Thursday, March 19, 2015

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-

15 comments:

  1. Beautiful Seminole quilt!
    Your color choices are so lovely!

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  2. It's beautiful! They do come from everywhere!

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  3. Wow, that was fast! A nice way to remember your trip.

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  4. I love your Seminole patchwork! You're right - the black really makes those colors pop.

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  5. The black is the perfect touch. A long time ago I heard of Seminole patchwork but have never tried it. Looks like opportunity for any number of variations. Beautiful little quilt!

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  6. What a great setting to show off the Seminole patchwork in a quilt. Well done, I have only tried this technique once and it was hard!

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  7. Wow!! I just love it...it is becoming a must do for me!

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  8. Well done Kyle - such a great exercise in piecing! You truly are a quilting talent!

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  9. A good reminder of your Florida trip. Many, many moons ago, I made a vest with strips of seminole piecing done the front. Can't remember if I did any on the back of the vest.

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  10. It's wonderful to see the inspiration from your recent trip has resulted in such a beautiful quilt. The colours are wonderful, I love the description of Florida beach palette.

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  11. Wow--I'm blown away! Stunning, Kyle!

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  12. Fun to see the local 'flavor' coming alive in your quilt.:)

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  13. amazing - you are the fastest stitcher I know! love the colors and designs.

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  14. This is really pretty Kyle and you are so right - the black just makes those colors pop! blessings, marlene

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