MSQ’s Strip Dash Quilt
This month, we’ve been sharing lots of fun photos of the process of making our Strip Dash sample over on our Instagram feed. In this post, we’re going to dig into all the details of our sample quilt!
Jessica’s pattern comes in four sizes with options for using yardage, a jelly roll, or scraps. We made the Twin size, perfect for a bed or for covering even the tallest bodies when lounging.
This sample was dreamed up by Jessica when she first envisioned this quilt pattern. (In fact, this was the original cover quilt until we decided to hold back the reveal for MSQ.) With one notable exception, Jessica chose a field of solids to work with: Kona Cotton solids by Robert Kaufman in White, Blue Jay, Regatta, Marine, Nightfall, Wine, Rich Red, Cardinal, and Cloud (Background). To add just a bit of texture and interest, she added in an Essex Yarn-Dyed Linen Blend in Red for one of the strips.
Jessica’s simple yet striking modern take on a coin quilt calls to mind the stripes of the American flag, and she reinforced this connection with the red, white, and blue strips in the quilt, but the color scheme could easily be switched up to make red the primary focus or equally divide the “coins” into both red and blue. Adding in a few fatigue-inspired neutrals would also be lovely. Of course, it would also look wonderful in any gradated color scheme. As the sample quilt shows, it’s a great opportunity to use solids or fun alternatives to quilting cottons, like yarn-dyed linen blends (such as the lightest red fabric in the sample quilt) or blue chambrays.
Be sure to keep an eye on Jessica’s Instagram feed this month, as she’s working on a scrappy print version using one of Cotton + Steel’s collaborative collections, The Rain in Spain.
Jessica also had fun creating a few additional mockups for inspiration!
Lilo quilted our sample using the Traveling Trapezoids panto by Crystal Smythe. The angular lines and mod pattern play off the quilt’s stripes beautifully. For the binding, Jessica used scrappy strips of the same solids from the quilt top, which create a vibrant frame around the pale blue background.
Because larger quilts, like this twin size, need a lot of fabric for the backing, they’re a perfect opportunity to use up large scraps and yardage pieces you might have laying around. For the sample backing, Jessica pulled two blue Carolyn Friedlander prints from her stash. The one on the left has a definite camo vibe that works perfectly for a service quilt.
If you can’t wait another minute to make your own version, head on over to Jessica’s store to grab your copy of the pattern. And don’t forget Jessica is donating 75% of the proceeds from the pattern this month to the National Association of Minority Veterans (NAMVETS), so pick up a copy of the pattern now to stretch your impact for some very worthy veterans. You can check out this post for lots more about Jessica’s collaboration with MSQ. Happy quilting!
All photos taken by Jessica Schunke.