My Own Bands of Color

After my trip to Florida
and having the opportunity to experience
the beauty of Seminole clothing, (see here)
I was ready to give this
patchwork technique a try.

 Seminole patchwork is quite remarkable.
By using strips of fabric
 unique patterns can be created.
Many of these have become
part of the cultural heritage for
the Seminole tribe in Florida.

Here's my interpretation
with 5 different designs.

23" x 33"

I was able to get the book
Basic Seminole Patchwork by
Cheryl Grieder Bradkin
at the library and found it
 a great resource.
Lots of patterns and and well
written instructions.


My initial idea was to use
a Florida beach palette, but

by adding
some black it just seemed to make
the colors pop.

I used batiks to have a natural
subtle look without too much pattern,
but enough to keep things interesting.

It was fun to sew strips and it was
a good skill lesson in keeping
a perfect
1/4"seam allowance.

Once the designs were made it was
time to set them together

and balance them with other connective strips.

After adding 2 borders,
I machine quilted in the ditch
in just enough rows

to hold everything together.
Nothing fancy in the borders
just some straight line stitching to repeat
the row by row format.

Exploring this piecing was fun and easy.
Many of these patterns can be found
in other quilts as pieced borders.

Maybe this type of patchwork 

was the beginning of the popularity

of row by row quilts.

Quilting influences come from everywhere.

You never know.

PS.Inspiration can also come from other bloggers.
Audrey, from over at Quilty Folk
published a list some of her favorite blogs.
I'm thrilled to be included in her list.
If you're visiting from her post, welcome.
If you've never enjoyed the insights
of Audrey's creativity,  I hope you take a
moment to visit her inspirational. blog.

Until Next Time-