Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The Nine Patch Connection

When Barb Vedder
organizer a nine patch swap in June of 2014,
I decided to join in.

And I'm glad I did.
My 3" reproduction nine patch blocks 
were mailed to her,
she did her magic of swapping them around,
and I in return received beautiful nine patches
made from 50 different quilters around the world. 

Barb's tutorial for making fast
and accurate nine patches can be found
on her blog Here.
It's a great method.

I wanted to do something special 
with these blocks.
Here's what I came up with,
nine patches side by side and 

 two borders of appliqued leaves.

The colors just say fall,
 especially with the cheddar fabric behind the applique.

 I did big stitch quilting using
 

both an orange mustard and a medium bark
Aurifil #12 
which is their heaviest cotton thread
 on a spool.
 
It was beautiful thread to work with
and never frayed as I stitched.
I had to order it online from
out of Georgia.


 It was a wonderful project to participate in.
Thanks again to everyone who included blocks.
 I feel connected with so many quilters
just by their sweet little nine patches.

I also wanted to show you the tree I was using 
for my photo shoot.

It was a magnificent old cottonwood tree
living in the field behind my house.
In the spring,
a storm gave it a mighty push 
and down it can.
It would take at least 4-5 people
to circle the circumference of the base.

It's sad to see
this mighty tree toppled over,
but I could tell other critters 
had taken up residence in the fallen branches. 
So her usefulness continues on.
As I age, I hope
that can always be said about me.

Until Next Time-

33 comments:

  1. Great idea to incorporate the appliqued vine. What a nice way to use the nine patches. Must check out the tutorial you referenced.

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  2. Wow - your nine-patch quilt is simply fabulous!!

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  3. I love your applique addition to these wonderful blocks. Just beautiful! Love the tree as well. Sad, but it will ow live on in your memories.

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  4. The leaf rounds make the quilt very special. A good choice. And it does give a very fall look to the quilt.

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  5. What a gorgeous finish, the cheddar and the applique leaves really make this so special. I hope that cottonwood tree remains in the field for a long time to come, it's such a gorgeous backdrop for your quilts, in addition to providing a home for the little critters.

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  6. STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love your quilt...and what a lovely way to remember your 50 friends from around the world!! Love this quilt! Loved your tree story too...sad, with a happy ending! They call a tree like this a "Living Tree'...taking on new life long after it's gone by giving home and nourishment to other life. The cycle of life..

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  7. What a brilliant setting and finishing of your swap blocks. The cheddar rounds with the appliqued leaves would never have occurred to me, but they make a WONDERFUL quilt, Kyle! This is inspired!

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  8. Absolutely beautiful!! I don't think you said how many 9 patches you wound up using or the finished size of your quilt. Love the addition of the appliqued borders. SO pretty!!

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  9. Cottonwoods are grand old trees and they get so big. I bet it was a huge crash when it went down. The quilt is pretty, the cheddar brings all those blocks together.

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  10. Gorgeous quilt ! SO sad about the tree :-(

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  11. Love your quilt! It's the best 9-patch version yet and I mean that sincerely! The cheddar is very rich and the applique is a beautiful addition.:)

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  12. What a wonderful quilt Kyle! The appliqued vines & leaves put it over the top, making it SO much more than just a simple 9-patch! Loved seeing your label and a close up of the backing and binding. Congrats on a great finish!

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  13. I love what you`ve done with your 9-patches! The appliqué is so pretty!

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  14. Your quilt is wonderful . Congratulations Kyle . Amitié Mamifleur

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  15. I love this quilt Kyle. It's such a beautiful use for the 9 patches and the cheddar sets them off perfectly. And what a special setting for your photos, that tree is amazing. It's hard to believe the size of it.

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  16. Love the combination of the applique and nine patches, great idea when you have a mixed combination of colours. I am keen to use the Aurofil thread after learning about it as a substitute for stranded cotton so nice to get your feedback, thanks.

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  17. Just beautiful - the quilt and the hand quilting! Cheddar is perfect for Autumn quilting - great photos to inspire us as always!
    Lovely words about your tree and so nice it can be a home for creatures for years to come :)

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  18. Wow Kyle I love everything about this post. The quilt, love the cheddar , the quilting, the label and the pictures with the wonderful old tree. Very inspiring.

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  19. THats such a lovey quilt. I really love the applique borders, THey really set all those 9 patches off and makes the quilt even more special

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  20. Wow - your finished quilt is wonderful and so unique! I love the cheddar and the applique. Very special touch and seeing the 9ps side by side is great.
    Beautiful tree, it's usefulness continues for the woodland animals and birds, etc. Great photo shoot there.

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  21. It is stunning, Kyle. Love the cheddar.

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  22. Your Nine Patch exchange quilt turned out really Beautiful!
    Love the applique' borders you created!
    That fallen old tree makes for a wonderful backdrop for displaying your quilt.
    Happy to hear that even though fallen, it's still offering shelter for woodland creatures.

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  23. I love your little quilt! That pop of cheddar and the sweet applique really make it special. So sad to see such an enormous tree go down, but it sure makes a great photo opportunity!

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  24. I love those little nine patches set side by side not to mention the lovely appliqued leaf borders. They look so nice together. Beautiful photography, too! Wow, that's a big tree! I'm sure lots of little critters will continue to enjoy its fallen branches.

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  25. This turned out so beautiful! I love the cheddar borders and the applique leaves. The nine patches are framed perfectly with the rounds of leaves. The binding fabric is great! It's an all around winner in my book!

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  26. I don't think you are a fallen tree just yet, Kyle! Chuckle. But the one out back sure makes a spectacular quilt rack. :D

    This is a special quilt. I love the cheddar and the leafy border, and it is really lovely to think of where all your blocks have been! Wonderful finish!

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  27. Gorgeous quilt. I think that may be my favorite so far from the 9 patch exchange. Mine's not quite finished yet,

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  28. It is a fabulous quilt. I never would have thought of that setting but I love it!

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  29. What a gorgeous quilt and I love the setting. Such a shame about the tree, but as you say, it's still being useful.......always a good thing!

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  30. Your quilt looks fantastic! What gorgeous pictures you got of it with that beautiful old tree. The applique is the perfect touch. I love that I got to put a few stitches (very few) into your quilt :0) I need to pull out my bag of nine patches and do something with them.

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  31. Such a beautiful quilt! I love all the colors and the applique is just wonderful! Great pictures too!

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  32. Absolutely adorable. I like hand quilting!

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