Back in the early part of February, I finally had the chance to work on a new project and was going to play with Janet Clare’s A Field Study fabric line but soon jumped ship when I saw the stash of blue fabrics from her Hearty Good Wishes and More Hearty Good Wishes fabric lines in the stash. My plan was to make another version of my Staggered Strips and Squares pattern but this time instead of using 4.5” Squares I would make 12”x16” blocks to go with the 2.5” strips.
I decided that I didn’t have enough different fabrics from just the Hearty Good Wishes fabrics, so I added fabrics from Janet Clare’s Nocturne and Aubade, some Japanese/Asian prints and a Jennifer Sampou Dot print as well as fabric from Moda’s Indigo line which is over ten years old.
The above are quilts/projects, Skyfall (left) made in Fall, 2021 and the Indigo Tiles Quilt and Everything Bag made in 2017. My Strips Ahoy quilt is now part of the trio of quilts made with Janet Clare’s fabrics in blues and gray and I never get tired of seeing these think these colors together.
The 12”x16” blocks were made from the Hearty Good Wishes and More Hearty Good Wishes charm packs along with yardage of a blue and a tan print. I wanted the Tan Prints only to be used for the blocks and I think this accents nicely against the blue and gray strips. The strip panel was made from over 100 2.5” strips cut in varying lengths and were sewn in four rounds ‘ala jelly roll race to make an eight row panel measuring 16-1/2” high. I also included in this mix a strip panel leftover from the Skyfall quilt.
My initial plan was to randomly place the blocks among the strips but decided on a controlled layout of two different row settings; one with a 36”(f) strip panel framed with a 12”x16”(f) block and the other with three 12”(f) strip panels alternated with two the two blocks. This measured 60” x 80”. I finished the flimsy by the third week of February and could have quilted it then and glad I didn’t. Lessons learned from the Celestial Moonrise Quilt and the Tell Tale Blues Quilt were forgotten and then remembered after looking at this photo when I was at the GP house later and that is I do not like the way blocks look when they are on the edge.
Thankfully I had enough leftover strip panel to take apart to add two rows on the sides and the top and bottom. I think it looks so much better when the blocks “float” next to the strips. Some of the previous Staggered Strips quilts mentioned in this post, the strips were set vertically instead of horizontally but for the Strips Ahoy quilt the strips were set horizontally because I didn’t want the whale and fish prints to be swimming upstream but it looks okay on the side borders.
The backing is a map print that I have been saving for when I ever did make something with the Janet Clare blue fabrics. I only had four yards of it and had to add a gray clamshell print on the sides. I already made the backing with the smaller measurements and thankfully I only had to add a strip on the bottom to accommodate the larger size.
Machine quilting in Aurifil #2610 Blue/Gray thread was done with my usual but favorite straight with meandering lines horizontally but I also added the lines vertically to the side borders to create a grid pattern. The binding is the stripe print from the Hearty Good Wishes line and sad to say I’ve used the last of the yardage. Strips Ahoy measures 68” x 88”. I also like to mention that with all of the changes made, not once did I use any salty language which I have been known to do on previous quilt with a blue or Sea theme.
Strips Ahoy was finished a week ago and I delayed posting about it because I wanted to include some outside photos but the weather has not been co-operating. The first photo we tried to take outside, I realized that it was a tad too wide for the Master Quilt Holder. The plan was to take it to the GP House where the darling Granddaughter will be babysitting us for the next thirteen days and again had to wait several days until the rain stopped. Also, next door is where the Rookie Quilt Holder resides.
I do like this shot also since the house and sky matches the colors of this quilt. Would you believe after these photos were taken and we were inside, the Sun made an appearance.
We will be traveling to the East Coast mainly Maine and Niagara Falls and will be taking this quilt with us since I think I need some photos of Strips Ahoy by the Ocean and Falls. We will be meeting up hopefully with my Bee Sista, Kathleen McMusing, and I’m sure she will know some places to take photos. I’m also pretty sure she won’t be able to hold up the quilt though (a little inside joke here). I do have the perfect bag to carry Strips Ahoy in.
Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation/NTT
