When Jemima reached out to me about testing her Heatwave Quilt pattern, I knew that I wanted to use a variety of prints and solids in the same colour family. Blue is my absolute favourite colour of fabric to work with so it was an obvious choice! I knew I would have a good variety of blues to choose from in my stash and they also played well on the wave design of the pattern.
I gathered about 10-12 potential fabrics and then narrowed them down from there to the seven that I used for my quilt top. A last minute additional pop of navy polkadot for the binding made for eight blue fabrics in total. I wanted to add variety to the texture of the fabric as well, so my final pull was made up of quilting cottons, chambray and even a muslin print that tied the light and dark blues in the quilt together.
Making the Heatwave Quilt pattern was the first time I had ever used a triangle template to cut out my fabrics. I really had no idea how using a template would compare to the regular cutting process but I was so pleasantly surprised! With each fabric starting out as strips then getting cut down into the exact same size triangle, I couldn’t believe how quickly the cutting went. Plus, it was a welcome change for me from cutting rectangles and squares!
Quilt top construction is pieced rows that eventually join together to make the full design. My design wall wasn’t big enough to hold the full layout for the quilt so I just kept my fabrics organized in stacks on my cutting table and pulled from them one row at a time. I sewed and pressed each completed row fully before moving onto the next one and was able to stay really organized throughout row construction. I also made sure to take the extra time to pin each set of rows before sewing them together. I don’t always have the patience for pins but to ensure that the rows all met up perfectly and the wave design finished in crisp, solid sections, it was well worth the time spent.
Once the top was finished, I chose to do 3/4 inch straight-line quilting on the diagonal to mimic the angles of the wave design. I wanted the quilting to add a lot of texture and eventual crinkle, while not distracting from the bold lines of the design itself. I chose a white thread that stood out in some sections and blended in for others, depending on the fabric colour it landed on. I backed it in a warm cozy flannel because I live in Canada and the winters can be long here! Happy to report that my Heatwave Quilt is currently the most fought over one in our living room - so I’d say it was a very successful project!
Such a BIG thank you to Danielle for sharing all about her Heatwave Quilt. You can check out Danielle on Instagram here at @the.reds.quiltco
