One of the projects featured in our hot-off-the-press Spring 2016 issue is Generation Q‘s new Patchwork Almanac Quiltalong. In each issue this year, we’ll share 3 original block designs by Scott Hansen of Blue Nickel Studios (and our former Community Editor). At the end of the year, you’ll have a quilt top with 12 multi-sized blocks inspired by the seasons and months of the year. There will even be a few side projects you can make from selected blocks.
We asked Scott to share about his design process and let you peek into the studio as he brought the project together. Here’s what he had to say:
By Scott Hansen
When I started designing the Patchwork Almanac, I didn’t even know what we would call it. I did want to make it a nice throw size quilt with only 12 blocks, so they all needed to be large blocks. I did not want them all the same size though — that’s too run of the mill! So I first created the spaces and then randomly chose a space for a month and then filled in the space provided for each block. Here’s what I ended up with:
I also liked the idea that each month’s block could stand on its own in a pillow or wall hanging–or even repeated to fill an entire top–and many of them can combine with another one or two because they are all the same width. Some are the same height as others, but there is more variety in height.
I have not pre-planned the fabrics in this quilt. I like the scrappy look, so in our patterns, we will make approximations, but I do not at all intend on uber-coordination, or making things all ” matchy-matchy.” For example, there will be more than one shade of light blue background and there will be print mixes you might not expect. That is how I view real life–full of surprises–and that is my approach to designing quilts as well.
Now on to the first set of blocks…
January – Oh My Stars!
This block is a pair of stars on darker blue fabrics. The block was inspired by the winter nights out in the rural countryside where I live. Over the years more houses have been built in the area, lessening the brilliance of the night sky out here in the boondocks, but there is still plenty of night to gaze with amazement at stars. For some reason I am often out at night (or morning) when Orion is right overhead. I have grown to consider him a good friend over the years.
February – Cool Cat
I originally drew this cat up in more “natural” colors of beige and “pink” but no one on the GenQ team could really figure out that the block was actually a cat. True, it is a more elusive design than the others, but quilting will make a big difference in this block. I changed the colors to blue because I thought it gave it a more playful/less realistic look that would be better suited to the other colors in the quilt overall. (The pink/beige combo really stood out too much in my preliminary sketches.) Why a cat? I don’t know. They just seem to go with quilts!
March – Rolling Hills
I was thinking of Log Cabin blocks when I drew these up, honestly, but I didn’t want a typical log cabin layout. I was also thinking of green for Saint Patrick’s Day. And when I was thinking of the green, the greenest green I have ever seen was a wheat field in Washington, near where I went to school. That is the bunny trail my mind scampered down to dream up Rolling Hills.
We hope you’ll join us for the Patchwork Almanac Quiltalong. Don’t miss the first installment in our Spring issue!
Quilt. Sew. Live. Breathe.
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