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| Gemstones for a Friend Quilt |
Gemstones for a Friend Quilt – A Colorful Patchwork Creation
Whilst some quilts are created with beautiful designs, others are special due to the friendship and thought involved. The Gemstones for a Friend Quilt by Cathy Erickson from Blueberry Patch is a beautiful example of how a simple patchwork design can be turned into a meaningful handmade gift.
This quilt design was inspired by the Gemstone Block Tutorial by Rachel from Stitched in Colour. It’s a great way to really celebrate colour, contrast and geometry in your quilting. Using the gemstone inspired blocks creates a lovely flow throughout the quilt.
Gemstone Block Design
The original tutorial can be found here on the Stitched in Colour blog. This tutorial shows how you can creatively arrange your fabrics to create the look of sparkling gemstones. The design is really appealing as it allows you to play around with different colours.
A nice part of this block is playing around with the value of your colours. By using contrasting shades of fabric you can create sections that really stand out.
Cathy created her Gemstones for a Friend Quilt using this block design.
Fabrics, Colours & Creativity
This is a great way to use your fabric stash! You can create different gemstone looks using bright prints, soft textures and co-ordinating solids. Whilst jewel tones such as Emerald Green, Sapphire Blue, Ruby Red and Amethyst Purple are an obvious choice, you can also create some lovely gemstone looks using softer or playful colour schemes.
As the original block design shows how to create the block, there is lots of flexibility when choosing your fabrics.
To create the best visual impact try to use a mix of light, medium and dark fabrics.
Quilt Info
- Quilt Name: Gemstones for a Friend
- Quilter: Cathy Erickson (Blueberry Patch)
- Block Designer: Rachel (Stitched in Colour)
- Difficulty: Easy – Confident beginner depending on your experience with precise patchwork.
Final Thoughts
The Gemstones for a Friend Quilt is a lovely reminder that you don’t need complex patterns or high end fabric collections to create a handmade quilt. Using thoughtful color choices and a geometric block design you can create a beautiful and meaningful gift from a simple patchwork design.
Full Pattern: Gemstones for a Friend Quilt Block Free Tutorial
