Making Big Patch quilts
I feel like I’m always saying “this is one of my favourite quilts” about every single quilt but I have two quilts that really do hold a special place for me- and they were some of my fastest and fun quilts to make! Even writing this, I’m thinking I need to make another one. “So what are these quilts”, I hear you asking? Big Patch Quilts!
If you don’t already follow Hopewood Home, she makes the most beautiful big patch quilts- using a mixture of vintage fabrics, tea towels and an array of fabrics that just come together beautifully. And fortunately for us quilters, she released a pattern so we can make our own!
The First One
I made the first one in 2020- I found a vintage Koala tea towel on Etsy and then found an assortment of fabrics that were hodgepodge but I think also somewhat cohesive? Some scraps, lots of different fabric types- here is my original fabric pull
It includes some "vintage" Ruby Star Society Fabric (from when it was made under Cotton + Steel) that I found at the back of a little quilt shop in Sydney (including those strawberries!) Fun fact: when Sarah from Sarah Made saw that I had located some of this fabric, she had a special request for me to purchase some and send to her as it was completely sold out in the US (I don't think the Sydney fabric store realised the gold mine they had!) So I purchased her some and sent it to her in Missouri! It also included some linen from Ink and Spindle, some Essex Linen and some other fabrics I had purchased from a quilting shop in Berrima in the Southern Highlands- a real mix!
The final quilt top came together SO quickly- I think I finished it in a night! I added a few extra columns and rows to the pattern to make it a bit bigger. I finished it with stripy binding, and a scrappy backing. Plus some wool cotton batting to make it extra snuggly and warm :-) I quilted it using "organic" straight lines (purposely made not straight so I went a bit rogue but I love the final look!)
Here is me and Duffy enjoying it as a picnic blanket (featuring my quilt coat), in Centennial Park:
The Bundanoon One
When we decided to leave Bundanoon, I realised that I had to make a Bundanoon memory quilt- for this one, I conceptually followed the Homewood Home pattern in that I used large pieces of fabric but I made up my own sizes. This quilt has lots of fun memories from Bundanoon- a vintage Bundanoon tea towel is the centrepiece but I also included some kangaroos (for those of you who followed me during our time in Bundanoonk you will remember I would see Kangaroos almost every day!). I also included an orphan block of a quilt I had never got around to finishing. The fabrics included also represent other various memories in Bundanoon so it’s a really special quilt- and extra large too so keeps us nice and warm :-)
Here is a progress shot of my doing straight line quilting. It has a gingham backing and I also tied in a few extra leftover pieces of fabric into the back. You can see the Bundanoon koala tea towel in pride of place!
Here is the orphan block I mentioned- a block from Toad and Sew's Welcome Home Quilt. l also added some half square triangles for a bit of interest. Bundanoon also has the most beautiful gardens and flowers, hence all the floral fabrics being included.
More florals, my favourite gingham and of course kanagaroos! (Plus I love Duffy's little paw that made it into this photo :-)
Taken on one of my favourite walks amongst the Scribbly Gums. I tried to get some kangaroos in the background of this photo but I think they were feeling shy on this day.
I used a gorgeous floral Bessie Pearl binding to finish it off and hers is the finished piece! (Which is now on pride of place at our house in Melbourne :-)
If you're looking for a fun and fast finish, and a lovely personal quilt, I highly recommend making a big patch quilt- the tea towel is by no means essential but I think you'll agree, definitely adds to the finished quilt :-)