanaelhome!

One more thing - just to whet your appetite, here's a sneak peek at next week's sixteen-patch offering…

So now, it's your turn! Are you ready to show off what you've been working on for the quilt along?  Link up below and give us a peek!

Hugs!

Sarah