Windsor Park

We love what Terry Albers made for Love of Quilting magazine using the Windsor Woods collection! It's a perfect combination of showcasing the blocks from the panel alternating with pieced blocks that create a chain design. Read more about Terry's quilt, as well as her tip for accurately fussy cutting panel blocks, below.

"Windsor Park" designed by Terry Albers; made by Dick Albers; machine quilted by Mary Klein
Featured in Love of Quilting July/August 2015

Q. What about the Windsor Woods fabric line appeals to you?

Terry: Ro Greg's fabrics always appeal to me! I find the depth of color in her designs to be irresistible. They seem to shimmer without metallic accents.

Q. Talk about how you used the blocks in the panel.

Terry: Her panel blocks grabbed my attention right away. I love the intricate designs of the blocks and love how they all work together. They were the starting point and inspiration for my design.

Q. Favorite print you used?

Terry: After the panel blocks, I’d have to say that my favorite print is the tiny floral, followed by the leaf print. Both are delicate and intricate at the same time. The coloration is soft without being pastel.

Q. Why did you pick the block you did to alternate with the panel blocks?

Terry: This is one of my favorite chain-type blocks for tying special squares or focus blocks together.

 

Q. Tips for fussy cutting panel pieces?

Terry: I like to work with panels and some of them can be challenging to trim evenly. It wasn’t the case here but I always use the same technique. I draw a horizontal line and then a vertical line, intersecting them at the center point.  I then use my 12½” square-up ruler to trim the blocks evenly.

Q. Why did you choose the color coordinates you did?

Terry: I chose the blue for the chain to complement the background of some of the blocks and tie the whole quilt top together. I was able to incorporate the tiny floral and leaf prints into the frames while keeping the chain effect of the blue squares. I chose the green as the complement to the blue. When I first used the green as the larger square in the pieced block, it was okay but something was missing. The bright fuchsia was just the pop I needed to frame the center green square.

Q. Why did you use a small print for the outer border? Is the border treatment meant to mimic the center of the pieced blocks?  

Terry: While I often use a strong print for the outer borders, I wanted to keep the focus on the center of the quilt. The border combination was meant to mirror the center of the pieced blocks, framing the main design.

Q. What is your favorite thing about this quilt?

Terry: Definitely the colors! I love the depth of color Ro uses…it’s so rich.

Q. What do you envision using this quilt for?

Terry: I plan to keep this quilt by my favorite reading chair. The combination of the rich panel squares and the tiny prints of the frames is somehow peaceful and relaxing for me. The color combinations of the borders keep the look lively in my room.

Q. It looks like this quilt was a family affair, made by your husband, Dick?

Terry: My husband is a retired firefighter and paramedic. He is also a graphic artist and does all my pattern graphics. When I found myself incapacitated by shoulder surgery, he stepped in and made the quilt for me. He has lots of piecing experience and learned the techniques to successfully assemble a quilt top with sashing. He ended up testing my pattern at the same time. This was the first time his name appeared in print and he planned to show off his skills to his golfing buddies. He is a man of many talents and definitely has my back!

See the entire Windsor Woods fabric collection here.

Learn more about Terry and her designs here.

Find the kit for this quilt here.

Find Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine here.