Welcome to the Virginia’s Puzzle Quilt-Along!
Today I’m discussing the fabric requirements for the quilt, showing you the sample quilts, giving you the schedule for the quilt-along, and some labels to download. So here we go . . .
First, you wanna see the quilts, right? Keep in mind that My Cowboy is still crippled, and I have no help taking quilt photos right now, so you can see how that goes around here, but at least it’ll give you a chuckle when you see the pictures!
I’ve done two versions of the quilt — one in traditional colors, and one in a more modern color way — partly because I can never decide which I like better, so I did them both! But this just gives you more ideas, so you can benefit from my inability to make a decision.
In keeping with the World War II theme, and the time period of the quilt I’m recreating from the photograph I showed earlier, I researched a little bit on what colors were popular right then. Here’s the best examples I found: Most Popular Colors . . . — scroll down to the 1940s to see where I started drawing inspiration for my quilts. Maybe this will give you a jumping-off point for making your own fabric selections.
For my modern version, I realized that my friend, Victoria, recently launched a new fabric line that has these colors, plus more! So I chose a selection of fat quarters from her new Playmaker fabric collection in the colors that were popular in the 1940s, and added in some bright green and pink from that same collection. To modern it all up, I used her entire collection of Neutrals for my background. This quilt also has side borders (which are totally optional), and the finished size is 70″ x 82″.
For my traditional version, I wanted a 3-color quilt using yardage, and I knew I wanted to use red. Once I chose my tan background, I thought a patriotic theme would be good, since the theme is World War II, so I went on the hunt for a navy blue to use with my red and tan. However, my red print has black in it, and navy just wasn’t working, so I went with red, tan, and black. But I do encourage you to consider the patriotic theme for yours, and then the quilt could serve as a Quilt of Valor, or a veteran’s quilt, when you’re finished. You could also switch the positions of the red and black, making the larger areas in black (or navy) and doing the individual crosses in red. Or choose your favorite three-color combination and go with that! I left the side borders off this version, and it finishes at 66″ x 82″. You can, however, add the borders if you like. Just some other ideas for you to think about . . .
Here’s the fabric requirements, by version . . .
For the Modern Version, you will need:
Background: 3 1/2 yards, or 14 fat quarters
Prints: Scraps to equal 3 yards, or 12 fat quarters
Side borders and binding: 1 yard
You can totally use a jelly roll for the prints in this version, with some background yardage, as long as you make sure that all of your jelly roll strips have good contrast with your background fabric and don’t blend in too much. I started with 12 fat quarters of prints, but if you add more, you’ll get a better variety for an even scrappier feel. Or feel free to go completely scrappy, and use up all the odds and ends in your stash!
Here are the fabrics I started with . . . my neutrals. Since there are only 12 pieces in the line, and I needed 14 fat quarters, I used one FQ each of 10 of the prints, and 2 half-yards to get enough. You can purchase these exact fabrics HERE. (They have super fast shipping, so you can have them in plenty of time to stay caught up!)
Here are the prints I used. I chose 12 of my favorites that fit my World War II-inspired color choices. You can buy these exact fabrics HERE, plus choose more for even better variety within your quilt, if you wish.
For my borders and binding, I chose the Red Daisies print:
For the Traditional Version, you will need:
Background (tan): 3 1/2 yards
Red: 2 1/2 yards (this includes enough for side borders, should you decide to add them)
Black/Navy: 5/8 yard
Binding: 5/8 yard (I used the same black as in my quilt top)
Here are the fabrics I used in my sample quilt. They’re older Moda prints, and they might all be by Kathy Schmitz (I know the red is for sure).
For backing (for either quilt), you will need 4 1/2 yards of regular-width fabric, or 2 1/4 yards of wide-width backing.
As usual, I’ve made labels for you to use throughout the Quilt-Along to help you keep things straight. This quilt is made in rows, and it’s imperative that you label the rows very carefully as you go. You can download the labels here: VirginiasPuzzleLabels.
Here’s the proposed Quilt-Along schedule. The sewing is easy on this quilt, so we can afford to move it along fairly quickly. You should be able to have a finished quilt by Memorial Day!
March 18: Fabric Requirements and labels (this post)
March 22: Cutting the background pieces
March 26: Cutting the print pieces
March 28: Making Row A
April 4: Making Row B
April 11: Making Row C
April 18: Making Row D
April 25: Making Row E
May 2: Making Row F
May 9: Making Row G
May 16: Assembly of rows
May 23: Adding borders (optional)
May 27: Quilting and finishing
Links to all the steps will appear in the sidebar at right, once we get going, and I will also try to remember to make each link live here in this post as well, so you can easily find each step.
Along the way, I’ll have some give-aways and other goodies, along with the regular Life of Hazel Ilene posts, AND the stuff that’s going on in conjunction with the Vintage Christmas Ornaments Quilt-Along that’s running right now, so be sure and check in often so you don’t miss anything!
PS: If you follow me on Instagram, and want a good chuckle, you can see some of the outtakes from the disastrous photo shoot!
I love both your versions! The pics were great, the IG outtakes gave me a good chuckle 🙂 I’m excited to start this quilt, not that I need another project, but any time I can begin a new scrap buster I’m interested. Thanks so much for sharing this, I’m looking forward to the stories and making the quilt.
I always like scrappy colorful prints but the red/white/blue version wins me over! I’d actually been planning to use different red scraps for the crosses and blue scraps for the chains but I really like your arrangement so I might reverse mine. It will depend on how much I have of each color. My background will be scrappy white prints. I think Virginia’s Puzzle really captures the look of the WWII quilts!
This came at a great time I just wrapped up my donation quilts and was looking for a project to start. Will post my fabric choices on IG in the morning
Shelly love the quilt would like to make I have a new email address Janet.volz@ yahoo.com