Quilts and Classics: Delta Breeze/1969 Ford Mustang

 Delta Breeze may very well be my all-time favorite quilt, certainly my favorite of those I have designed myself.

The inspiration for this quilt began here, some upholstery fabric on a church bench in Lodi, California, located in the California Delta region between Sacramento and Stockton. I didn't think it was particularly appealing fabric, but somehow the palm frond-like design reminded me of the bear paw block. I had just been sent a fabric bundle of Soho Solids by Timeless Treasures and needed an idea for a quilt. I came home and sketched two sizes of the bear paw block and Delta Breeze was born.

This quilt has had the most extensive and varied history of all of my quilts. 

It has been published:

There was a tutorial, originally published on the Timeless Treasures blog and then republished here on my blog.

Sharon Holland reached out to me with one of her new fabric lines and I chose the Delta Breeze pattern to see what it looked like when made in prints rather than solids.

It was one of three of my quilts juried into QuiltCon 2016, an amazing accomplishment for me as there are usually more than 3000 submissions and only around half that number of quilts are juried in.

The back:

Beautiful quilting by Darby Myers:

Members of a quilt guild (the name of which I cannot remember) made their version of Delta Breeze.

For awhile it was on the cover of my iPhone.

Mark made a fused glass version, which hangs in my office.

And very special to me, it was the inspiration for these note cards by Molly Lam (@tokodots), which are still available in her etsy shop!

Needless to say, this quilt is near and dear to my heart. Some of the colors were the perfect match for this beautiful 1969 Ford Mustang, my dream car, owned by good friend, Rod McNeely.

When I was photographing last month's quilt, Basket Weaving, I took Delta Breeze along and here are some bonus shots.

This is definitely a quilt that has captured my heart like no other.

Design: Original design by me

Size: 48x48"

Quilted by: Darby Myers

Bountiful Blog Tour: Bountiful Breeze

I have been following Sharon Holland, a designer for Art Gallery Fabrics, for awhile now, and in the process we have made a lovely connection via social media. She designs the most beautiful fabrics in soft and soothing colors. Her newest line, Bountiful, was inspired by the Midwest. Having lived in the Midwest (Oklahoma and Kansas) myself for quite a few years, these fabrics really speak to me, so when she invited me to participate in this blog tour and make something with this line, I said yes without hesitation.

I had a fat quarter stack of the entire line to play with, and then added some Pure Elements solids from my own stash.

Photo by Sharon Holland

I decided to use my Delta Breeze pattern, which is a modern take on the classic Bear Paw block.  Having only made it in solids, I was eager to see what it would look like in these pretty prints.

I'm so happy with how it turned out. I really like that some fabrics are bolder, and some are subtle and invite you in to take a closer look. 

The beautiful quilting was done by Darby Myers, a classic Baptist fan with "pearls" between some of the fans.

You can see find a recap of Week 1 of the blog tour here. Yesterday Katie from The Simple Life Pattern Company made the cutest dresses, and Monday you won't want to miss whatever it is that Maureen Cracknell, another Art Gallery artist,  has to show.

I hope you will take the time to check out all the fabulous designers in the line-up. 

Heidi Staples - Fabric Mutt

Emily Dennis - Quilty Love

Minki Kim - Minki Kim

Heather Andrus - Quilt Story

Sharon McConnell - Color Girl Quilts

Silvia Sutters - A Stranger View

Elina Temmes - Elina Temmes

Kim Niedzwiecki - Gogo Kim

Katie Skoog - The Simple Life Company

Cindy Wiens - Live a Colorfullife--you're here now!

Maureen Cracknell - Maureen Cracknell Handmade

Lynn Harris - The Little Red Hen

Anjeanette Klinder - Anjeanette K

Mathew Boudreaux - Mister Domestic

Alexis Wright - My Sweet Sunshine Studio

Sue Stone - Needle in a Fabric Stash

Also, you can follow me on Instagram at @liveacolorfullife and Sharon at @sharonhollanddesigns. 

And finally, here are Bountiful Breeze and Delta Breeze side by side, "fraternal twins." 

Quilt Stats:

Name: Bountiful Breeze

Block size: 8" x 8"

Quilt size: 48" x 48"

Designed and made by: Cindy Wiens

Quilted by: Darby Myers

I'm also linking up today to Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF,  and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely weekend.

Blogger's Quilt Festival, Fall 2015: Delta Breeze

If you are here from Blogger's Quilt Festival, welcome!

Delta Breeze might be one of my favorite quilts I've made this year.

I received a stack of Soho Solids from Timeless Treasures in a beautiful range of colors, and then added some of their neutrals as well (more details here).

The original inspiration came from pew upholstery in a church Mark and I visited in spring. It might not look too inspiring at first glance, but it reminded me of classic bear paw blocks, two different sizes and turned every which way.

You can even make your own version. There is a tutorial on the Timeless Treasures blog.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are enjoying the show.

Quilt name: Delta Breeze
Designed and made by: Cindy Wiens
Quilted by: Darby Myers
Size: 46"x46"
Category: Original design

Delta Breeze: A tutorial

Did you know this weekend is International Quilting Weekend? I like the idea of a weekend devoted to quilting, although I try to spend a lot of my weekends with my sewing machine.

I made this quilt last year, using Soho Solids by Timeless Treasures. The tutorial for the blocks was on their website, and I thought it might be a good idea to share it here as well.

There are only two blocks, each based on the classic bear paw block. They are simple to make, and the solids give them a lot of visual "pop." Twisting and turning the blocks in different directions will give you lots of design options.

I started out with a limited edition fat quarter stack called Plume. I added the following neutrals: 1 1/2 yards each of Fog, Milk, and Linen, and 1 yard of Dove. I decided Dove was a bit too gray so it became part of the backing.

Top row, L to R: Velvet, Sailor, Petunia, Wave, Capri

Bottom row, L to R: Jade, Scuba, Island, Vine, Honey

Neutrals, top to bottom: Fog, Milk, Linen, Dove

The quilt is 48" x 48", and each block is 8" x 8" finished. The extra neutral yardage gave me enough for both the backing and the binding. If you would rather not piece the backing, then you will need neutrals totaling approximately 2 yards for the blocks, 3 yards for the backing, and 1/3 yard for the binding.

In addition, you will need the following:
Rotary cutter, quilting ruler, mat
Starch, pins, neutral thread
Batting: 54" x 54"

Spray starch (or a starch alternative) onto the back of your fabrics before you cut to help stabilize the bias edge of the half square triangles.

For this quilt, I made 27 of Block A and 9 of Block B, but it would certainly be easy to make more or less of either one. 

For each Block A, cut the following:

I like to cut the squares for the half-square triangles (HSTs) just a bit larger so I can trim them for accuracy. When you have sewn the HSTs together, trim them to 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". Then construct Block A like this:

Block B is very similar. For each block, cut the following:

Make the bear paw unit, trimming your HST units to 1 1/2" x 1 1/2",  and then construct the rest of the block like this:

For each Block A and Block B, I made a variety of color combinations, mostly two colors with a neutral, and several with one color and a neutral, and even a few with neutrals only. Then just twist and turn the blocks until you find a setting that makes you happy. Sew the blocks into rows, and then sew the rows together.

Because of all the sharp points, my machine quilter, Darby Myers of  Quilted Squid, used a nice and curvy Baptist Fan design.

 

For the backing, I pieced together the leftover neutral yardage (Milk, Dove, and Fog, plus my first practice block) and then used the remaining Linen for the binding.

I hope you enjoy making your own version of Delta Breeze.

If you like to binge watch shows while you are sewing, you will want to check out The Quilt Show, which is an online quilting show and magazine all in one. You will be able to access and watch the shows for free from their first seven seasons, and there are prizes to be won!

An interesting side note is that each year, Alex and Ricky choose a "quilting legend," someone who has had a great impact on the quilting community over the years. Every year, Mark makes the plaque that is presented to the legend. Each one features the star from The Quilt Show logo, but he customizes the colors to fit the recipient.

I'm so proud that his artwork is in the homes of people like Jinny Beyer, Michael Flynn, Libby Lehman, and Alex Anderson herself. In fact, one year Alex and Ricky highlighted his work on the show, and all of the audience members received a pendant. It was pretty awesome.

These are our Glassy Quilts. Each one consists of a fused glass "frame" and a handmade 3" quilt block. We no longer make them, but if you are interested, we still have some available. 

If you make a version of Delta Breeze, one of my favorite quilts from 2015, please let me know--I'd love to see it. And be sure to check out The Quilt Show this weekend. Happy sewing!