One of the most inspiring parts of being in the fabric business is seeing how designers use our products. We love seeing what their creativity leads to, and "Rockin'," by Terry Albers, is no exception. Look at how she used Ro Gregg's Rock Around the Block prints combined with Marblehead Global Brights in this cool quilt!
"Rockin'" designed by Terry Albers and machine quilted by Sandy Schilawski; featured in Quilt Trends fall 2013 |
Q. What attracted you to the Rock Around the Block fabric?
Terry: I think
it was the rather wonky shapes that first appealed to me…along with Ro’s
Marblehead Brights.
This fabric does all the "heavy lifting" to make Terry's quilt so neat! |
Q. How did you come up with the design idea?
Terry: I
designed this quilt from the outside in.
I started with Ro’s print as a wide border. I wanted blocks to repeat
the feel of her design without taking away from it. That is when I chose the layered bull’s eye block. I have
always loved the raggy bull's-eye technique. The blocks are easy to make and
quilt has double snuggle factor after it is washed and the edges of the circles
fluff up.
Q.
Tell us about the bull's-eye circles.
Terry: I started
with a main print square, two different Marblehead circles and added the top
circle with a centered motif. I was looking for an opposite of this for an
alternate block, so I used a Marblehead square, print circle and then two
Marblehead circles. Then I took it one step further; sewing sets of circles
together, cutting them in fourths, mixing them up and sewing them back
together. This worked best by anchoring the pieced circles to just one color
for the squares. The trickiest part was organizing the cutting to write the
pattern!
Q.
What do you like best about this quilt?
Terry: Another
easy question…I love Ro’s bright colors.
I like that it’s bright and busy but orderly; the sashing and Marblehead
borders give your eyes a place to rest and contain the busy-ness of the blocks.
Q. The cornerstones have such a neat look! Did you plan to use the print from the beginning, or did you try tonals for those squares first?
Terry: Yes, I did audition the regular
Marbleheads but they didn’t add anything to the quilt. I also tried
fussy-cutting the cornerstones but, in the end, random cuts worked better.
Q. Can you talk about the machine quilting decisions?
Terry: I asked
Sandy to quilt everything but the bull's eye circles. Then I put on my free motion foot and quilted the circles,
spiraling out from the center. (I
often plan to fine-tune the quilting to highlight certain areas or components
of my quilts.)
Q. What do you envision this quilt being used for?
Terry: Wouldn’t
it make a great tween or dorm quilt? This one is earmarked for my granddaughter
who loves bright colors. I also think this quilt would be great fun made up in
black and white prints with the Marblehead accents, especially reds, oranges
& yellows with black.
Learn more about Terry and her designs here.
Find the kit for this quilt here.
Find Quilt Trends magazine here.
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