Spring Cleaning in August

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Spring Cleaning is the name of the quilt that I made years ago and that sort of started this whole crazy 'quilting business' for me. I made it as an attempt at cleaning out my scrap basket one year and then it hung in the local quilt show the next year. The following year, while I was at retreat, a friend had a sketch of it and was trying to make it. I wrote up the instructions for her and she was thrilled. She said I should write patterns...and the rest as they say, is history.

You can see the mini version I made here.

I'll be teaching this quilt in one of my workshops next month and thought that it would be fun to make a table runner version. It's a great block to make when teaching strip cutting, strip piecing, pinwheel pressing, and pinless perfect patchwork. It really is a good basic skill builder. Most people are terrified when they see those one inch finished squares, but they really are easy and impressive with just a little bit of practice.

I asked for opinions on setting options on Facebook. Nothing like Facebook to get opinions from a zillion folks in less than a minute. Thank you! I love the feedback. I actually went with the consensus even though I had planned to set it like the original quilt.

And then I used the collage setting on Instagram to make instant quilts from a photo of just four blocks. Talk about instafun! If only sewing were that speedy!

So now I have a table runner version to take with me, and I might not even quilt it, so that the seams on the back can be studied up close. I think it really helps to see what is going on with the seams before you start your own. But it will get quilted eventually because I want to put it on my table. I really like it.

Which version is your favorite? The original, the mini, or the table runner? Let me know and I'll choose a winner next Sunday to receive a free digital copy of the pattern.

Enjoy every stitch!

Diane