Wind Chime Column Quilt
I am not patient enough to spend months on a large sewing project, despite my love for sewing. One day, I started to brainstorm — how about a quilt with columns instead of blocks! “Column-based quilts” was an idea that grabbed hold of me and more quilt designs flowed. Come with me as I show you the Wind Chime Quilt from my book, Quick Column Quilts.
Today’s quilt is featured in part-three of Quick Column Quilts on Sewing With Nancy. Watch it online. Listed below is the basic technique for creating the Wind Chime Quilt. By the way, all of the instructions for the quilts are found in the book, Quick Column Quilts.
Watch part-one of Quick Column Quilts on Sewing With Nancy online.
Watch part-two of Quick Column Quilts on Sewing With Nancy online.
Wind Chime Column Quilt
The wind chimes hanging from our deck served as the inspiration for this Wind Chime Column Quilt. Just like real wind chimes, the angled accent pieces, seem to move as if gently nudged by the wind. Here’s a little preview of how I designed and made this column quilt:
Auditioning fabrics
You’ll learn how to use a print fabric to audition other fabrics to see if they’re compatible. The striped fabric served as the color inspiration for this quilt. All of the “wind chime fabrics” came from my stash. Once the main print fabric was selected it was easy to find coordinates; making this a great stash buster quilt. Simply add the background yardage to tie the color story together.
Strips
- Use the pattern in Quick Column Quilts to create this quilt approximately 80″ x 88″ by cutting assorted background and foreground strips at varied widths.
Diagonal Cuts
- Waste not want not: Since some of the fabrics were short on yardage, I designed a way to use almost every inch of a strip.
- Match the short ends of each strip.
- Use a 1/4″ seam allowance to chain piece each strip, forming a tube.
- Clip apart chained pieces.
- Press the seam allowance open.
- Cut each tube into angled pieces by aligning the fabric along a vertical marking on the cutting mat.
- Use the 45° angle on the ruler to make cuts at approximately 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4-length intervals.
Making Columns
- Lay out the columns on a large work surface to arrange the design.
- Join background and foreground strips using a 1/4″ seam allowance.
- Square the top end of each column, aligning the ruler at a 90° angle and trimming away the excess fabric.
- Add a solid background column to the right-hand edges of each pieced column.
- Press seam allowances towards the solid background column.
- Stitch a solid background column to the left-hand side of the far left pieced column.
- Working from left to right, join the column sets.
Watch Quick Column Quilts (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three) on Sewing With Nancy online.
Bye for now,
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S Croinex
This is one I would love to try. It would inspire me to get quilting again.
Kelly Sasman
You are always coming up with great patterns and techniques to make sewing quicker and easier and this is just another one!
Lorraine Rankin
“Wind chimes” quilt is something I can tackle due to my limited space for sewing. We live in our motor home full time but I still sew nearly as much as I did when we had a house, the projects just need to be smaller.
S McGrath
Thank you for the wonderful Wind Chimes tutorials. Great motivation for using up my stash of large and small scraps which I have been pondering over for some time.
Shan Cross
I found all three very interesting and will try and make one soon
Glenda Marsh
I love the simplicity of this ‘modern’ type quilt. And what a scrap buster it could be
Connie W
I like the flow and modernness of this quilt. I think this is a “sew simple quilt” by Nancy! I look forward to your blog every day and am inspired every day. Get better soon, Nancy!
Theresa Brooks
Love this quilt! It looks much more complicated than it actually is!
beth
The column quilts look like they are easy to sew. I could make them for many occasions.
Janice King
I love this column quilt idea! I can see using this idea to stash bust…lol.
Diane S.
This type of quilt is intriguing. I’m new to quilting and I thought everything had to be made in blocks. Glad to see it doesn’t as I get bored easily and my attention span is short to say the least! Thank you for so many wonderful ideas over the last 30+ years.
Ruth Chaney
After buying your book on column quilts, then seeing your program, I made the wind chime and loved the way it went together. The most time intensive portion was selecting the fabrics to use.
Nancy Zieman
Ruth, I’d really like to see a photo. If you would like, please send an image to us at [email protected]
Marilyn
I love the modern touch. It’s not a busy quilt. Perfect for me. I would like to use this method for a baby quilt. So cute with baby pattern prints or school teams print. The list could go on & on!
Debbie
Thanks for sharing. I will use this for a community quilt kit. You really make everything so simple.
Judy G
As I have 16 grandchildren that I hope to make quilts for before I die, I am always on the look-out for quick quilts. The Wind Chime Quilt meets my needs; quick and cute!
Peggy
Love it. Looks like it is simple to do.
Kathleen Swinkowski
I’m going to try this next. Love your designs and your show.
You are in our prayers.
Betty Hill
When I seen the first picture, I thought it was made from Men’s Ties. Its very pretty and a good idea. I might try this with some ties and see how it comes out.
Diana G.
You caught my eye on the column idea as I have done that before and thought how easy, but haven’t done it in a while.
Thanks for the gracious reminder!
Thanks for the chance to win ~!
Jennifer
Did you have any issues with the Wind Chime quilt top warping? I made this quilt top but have a serious problem wihen squaring it up.