quiltology...

You know you’ve been bitten by the quilting bug when you begin to see patchwork patterns everywhere you go. 

Heather only started quilting two years ago, but now she notices the pattern play of tiles in her bathroom, the repeating design work of windows in Chicago’s downtown skyscrapers and the rural patchwork that is America from  the window of a plane cruising at 30,000 feet. 

But it was this summer’s trip to Spain that really got the quilt-spriation juices flowing with a visit to The Alhambra. 

Heather writes…

”We wanted to hit a major landmark we heard was one of the most beautiful in Spain—The Alhambra—an old Moorish fort that’s served as a summer palace in the South of Spain. 

This castle is considered a UNESCO world heritage site so it’s a huge tourist attraction. We had to buy our tickets in advance with a very specific window of time to enter the old palace. 

Built in the 1300s by the Nasrid sultans who ruled a portion of Southern Spain until the late 1400s, the palace showcases amazing craftsmanship with beautiful wood and stone carvings and tile work that just screamed—MAKE A QUILT FROM ME!

Half of all the pictures I took on the 9-day trip were taken at the Alhambra.  I know that some of the tile work could be easily recreated in a quilt, but the other designs appear much more complicated, and a little beyond my current quilting abilities.  But you never know! 

I'm including some of my photos.  I hope they inspire you.

I'm thinking that a bed sized quilt based on the simple blue, yellow, and green blocks might be in my future.”