Navajo Inspired Diamond Quilt

 

I’m not sure how this one slipped past without a mention on the blog. I was so happy with how it turned out, and loved that it was a finish with leftover fabrics from a denim project I completed years ago. 

 

 

I wasn’t even sure how to classify this one. I used scraps from a previous quilt I made with my hubby’s old jeans. I’ve been holding onto them, thinking all the while that something would come to me. Once we went into lockdown, this was one of the first bags of scraps I pulled out. 

 

 

Somehow, I was still not inspired to make something of these. I love the fabric so much, but it is a weaved, brushed cotton. Very different from your typical quilting fabric, and something I struggled with as I feel like fabrics need to match in look and colors, but also in feel.

 

While swiping through pinterest, I came across a quilt pattern that described itself as a Navajo blanket pattern. I was intrigued and wondered if this would finally be the pattern that would be right for my fabric scraps.

 

 

Using the size of the scraps, I made my rectangular pieces. I played with different background colors such as blue, white, tan… at the end of it all, I realized black made the most impact on the colors of the scraps.

 

I laid everything out and had to make some accommodations to be able to complete the pattern and utilize every-single-scrap. There’s a couple of blocks that are pieced together from smaller pieces. 

 

 

The pattern was also compromised on one end because I ran out of color and just added black in its place. I felt like these were all special touches that made this quilt not only unique, but the true meaning of quilting and fabric-art.

 

 

For the backing, I had a brush-pattern fabric in a black and white color and it worked nicely for the backing. 

 

 

I created a wavy line quilting pattern to create the diamond flow that expands through the quilt. Finally, I finished it with a binding that matched the backing to keep the simplicity on the front. 

 

It’s not a very big quilt, which also felt appropriate for this pattern and fabric, and makes a nice smaller wall hanging or a large table runner. 

 

 

Either way, it was a finish that felt like a triumph. I was able to use scraps to their absolute potential, and I scored a beautiful finish in the process.