What do you do with a layer cake of red print squares and six fat quarters of indigo prints along with a couple of yards of shirting? You make a “Sixteen Patch” quilt!
I admired the simple design found in Quilt Club: Scrappy Patterns Perfect for Block Swaps with Friends, and was inspired to make “Sixteen Patch.” I love so many of the quilts in this book by Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robinson of Red Crinoline Quilts. As you might imagine, they all utilize Civil War reproduction fabrics.
I purchased the indigo fabrics about 20 years ago at a quilt show in Den Haag, Netherlands, and I purchased the layer cake of red print squares a couple of years ago at a Pineapple Fabrics warehouse sale. To make the most of my fabrics, I modified the measurements listed in the book. For piecing, I cut 2 3/4″ wide strips the indigo prints and shirting (from Laundry Basket Quilts). My Sixteen Patches measured 9 1/2″ unfinished, so I trimmed the red squares to that measurement. The published quilt uses the same red print throughout, but I am pleased with the various prints provided in my layer cake because they add visual interest.
For quilting, I chose golden brown thread and the “Drunken Feathers” pantograph by Barbara Becker. To keep the viewer’s attention on the patchwork blocks, I bound the quilt with the same fabric I used for the outer border. I am so happy to have found a suitable design for my long hoarded indigo fabrics, and I love the basic simplicity my “Sixteen Patch” quilt.
