Hi friends. I'm so excited to finally be able to share my latest pattern. The Harken Quilt pattern has been a long time in the making and gone through many iterations to get here. More about the inspiration for this design in a later blog post and in the pattern itself.
I couldn't resist sharing a little peek of my earthy inspired, low volume, scrappy version. This is the small throw size, just right for the little quilt lover in the family, perfect as a car quilt on those long road trips and ideal as a stroller or wheelchair quilt.
This quilt was super fun to make. For the non background sections, I used all leftovers from previous projects - mostly Art Gallery Fabrics, that all "coincidentally" coordinated with my new kitchen (update on that later). I definitely had green and earthy tones on the brain, ie, LOTS of AGF Pure Solids Rosemary. The background is of course, Kona Snow, which I buy by the bolt off of Amazon. Those little pops of dark is some old Kona Coal I had in my stash. I love the way these colors came together.
What I love about this design is how many ways you can play with the layout. For this one I chose to use the same print/color to make the squares consistent in the rows which then made the diagonal squares scrappy and varied.
I like how it gives my eye a place to rest. Controlled scrappy might be a good way to describe it.
There is no right or wrong with how you layout your scrappy version. You can use fat quarters for your cuts or simply dive into your existing scrap bin and play with your favorites. It's a great way to highlight some of your most loved prints/colors, new or old.
I love wool batting and decided this one needed to be wool. It's light, makes for a dreamy drape and is so warm and cozy. Have you all used wool before? Did you like it? I use Quilters Dream pre-washed wool and have never had a problem with shrinkage.
Since I chose to go with very minimal quilting lines however, I wasn't sure about the shrinkage/crinkle and decided I should add some additional support with wool yarn ties. It'll give it a bit more structure without losing any of the dreamy drapi-ness.
Adding the ties may or may not help... I have yet to wash this one, but I do love the old school vibe it gives the quilt. And I think it'll look even better when the yarn ties, fuzz up a bit.
They even look cute on the back of the quilt! Oh and speaking of the back of the quilt. I had fun piecing this one together using the rest of my current obsession - AGF Pure Solid in Rosemary, an old piece of linen, and my other favorite go to neutral - Bonnie Christine's Green Thumb Three from the Roots of Nature collection. Lastly, I finished it all off with a scrappy binding. The combination of the fabrics I had left was just right for the binding. I love putting my hard earned fabric to good use and wasting a little as possible.
Stay tuned for the post wash crinkle report. And tell me, do you have some beautiful scraps or FQs that you're dying to show off in the Harken Quilt?
Or maybe you're more of a classic version kind of quilter? The pattern has instructions for both and I can't wait to share it with you all on Thursday. Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter for updates and possible sales codes.
Okay, happy weekend!
I'm off to go enjoy our local Solstice Parade and officially kick off the summer! The sun just started shining around here and I for one and here for it!