Hampton Ridge Block of the Month

Red Crinoline Quilts designers Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison’s new Hampton Ridge Block of the Month is lovely. Their simple layout shows off the variety of the prints and the colors create sampler-style blocks that are varied and cohesive. To give you a closer look, Mary Ellen Robison is here on the Jolly Jabber to tell us all about the Hampton Ridge BOM, so keep reading and sign up today!

Paula Barnes and I (Mary Ellen Robison) are the co-owners of Red Crinoline Quilts. Paula is the designer (both patterns and fabric) and I am the piecer. All other jobs are split between us. The creation of our 3rd Block of the Month program, Hampton Ridge, is a perfect example of collaboration.

We loved designing and piecing the 5″ blocks from our 1st BOM, so we decided we wanted to return to them for our 3rd BOM, but with a little twist. The blocks are different and we’ve added a frame of half-square triangles to each block, finishing at 7 1/2″. We needed a simple layout to show off the blocks and used a sashing of the same light fabric that is in the frame to allow the blocks to appear to be floating on the quilt. A mitered striped border and pieced border of half-square triangles are the special details that finish off this heirloom-worthy quilt.

Once the concept of the quilt had been decided, designing a fabric collection to make the quilt came next. Paula picked some of our favorite to use in the Hampton Ridge collection and chose to work with small scale prints. Patterned from antique fabrics, the whole line was pulled together with a beautiful border print in our favorite color combination of red and brown.

Now that we had the concept and the fabric, it was time to get to work.  We designed, planned, cut, pieced, re-planned, re-cut and re-pieced. After four days and nights, fortified by husband-cooked meals, local seafood restaurants and Twizzlers we emerged from my sewing room with 41 pieced blocks and the plans for the border! Paula worked her magic with block placement for the layout and I completed the quilt after the holidays. It was then whisked off to Crooked Creek Quilts, where Marcella worked her magic in the custom quilting.

Hampton Ridge Block of the Month program is a 12-month program that will begin in October, 2013. We had so much fun making these little blocks and this quilt. We hope you will sign up and join in the fun too.