Double Crossed meets Bloggers Quilt Festival

A while back I posted a picture of "Star Crossed", a small quilt I made after viewing a similar quilt made by Lucy Boston and displayed in a Tokyo department store.

I had been so taken by the pattern that I made a sketch of the idea and came home to figure out how to make a pattern so I could try it myself.

That quilt was limited to red, white, and blue. As with all hexagon patterns, all seams were just 2cm and turn, no straight sewing, and a lot of work. I was happy with the results and called that quilt "Star Crossed" because I was destined to make it. At that time I said, "never again"!

Well, you may know how these things work because the possibilities of making one with other colors kept calling me and in 2002 I began cutting and piecing blocks.

The striped fabric is a soft weave used in the little squares and the border. I had only enough for the side edges and since they were not the same, I appliqued a Hawaiian-style edge and finished the corners with blocks.

The size is 88.5" x 106.5" and, being too big to carry along to quilt meetings, took a long time to quilt with other projects forcing themselves into the schedule. It was finished in April 2006 in time to cover the bed during a visit from my American cousin. Twice captured by this pattern, I named the quilt "Double Crossed".

You can see many inspiring quilts at the Bloggers Quilt Festival. http://amyscreativeside.com/2011/10/28/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2011/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amyscreativeside+%28Amy%27s+Creative+Side%29

Star Crossed goes to the festival

Years ago, when I was performing regularly with the Tokyo Piping Society, a small group was asked to play outside a Tokyo department store to draw attention to a "Festival U.K. '98 "that was being held inside. When we had a break, I went inside to see what the "Fair" was all about. Along with British goods there was also a small quilt show and one quilt by Lucy Boston caught my eye. It was all done in lozenge-shaped hexagons and, I think, called "Stars and Crosses". The interesting thing was the variety of patterns that could be made with just one shape. I took out my notebook and made a sketch of the general design before going out for another piping session.

As time went on, that sketch in my notebook kept calling my attention and I decided to try that pattern out. I had begun assembling a selection of red, white, and blue fabric for another quilt I had in mind so decided to limit the color to that just to try out the design.

This pattern was particularly good with striped fabrics and somewhat fussy to do so I only made 20 blocks as a test. I swore at the time this would be my last adventure with hexagons but that was not necessarily the case. I named it "Star Crossed" because I was doomed from the time I first saw it. Later I made a full sized quilt of the same design and named that one "Double Crossed".


The backing was made from Japanese Tenugui, printed cotton towels. These four are of Japanese Children's games. When I showed the quilt to the elderly man who made the towels, he was delighted to sign his name on the lower towel. Since them I have acquired a set of 17 of these towels and am thinking I may again use them for a quilt back.

With Blogger down and my computer having it's dying spasms, I am a bit late to post for the Bloggers' Quilt Festival. I will give it a try but the computer guru came in and re-arranged everything and I'm not too sure I can link in or add the button. The quilts are great and I could spend the whole day looking at other's posts.

(LATER) I have spent a frustrating two hours trying to figure out how to get that button added but nothing has worked so far. You can check them out by clicking on Amys Creative Side on the right side of my blog.

Leia's Quilt 2008

After swearing off hexagons forever, here I am back going going crazy again. Norie liked the I Spy I had made for Julie's boys and I didn't have to do any fabric shopping thus an alphabet for the center. I thought it only fair to put the Hiragana around the edge.


The plans changed when Norie wanted the 1 inch pieces added because the border was now too small. Kato-san gave me some fabric out of her stash of a similar color and the 1-10 counting filled those areas along with name in the upper right and date of birth in the lower left.

Norie got the organic cotton backing. It is soft and shows off my crooked quilting. From a technical standpoint this is the worst quilt I ever made. I was ready to toss it at several points. I hope my darling granddaughter will look at the love and not the imperfections.

68" x 82.5" (173 cm x 210cm)

I SPY 2001