I first wrote about Kaffe Fassett’s new book here – when the rains on Nashville turned our eyes to disaster. More than a month has passed and the folks of Nashville still need our help and today I am back to thinking about Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts. Inspired by the lovely geometries Kaffe illustrates – and the upcoming summer months – we have decided to begin a Quilt of the Month project – starting with our all-time favorite American Flag Quilt.
We have applied a variety of stencils from our Alabama Chanin archives to our Flag Quilt; however, you may use any stencils that you have available in any combination of techniques from Alabama Stitch Book and/or Alabama Studio Style.
Supplies
1/2 yard 100% organic cotton jersey in Navy
1/2 yard 100% organic cotton jersey in Storm Blue
2 yards 100% organic cotton jersey in Burgundy
2 yards 100% organic cotton jersey in Ruby
2 yards 100% organic cotton jersey in Parchment
2 yards 100% organic cotton jersey in Sand
Stencils of your choice
Textile paint
Approximately 8 spools Button Craft thread in Maroon #41B (depending on the amount of embellishment you plan to incorporate).
Approximately 8 spools Button Craft thread in Dogwood #155 (depending on the amount of embellishment you plan to incorporate).
1 spool Button Craft thread in Navy #12
18” C-thru ruler
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat
Measurements and Guide below: Finished Size: 103” X 62”
The quilt is worked up in long stripes that are 5” wide and 103” long (finished width) with 1/4″ seam allowances on each side – 5 1/2″ cut width. (We cut the stripes into smaller pieces that we can incorporate scraps into our final project and to add color variation.) The short stripes are 5” x 64” with 1/4″ seam allowances – 5 1/2″ cut width – on each side and broken into smaller pieces as well. We also chose to break the blue star area up into smaller parts; however, you could choose to make this one piece with appliquéd stars. The finished measurement of the blue field is 32” in height and 39 “wide. Below is a guide to the stencils that we chose for our project but remember that any stencil will work and the quilt works up lovely with no embellishment at all.
Technique by Block: A Abbie’s Flower Applique B Clematis Reverse Applique C Apples Reverse Applique D String Quilted E Lotus Applique F Climbing Rose Reverse Applique G Rose in 3-D Applique H Poetry Stenciled Only I Dove Reverse Applique J Gothic Quilted K Trumpet Vine Reverse Applique L Clematis Reverse Applique M Bloomers Reverse Applique N Stripe Reverse Applique O Fish Double Reverse Applique P Poetry Reverse Applique Q Black & White Stenciled Only R Anna’s Garden Reverse Applique S Hearts Reverse Applique T Spiral Stenciled Only U Rose 3-D Applique V Dove Reverse Applique W Apples Reverse Applique X Abbie’s Flower Applique Y Spiral Stenciled Only Z Lotus Applique AA Vitae Reverse Applique BB Black & White Stenciled Only CC Abbie’s Flower Applique DD Moths Reverse Applique EE Fish Double Reverse Applique FF Small Rooster Reverse Applique GG Clematis Reverse Applique HH Small Latin Cross Reverse Applique II Stripe Reverse Applique JJ Skull & Crossbones Reverse Applique KK Lotus Applique LL String Quilted MM Moths Reverse Applique NN Abbie’s Flower Applique OO Rose 3-D Applique PP Apples Reverse Applique QQ Climbing Rose Reverse Applique RR Pig Reverse Applique SS Flowers & Machine Reverse Applique TT Poetry Reverse Applique UU Stripe Reverse Applique VV Dove Reverse Applique WW Gothic Quilted XX String Quilted YY Climbing Rose Reverse Applique ZZ Lotus Applique AAA Anna’s Garden Reverse Applique BBB Black & White Stenciled Only CCC String Quilted DDD Clematis Reverse Applique EEE Trumpet Vine Reverse Applique FFF Small Rooster Reverse Applique GGG Hearts Reverse Applique
Embellish as desired, construct in strips, add appliquéd stars and enjoy your summer… Get inspired by Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts and use our Alabama Studio Style techniques to create your own…
natalie,
you might enjoy the book my nepenthe by kaffe’s niece — the book was a fabulous escape into beloved bohemian history…then liz taylor died so we had to watch the movie sandpiper that was filmed there…and now i just find out she has a new book out — plum gorgeous! off to order it from the library now… http://mynepenthebook.com/
I love the look of this quilt! I was wondering though, is it like a rag quilt? It looks like the edges are set to rag after washing. Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
Our organic cotton jersey doesn’t fray; the edges only roll up slightly after washing. That might be what you are seeing in the picture. Hope this answers your question.
Is the quilt two layers of strips, therefore four thicknesses of fabric sewn all together to the front when strips are assembled. Or are two strips sewn together on the front and two separately on the back creating a reversible quilt with seams showing on both sides? Thank you for any additional info you can provide.
Hi Kay,
The quilt is only two layers sewn together. The “back” is simply the back of the bottom layer of fabric. Please let us know if you have any more questions.
Pingback: Project Junkie |
Is the flag quilt kit still available? If so how much is it? Does the star section come with the stars already attached?
Hi Cheryl,
Our flag quilt kit is available here in our DIY Sewing Kits: http://alabamachanin.com/diy-white-flag-quilt-2
The stars are stenciled on fabric for you to cut and applique.
Could you give the dimensions of the squares you used for the blue field? I have a lot of red, white, and blue scraps that I would love to use for this project.
Hi Rebekah,
We chose to break the blue star area up into smaller parts; however, you could choose to make this one piece with appliquéd stars. The finished measurement of the blue field is 32” in height and 39 “wide. Here is a link to a post about our DIY Flag Quilt: http://alabamachanin.com/journal/2010/06/american-flag-quilt/
Happy Sewing,
All of us @ Alabama Chanin
This is so beautiful. The subtle detail in the quilting really makes this stunning.
I’m working on putting together a rag quilt round up & was wondering if I could include this project. (Even though it’s not raggy, it’s made in a similar way, but with jersey – which is brilliant)
If so could you shoot me a quick email with the photo(s) and your permission to use them on my blog. Your blog will be credited along with a link back!
I’ll need this info in the next few days as I’m trying to get the round up posted by next week.
Please let me know if you have any questions! Would LOVE to include this one!!
Pingback: Celebrate 4th July with Selvedge « Selvedge
Hello!
I am working on a flag quilt and have a couple of questions about applying the stars. 1) Did you use a single- or double-thickness thread? 2) Did you use the painted side, or unpainted side up. I ask both questions because I am having trouble keeping the points from fraying apart.
Thanks and best to you!
Jen
Hi Jen,
When applying the stars to the Flag Quilt, we use a doubled strand of our Button Craft Thread and Straight Stitch Appliqué to secure them to both layers of the quilt. This does leave the edges of the stars free and will give them a more worn look once the quilt is washed. You will want to attach them with unpainted side up, as this is the right side of the fabric.
If you wanted to secure the edges of your stars, you could use either a Whipstitch or Blanket Stitch for your appliqué.
We hope this helps. Happy sewing!
How big are the stars for this quilt? I notice that another reader/quilter asked for dimensions for the blue section, and I see what those measurements are. however, I was wondering how large is the biggest block that is within the blue field? It appears that it might be 6″-8″, but it is hard to tell for sure. If you could be most kind and let me know it would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Becky,
The stars used on the quilt are approximately 3.5″ from top to bottom and 3.5″ across. The largest block within the blue field is a 10″ square cut on the bias. We hope this helps—please let us know if you have any additional questions. Happy sewing!