Have you seen the April/May 2023 issue of Quick + Easy Quilts? It should be in your mailbox if you subscribe, or at your favorite purveyor of quilting magazines if you have not yet subscribed.
The editors selected several quilts with a NASCAR or auto racing theme for this issue. Don’t you love the cover quilt designed by Annette Falvo? I submitted an easy-to-construct design that lets the fabric do the talking. “Vroom!” from Michel Miller Fabrics features race cars, black and white checkered flags, guages, stoplights, and trophies.
Here’s the story I provided the editors: “As a toddler, my grandson loved miniature cars. He collected over 100 and would always pick the fastest when racing Grandma’s car arund and around the patio table. I will never forget the Christmas when Santa left “the ultimate garage” under the tree. He toddled into the family room early Christmas morning and found the longed-for toy beneath the lit branches of the tree and said in hushed tones, “the ultimate garage.” What fun he had on Christmas day and many days thereafter parking all the cars, raising them up and down on the elevator, and rolling them down the spiral ramp.”
A passing glance at the quilt leads you to believe the sashing creates the secondary design of yellow and black Nine Patches. But look again . . . each red and blue print square is framed with black strips and yellow corner squares. The sashing only provides the black square at the center of the Nine Patches. It follows then, that strip-piecing of the blocks and frames speeds the construction process of this quilt. If you are not a fan of cars and racing, you could use this pattern with other large scale prints or specialty fabrics. How about florals, or hobbies (sewing, cooking, reading), or animals (dogs, cats, jungle safari).
I hope you’ll check out the April/May 2023 issue of Fons and Porter’s Quick + Easy Quilts with the theme “Race to the Finish with 9 Speedy Quilts.” You’ll love the line-up of several easy designs, like Nine Patches, Crosses, Pinwheels, Flying Geese, and Jelly Roll rectangles, all perfect for “ready-set-go” on this February weekend! Here’s the link for purchasing a digital copy from Quilting Daily: https://www.quiltingdaily.com/product/quick-easy-quilts-april-may-2023-digital-edition/