I think one of the hardest things to do is to make a quilt that is neither too masculine nor too feminine. This Disappearing Four Patch pattern along with the nice combination of colors in this quilt does a pretty good job of coming in middle of the road.
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| Disappearing Four Patch |
When my nephew announced his engagement, I wanted to get them a gift that would be timeless. I decided to make a quilt, but struggled with this decision because I wanted it to be something they would both like. Nothing too feminine or masculine. The color collection varies from lime green to turquoise to olive green, and splashes of warm brown and gold really tone down what might otherwise be too feminine.
The geometric appeal to the disappearing four patch gives a structure that helps, too. I love this pattern and enjoyed the process of creating the blocks, laying them out. There are many great tutorials on making this fun block, but here are some pictures of the process.
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| 1. Start with a standard four patch block |
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| 2. Cut the four patch equal distance on either side of the seams (right) and turn the long strips (left) |
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| 3. Reassemble the pieces to complete the block |
For a little variety on the border, I added a variation on the theme block to each corner of the quilt, seen here in detail.
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| Corner Blocks |
Finally, I added a small brown border to frame the center portion of the quilt, setting it off from the similarly colored border print.
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| Thin border strip sets the border apart |
I used a professional long-arm service to do the all-over quilting. She used a beautiful gold thread that really pulls it all together.