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solid improv throw quilt

solid improv throw quilt

solid improv throw quilt by salty oat

I have a new quilt to share with you today! Pulling entirely from my bin of solid fabric scraps, I pieced this quilt top bit by bit, without a set plan, over the course of a few months. My only guideline was to match up scraps of similar lengths whenever possible. 

solid improv throw quilt by salty oat

I stopped piecing once I reached a size I was happy with, which in this case was approximately 57 inches x 77 inches, an excellent size for a throw quilt.

solid improv throw quilt by salty oat

I selected a wool batting for the quilt's inside, to give it a bit of loft; made a super soft backing from voile and Swiss dot fabrics; and finished the quilt with diagonal quilting lines and a scrappy binding. 

solid improv throw quilt by salty oat

I predict this quilt will be in heavy rotation on our couch this fall and winter!

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framed houses baby quilt

framed houses baby quilt

Stack of Folded Quilts by Salty Oat
I truly love incorporating screen-printed fabric into my quilts, so last summer I challenged myself to design a quilt that featured a fat quarter of fabric by Spin Spin, specifically Susan's "Houses" print in olive green.
Framed Baby Quilt by Salty Oat
Using three other fabrics---olive green, cream, and coral solids---I created a simple design which resembled a framed and matted piece of minimal artwork. I chose to work only with solids so that the Houses print could really shine on its own. I had enough fabric to make two almost-identical quilts: this one and a second one which I sent to the Society of Arts + Crafts' new store in Boston's Seaport District. 
Back of Framed Baby Quilt by Salty Oat
I backed this quilt top with a rather fantastical olive green-and-cream print from my stash, long ago gifted to me by a friend. After quilting it with a large grid, I bound it with flax-colored Essex linen-cotton blend fabric, which adds some fun texture to the quilt. 
Salty Oat Quilt Label Detail
While this quilt is the perfect size for a new baby, especially as a play mat or for tummy time, it would also be a beautiful statement piece over a mantle as an alternative to traditional framed art.
Detail of Quilts and Pillows by Salty Oat
This quilt is now available in the shop
All photos by Lindsay Hite
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modern sampler quilt along: block L link-up

modern sampler quilt along: block L link-up

Modern Sampler Quilt Along with Salty OatThe Modern Sampler Quilt Along is an informal and virtual quilt along where we make a block from Yoshiko Jinzenji's Modern Sampler Quilt pattern each month. You can follow the hashtag #modernsamplerquiltalong on Instagram to get a peek at everyone's blocks, fabrics, and progress, as we work our way through the pattern together. All are welcome to join the quilt along at any point! On the last Tuesday of each month, we gather here to share the blocks we've made; this month we worked on Block L, the final block, from the pattern. 

Block L by Salty Oat

We made it to the final block---yay! Congrats to everyone who's made it to this point. My Block L is pictured here. I pieced the triangles using the traditional paper piecing method, which helped me keep the points crisp and even. How did you piece your block?

Block L by Salty Oat

There are SO many beautiful blocks on Instagram, and I can't wait to see them all put together! The goal for next month is to share our completed quilt tops here, which will include a few appliquéd strips. I've already started to trim my blocks down to 12.5", and am working on a layout now. The link-up for finished quilts will go live at the end of October, which means there's still plenty of time to get your blocks done and your quilts put together, even if you're just joining us now. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Please share your final blocks below!

HOW TO LINK UP

1. Click the "Add your link" button below, and link to a blog post or Instagram photo of your Block L. In the "Link Title" field, enter your blog name or Instagram handle.

2. If you're linking to a blog post, please link back to this post somewhere in your post. If you're linking to an Instagram photo, be sure to tag your photo with the hashtag #modernsamplerquiltalong.

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quilt-it modern blog tour

quilt-it modern blog tour

Hourglass Wall Quilt by Salty Oat

A few weeks ago, the kind folks over at Riley Blake Designs invited me to participate in their Quilt-It Modern blog tour, which starts today. The tour is all about showcasing the fabric company's impressive range of cotton solids, so I was excited to have the chance to try out their fabrics and work on a new wall quilt design for the shop.

Hourglass Wall Quilt by Salty Oat

I love looking to geometric patterns, especially tile patterns, for quilt design inspiration. During a night of Pinterest browsing I came across this tile pattern and immediately started envisioning it in fabric and began sketching. My sketch became this mini quilt. I used white and two shades of coral and peach to create hourglass triangle blocks, which replicated the tile design.

Hourglass Wall Quilt by Salty Oat

I love olive + peach paired together (as evidenced in this recent quilt), so I bound the quilt with a solid olive, and backed it with an olive polka-dot print by Spin Spin

Hourglass Wall Quilt by Salty OatI made lots of extra hourglass blocks, so two of these quilts are now available in the shop. Each one has corner triangles and loops for hanging, and will ship with a wooden dowel. 

Hourglass Wall Quilt by Salty Oat

I really enjoyed working with these solids---they were super soft!---and I can't wait to see what other colors everyone else is working with. You can follow the blog tour, and see all of the quilt projects made for it, by checking out the hashtag #ModernQuiltTour now through July 8. 

Hourglass Wall Quilt by Salty Oat

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log cabin quilt variations

log cabin quilt variations

When creating new quilts, one of my favorite things to do is to choose a traditional block design and experiment with its scale, color placement, and layout. For the spring quilt collection, I played around with the log cabin quilt block and created two distinct quilts. 
For the first, this baby quilt, I decided to go big and enlarged the block so that it featured only one quilt block. The log cabin's center (a Denyse Schmidt print from her Hope Valley line), is surrounded by wide eggplant and cream "logs."
I really love how this particular layout creates such a bold and graphic design, while also highlighting the grid quilting.
For the second design, this larger throw-size quilt, I created 12 log cabin blocks in a restricted, all-solids, palette. By arranging the blocks as I did, a secondary pattern of floating shapes emerged. 
I also chose to vary the fabrics I used in the logs, so there is a mix of cream and white, and various shades of purple, red, and plum, within each of the blocks, which I really love. I always love to opt for a bit of variation over uniformity!
What's your favorite log cabin quilt layout? Here are a few others from the archives, in case you'd like to see:
All photos by Joyelle West. Shop all quilts here (and enjoy free domestic shipping!). 
P.S. You can catch a glimpse of some of my new word pillows in this nice write-up about Boston Made, a craft show I was a seller at in April. 
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