Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Sunny August Days



Back when our youngest son was going to college at SUNY Brockport, we would make the annual trek across the state each August to bring him and all his stuff back to school. A highlight of these trips was passing by fields of golden sunflowers swaying in the breeze. I don’t remember the exact location of those sunflower fields, but it was somewhere after you turn off of I-490 heading west out of Rochester – either on Route 531 or Route 36. 


Isn’t that a happy sight? 

As my new August mini quilt, I wanted to celebrate sunflowers. I used a Dresden plate tool to make the petals and traced a saucer for the center.



I used my walking foot to quilt a grid with lines spaced 1⁄2” apart in the center, then I
quilted each petal separately. 

 
I also quilted veins in the leaf. 


 For the backing, I used one of my very favorite fat quarters. 



I found this fabric at Joann’s Fabrics around three years ago. It was only available as a prepackaged fat quarter. I never found it available as yardage. I’ve loved it since I first bought it, but couldn’t think of a use for it.  Don’t you have fabric like that? It works perfectly as the backing and I finally get to use a cherished piece of fabric. 

I hope all your August days will be sunny!

1 comment:

  1. I love your sunflower quilt. What a great idea to make it with a dresden. I may have to try one similar--yours is so pretty AND I have a sunflower-themed powder room. Growing up in South Dakota, my grandparents planted sunflowers and there were many fields around their farm with them, too. I enjoyed watching the heads of the sunflowers move each day as they follow the sun. Somewhere there is a picture of me from when I was little by a sunflower field. I would love to find it!

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