We made the Knee Socks Block by Elizabeth Hartman. I loved the strong lines in this block and the restricted use of just a few colors really makes this block perfect for the quilt I had in mind. This one is for my brother. He's a product of that era, he probably even owned some of those socks. So, cheers Chris.
The details:
"Knock your socks off"
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| front |
Block Pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, blocks quadrants received disassembled by request, remixed by me and constructed as per original block pattern instructions. Side by side grid layout for blocks, asymmetrical final layout with quilters details (repeating stripes).
Back- original design with some of my brothers favorite things (you can probably guess what they are).
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| back |
Fabric front: Group Bee stash fabrics. I asked Bee mates to use white/ white on white and add just a pinch of red. Prints were OK as long as they "read" solid. I added, Kona snow, Kaffe Fasset Aboriginal dot, Hammer and nails by Blend, and Tina Higgins designs, cycles.
Fabric Back: Striped fabric- Emmie Ruta by Ikea, Versatiles by Matthew de Lanoy (red), Hammer and Nails by Blend and Tina Higgins designs, cycles (gray).
Threads: Aurifil 50 wt, 100% Mako cotton, quilted to match fabric: 1158 (dark gray), 2606 (medium gray), 2250 (red) and a silver gray from my stash by One Cotton.
Batting:Warm and Natural 100% cotton
Quilting: Bernina #4 swiggle stitch with walking foot. 5mm wide, 2.5 stitch length. Quilted on a 180 machine.
Binding: Hammer and Nails by Blend, cut 2" straight of grain
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| pin basting the quilt, close up of some of the fabrics used |
New ideas/techniques: I used a deconstructed duvet cover in 100% cotton by Ikea for the backing. I cut into the twin size duvet using only one side (the other side was check). Since the duvet was not wide enough, I widened it by adding (and repeating) the striped detail. The effect is subtle but really is the best finish for the back, and in keeping with my quilt back philosophy, I got to use leftover material from the front in the back as well. The back, while striped, is visually different from the front, also something I reach for in all of my quilts. I also used "matching" threads on the quilt top, so the quilting compliments the top without making its own statement.
And finally, along the lines of "Derived Inspiration", I actually used Elizabeth Hartman's quilt block as the inspiration for the quilt. The linear aspect of the block and it's lending itself to a restricted color palette really paved the way to add the large full length stripes to the top and inset the stripes into the otherwise striped fabric back. I'm a believer that you can find inspiration anywhere! Since the block design is Elizabeth's and not mine, the quilt design is not totally of my own creation, but I did add some of me to it, and I hope she likes what I did with her block!
I always liked Elizabeth's knee socks block and would think she'd like how you tweaked it into your own. Nicely done. Hope your brother appreciates it. Merry Christmas.
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