The Big Apple

Hi!!!!

I love blog hops! But I will admit that I almost didn’t join this one. I’m in the middle of summer with the kids home, a quilt along, and a gazillion and a half quilt ideas to create and submit for Quiltcon. So when Jen asked me to join, I was a little unsure if I would participate.

Until I scrolled in on these fabrics from Gotham Quilts.

Here’s the close up that sent me over.

I started laughing and couldn’t stop. And one motto I live by is, if it makes me laugh I have to do it. There is even a pillow panel!!!

I am DYING!!! Loot at that Pizza Rat!!!!

Gotham Quilts has also curated a great solids bundle to go with the new line. It’s absolutely perfect!!

I grew up outside NYC, in fact whenever anyone talks about NY I always assume they mean the city. In fact a friend asked how my trip to New York went and I had no idea what she was talking about until she specified my UPSTATE New York trip (it went great!)

But growing up so close means I take a lot of NYC for granted. I was only ever in a NYC taxi once, we walked everywhere. I was 13 before I went to the Statue of Liberty even though I would see it every week as we drove to my Grandmother’s house, and in college before I went to the top of the Empire State building.

It was a gut punch flying home after 9-11 and the skyline looking different as I landed in Newark, years later from the parking deck at the pediatrician’s I still really couldn’t look in that direction. I never thought that skyline would change.

So how do I honor all that I grew up with and miss? I started playing with a New York Beauty design by straightening the curve in those blocks and tried to make it more modern. It didn’t quite work for me and I put it aside for a minute and went back to playing with Quiltcon ideas.

And BOOM! Two ideas merged. Quiltcon has a log cabin challenge. I wondered if I could turn a log cabin into an apple for the Big Apple and well, the answer was I could. So I did.

The center of the apple is a paper pieced log cabin. I also paper pieced the bottom, sides and stem. The optional leaf is appliqued onto the finished block. There was quite a bit of fussy cutting for this block. I LOVE a good fussy cut!

As always, go big or go home- the block finishes at 20″ square.

This pattern is brand new and releases TODAY!!! It looks great with ombre fabric and the pattern shows you how to cut ombre fabric to create the highlight effect.