Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

Deer Valley, Joel Dewberry, Chinese Plates and Thelma

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Did you all see Thelma's blog earlier this week?  She showed some photos of a gorgeous Oriental Plate quilt that she had made.  It was only her third quilt, and she used her imagination and math skills to figure out a wonderful border and a different setting than the pattern had dictated.  When I saw Thelma's quilt, I realized that I had the basic instructions for the block in the Gai Perry book "24 Quilted Gems", and couldn't wait to get home and dig it out.  Sure enough, I found the book, and had the perfect idea of how to use the block pattern.

You see, my daughter Sara has a decorating scheme planned for the living room of her new house in Angels Camp.  Her inspiration is a framed poster she found–it is very retro and the theme is "travel to somewhere tropical", if my memory serves me right.  The colors are red, aqua, dark brown and cream.  It is so 50's looking, complete with airplane taking off in the sunset. A very Camille Roskelley color scheme if I ever saw one.  Young, hip, modern, fun, cheerful, beautiful.  These are the colors in the poster.  I wish I had a picture of the poster to show you, but I don't.  Yet.

COLOURlovers.com-retro_poster
When I saw Sara's poster, I knew the exact fabric collection that would work for a quilt to coordinate with it to complete the look of the living room.  In my mind's eye, I could just see the quilt tossed over the back of her chocolate brown leather couch.

I had picked up 13 fatquarters that Joel Dewberry designed called "Deer Valley", and one of the colorways is red, aqua, brown, and cream.  I thought it would be wonderful for the quilt, but didn't have an idea for a pattern.  Until I saw what Thelma had done with her Oriental Plates quilt.

JD22Celadon Deer Valley Celadon Damask
I couldn't wait to make up a couple of test blocks, and found that I needed to change up the pattern a bit as well.  The original block pattern involved an octagonal template for the center of the "plate".  Ooooh, Dearie, I just don't do templates unless I really really have to.  My changes were pretty simple, and the components of my plate blocks were a 5 1/2" square for the center, four 2 1/8" squares which I sewed corner to corner to get the octagon effect.  Surround the center with four 3 x 5 1/2" rectangles and four 3" half square triangles, and there you are.  I used my Easy Angle ruler for the half square triangles.

The size of the quilt doesn't have to be large.  Just the size you would want to cuddle under while watching tv or reading a book.  I am thinking I need to make at least 12 blocks, maybe 16.  The center of each plate is supposed to be a plain solid color, but I think it will be more fun to combine two different prints in each plate.  Keep your fingers crossed that I have enough fabric!  I think I know where I can find some more of it if I need to, but the selection will be limited since this group has been out for a year.

Wish me luck, I seem to have a lot of irons in the fire, project-wise, these days!

20 responses to “Deer Valley, Joel Dewberry, Chinese Plates and Thelma”

  3. Ooh la la ….love this family of fabrics and the print fabric in the center, the blocks look great! This sounds perfect for Sara’s couch!
    I like this pattern for that fabric!

  4. Ooh la la ….love this family of fabrics and the print fabric in the center, the blocks look great! This sounds perfect for Sara’s couch!
    I like this pattern for that fabric!

  5. Oh, it sounds splendid — eager to see. Thelma is fantastic. And so are you, o muse! I’m working away on my 9 inch baskets after seeing yours. These snow days have been marvelous…..

  6. Oh, it sounds splendid — eager to see. Thelma is fantastic. And so are you, o muse! I’m working away on my 9 inch baskets after seeing yours. These snow days have been marvelous…..

  7. You are so good at picking just the right pattern to use with a fabric – this one is perfect! Those Deer Valley colors are absolutely awesome with Sara’s color scheme. I’m sure the quilt will look amazing on that leather couch!

  8. You are so good at picking just the right pattern to use with a fabric – this one is perfect! Those Deer Valley colors are absolutely awesome with Sara’s color scheme. I’m sure the quilt will look amazing on that leather couch!

  11. Love the blocks and the colors are smashing! Can’t wait to see this quilt done. Thanks for sharing the block constuction!

  12. Love the blocks and the colors are smashing! Can’t wait to see this quilt done. Thanks for sharing the block constuction!

  15. hey Nicole . . . I’m thinking you are feeling better already . . . here it is only a few hours later and you are busy with quilting . . . good for you . . .
    but be careful with that rotary cutter if you are still taking the Vicodin . . . don’t hurt yourself !

  16. hey Nicole . . . I’m thinking you are feeling better already . . . here it is only a few hours later and you are busy with quilting . . . good for you . . .
    but be careful with that rotary cutter if you are still taking the Vicodin . . . don’t hurt yourself !

  17. Hey, I made that Oriental Plates quilt! Several years back I found the pattern in one of my magazines and sewed it up for my work friend. I found some yummy Japanese fabrics and had a great time making them. Your colorway looks hot, fresh, and young. Sure to be appreciated by the younger generation…
    By the way, any news on your son’s pen pal, Hmmmm???

  18. Hey, I made that Oriental Plates quilt! Several years back I found the pattern in one of my magazines and sewed it up for my work friend. I found some yummy Japanese fabrics and had a great time making them. Your colorway looks hot, fresh, and young. Sure to be appreciated by the younger generation…
    By the way, any news on your son’s pen pal, Hmmmm???

  19. That is one of my favorite color combinations. I saw Thelma’s quilt and fell in love with it. It’ll be wonderful to see yours. I like it already!

  20. That is one of my favorite color combinations. I saw Thelma’s quilt and fell in love with it. It’ll be wonderful to see yours. I like it already!