But... that would make one heck of a long quilt. And, except for the downtown part of the system, it was missing that chaotic criss-crossing I liked about Elizabeth's. So I decided to expand to include more of the Portland area.
But... Portland doesn't seem to follow that nice linear path showcased in Elizabeth's quilt. After looking through some more quilting blogs, I decided that hexagons were the perfect solution. Lucky for me, Melanie at Texas Freckles posted some great resources for her hexagon charm quilt along. I used her coloring sheet to create a template and then started piecing away. I included I-5, I-205, I-84, I-405, US-26, OR-217, part of the MAX blue line, the Columbia and Willamette rivers, and Forest Park. Here are some pictures of the final product:
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| (Meet Crimson...) |
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| (...and Clover) |
Overall I am really pleased with it, especially considering it is my first completed quilt. It has a lot of white space, but I like that about it. All of the white fabric was left over from my wedding so its fun seeing it put to good use. I love the back too. It's made from 1 panel of showcased hexagons sandwiched between 2 pieces of Sheri Berry's Costume Club with an all-over owl print.
Found this on flickr and totally love it! I used to live in Florence, OR and I miss it terribly!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first completed quilt. It's a beauty! And Crimson and Clover are 2 cuties for sure.
That is fantastic. I, too, love Elizabeth's Tokyo Subway Map. However, I find lately that I have a short attentio span and didn't think I'd be able to do her. Now I know what I can do with all the hexagons I've been making. Wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteDid you hand piece all the 'roads' together and then sew them on to the white background?
Terrific job.
Thank you so much! Given your incredible taste, I'm so flattered. To answer your question, I hand pieced all of it (so the white spaces are all individual hexagons), which wasn't really necessary, but I like the continuous geometric look of it. If you're worried about a short attention span, I would definitely applique the hexagons onto a plain background :)
ReplyDeleteSaw the picture on flickr and I’m totally in awe! Now that I understand all the white is also made of hexagons I love it even more!
ReplyDeleteI came to visit via Tokyo/flickr. This is one amazing quilt, and the idea behind it makes me want to make one of my own home town! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeletefantastic quilt! you know when the cats can't stay off you have a winner!
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