Blog / umbrella prints

Almost a year after starting this quilt at a Vermont sewing retreat, I finished it (and just in time for the baby boy we're expecting next month!). I've long admired the Sunrise Quilt pattern by Carolyn Friedlander, the paper-piecing pattern which this quilt is made from, and really enjoyed having the chance to finally work with it. 

The bulk of the quilt's prints are from a jelly roll of Carolyn's Doe fabric collection, which I paired with solids, as well as prints from Maze & Vale, Umbrella Prints, and Cotton & Flax. The white sashing is made from solids and nearly solid prints, all pulled from the scrap bin. 

To create the coordinating back, I used a long-hoarded Cotton+Steel print by Alexia Abegg called "Painted Indigo," and two other Carolyn Friedlander prints. To quilt it, I kept things simple and stitched in the ditch (no need to mark!), which created a pretty texture and transferred the sunrise shape to the back of the quilt, which I really love. 

The quilt is now hanging in our nursery, ready and waiting for its owner to arrive.

This year, I'm so excited to once again participate in the Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition, an annual sewing competition to transform a pack of scraps from the Australian fabric company into something fun. (You can see my 2013 entry here, and my 2012 entry here.)

As many of you know, my husband and I recently purchased our first home, so I set out to make a wall quilt from the trimmings to hang above our new bed. I took an improvisational approach to making this quilt, allowing the trimmings themselves to dictate the size of the blocks and the width and number of strips I created from each. I paired the trimmings with white and cream solids from my stash, and built of up each block until it was a uniform 8.5" square. 

After assembling the top, I basted the quilt and quilted it with matchstick lines, something I tend to reserve only for small quilts since it's a time-consuming process (but well worth it!). 

The quilting lines bend and pivot, creating right angles throughout the quilt. I also left a few rectangular areas unquilted to mimic the strips and vary the texture of the top.

For both the binding and the backing, I used a pretty peach-and-mustard print by Carolyn Friedlander that coordinated perfectly with the scraps, which I picked up in a fabric shop on a recent trip to Michigan. 

I'm so happy with how this quilt turned out, and I'm most excited to have our new bedroom finally start to come together!

Voting for the competition opens on June 1, and I can't wait to see what everyone else has created! If you'd like to vote for your favorite entries, simply re-pin, like, or comment on them on this Pinterest board until June 6. Happy pinning!

This year, I'm giving away your choice of one fat quarter or fabric panel from my Etsy fabric shop. To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me your favorite design in the shop. I stock a rainbow of modern fabrics by Maze and Vale, Umbrella Prints, and Sarah Waterhouse. For an additional entry, follow Salty Oat on Instagram and leave a comment saying you're an Instagram follower.


The giveaway will remain open until 11:59 pm EST on Friday, December 12, and a winner will be announced by Sunday, December 14. Please be sure to enter your email address in the space above the comment form, so that I have a way to contact you if you win. 

And! As a bonus, now through December 12, use the code SEWMAMASEW at checkout and receive 10% off anything in the shop!

>>> This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Commenter #70, Sandi Timmons, for winning the fat quarter of her choice. Thanks to all for entering! <<<

Have any fun plans this weekend? I'm off to spend time with family and friends in New Hampshire, and will be dreaming up a project for the fabric pictured above for my stop on the Sweet as Honey Blog Tour later this month. In the meantime, here are some interesting fabric-related posts I've come across recently and wanted to share:

Happy to see the return of sewing jobs to the US. I hope this is just the beginning!

Fascinating to see all of the steps that go into producing a t-shirt.

This year's Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition has been announced! Are you going to enter?

Liberty fabrics were originally hand-printed with wooden blocks. (Update: It looks like the article is no longer available on the Liberty of London blog!)

Love this photo essay on US textile mills.

Have you seen this video featuring the very talented quilter, Lindsay Stead? Her hand quilting is beautiful!

I hope you have a great weekend!