I just got back from two weeks in Baltimore for work. Besides a suitcase of dirty laundry, I also brought home the determination to make a quilt inspired by the carpet squares from the United terminal at BWI. Over the last few years, as I walk down the hall to or from a plane, I think, "That could be a quilt pattern." This time, I was determined to follow through. (Sorry no carpet picture.)
The carpet pattern consists of plain squares alternating with squares containing a single stripe. The striped squares have the stripes either toward the top or to the right side of the block. I figured my plain squares would be a print, and I found two 1-yard cuts of different scale leaf prints in similar colors. Then I pulled blues and lavendars from my stash that went with the main fabrics, making sure I had darks, mediums and lights, and a variety of scale and pattern in fabrics that would read as "solid." Some of these fabrics are from the '90s!
After making up several striped blocks, I played around with the arrangement of the two fabrics for the plain squares: alternating in rows, on a diagonal, random. I also tried all of one fabric or the other, but I needed to use both prints to make the top a decent size. The diagonal arrangement won, and I decided against using the two main fabrics in some of the striped blocks.
When the center was arranged on the design wall, I had the idea of creating a border by extending the stripe all the way around the outer edge of the top. Corner blocks made, and once I sew all the blocks together I should have a 60 x 66 top. Could have been a little bigger, but due to a nighttime cutting incident, I ran out of one of the leaf prints early.
This was a quick top to make, and maybe I should write up instructions?
