Pattye Duffner's Blog

Bedroom Help... Well Not That Kind Of Help

   I recently got a question regarding a bedroom of a good friend JoAnne.  She has a canopy now, loves nature, juat an all around loving girl.  She is lucky enough to not have to share a bedroom (I went from a house of growing up with 7 brothers and sisters to pretty much married… I have shared a room 90% of my life).  She loves Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Brocade Home.  I think that she should paint it Sherwin-Williams 6148 Wool Skein: one of my favorite putty colored neutrals.  A bit gray and a bit beige. I found a few things this morning that I think would be a great start to a feminine retreat that she will love to come home to.  A mix of nature, recycling and a feeling of home for her.  Thanks JoAnne for writing and I can’t wait to see what you think…

 

Well Loved

I just love taking a quilt class and making quilts that take me 9 months to make when I am expecting the babies...  This is one that I made for Ella when we were waiting for her.  She is now 5 and it still looks great.  Maybe even better now that is has been well loved!  Here are the directions....

Finished Quilt Size
41 1/2" x 53 1/2"

Number of Blocks and Finished Size
35 Rail Fence Blocks 6" x 6"

Fabric Requirements
... Butterfly novelty print (blocks) 2 yards

… Pink novelty print (blocks, border, binding) 1 3/4 yards
... Yellow print (blocks) 5/8 yard
... Green print (blocks) 1/2 yard
... Backing (piece widthwise) 2 3/4 yards
... Batting Crib size

Other Materials
... Sewing thread
... Monofilament thread (machine quilting)

Cutting the Fabric
... Pink novelty print *4 strips 6" x 45", cut on lengthwise grain
... 6 strips 2 1/2" x width of fabric (WOF)
... Yellow print 6 strips 2 1/2" x WOF
... Green print 6 strips 2 1/2" x WOF
*Cut first 

Step 1. Sew pink novelty print, yellow print, and 2 1/2" x WOF green print strips together. Make 6. Press in direction of arrows. Cut 35 segments 6 12' wide to make Rail Fence Blocks.

Step 2. Arrange and sew 7 rows of 5 blocks each, rotating Rail Fence Blocks as shown. Sew rows together. Sew pink novelty print 6" x 45" strips to sides; trim even with top and bottom. Sew remaining blue strips to top/bottom; trim even with sides.

Step 3. Layer and baste quilt top for quilting method of your choice. The pink novelty print in the blocks was machine quilted in the ditch. A meandering butterfly design was added on the butterfly blocks. Border quilting lines (spaced 2" apart, extending from the Rail Fence Block seams) run random in the borders, squaring up in the corners. Bind quilt with butterfly novelty print fabric.

Balancing Act

  Bedrooms require a bit of a balancing act when it comes to scale.  Look at your bed, and you will see that it introduces a large horizontal surface to the space.  Your bed deserves focal-point attention, but you don’t want it to seal all the glory.  Then consider the bed along with the ceiling, the floor, and side tables- a whole lot of horizontal surfaces.  That’s why I flip some of that expanse to the vertical so that the attention is evened out.  Try an extra tall headboard, an armoire and plush window treatments to do the trick!