This year, I have been seeing the trend of Temperature Quilts really take off! Search on Pinterest and dozens of examples show up. After sitting on the sidelines and enjoying everyone else's creations, I have decided to throw my hat into the ring and design my own temperature quilt. The concept is something I really
Little did I know that when I decided to make a temp quilt, it would be a year to remember!! I don’t want any negativity against my quilt, so I will move on and say that the lowest high was 18 and …
Have you heard of a Temperature Quilt? It’s a way to track the daily highs and lows of the temperature in your area (or any area) or just another fun way to make a quilt. I designed two different Temperature Quilts: House Row Quilt and a Flying Geese Quilt. The first requirement is toContinue reading "TEMPERATURE QUILT"
The wings of my budgie make an excellent temperature quilt with divisions for the top and bottom matching the day's high and low
Have you ever wanted to make a temperature quilt? Are you familiar with what one is? Temperature quilts are kind of like a daily diary of the temperatures that occurred throughout the year in a p…
Since the New Year will quickly be upon us, I thought I'd better get this post up for anyone who wants to go ahead and do this with me. First up: Fabric. I decided to extend my range. I've got 28 fabrics. That's one for every 5 degrees from -30 through 110 degrees Fahrenheit. This might depend a bit on where you live and how many days a year you are in a certain range of temperatures. I'm working with fat quarters here, and if you go with strips that are 2.5" x 5.5" you should be able to (carefully) cut 28 pieces from each fat quarter. If you are in a temperate climate where everyday is in the 70's, maybe you want a fat quarter for each degree in that range. This is totally up to you and how you want to make your quilt look. If purple is your thing, you could assign each temperature range a purple color. So I finally sat down and made up some patterns. First up is my original plan. Patches are cut 2.5" x 5.5". This will get a quilt center of 60" x 62" Next up is a smaller version, finishing at 48" x 45" center. To get this size you would cut your patches into 4.5" x 2" pieces. Now, if you're thinking larger; like 96" x 96" the patches will need to be cut 3.5" x 8.5". At this size patch, you'll only get 10 patches per fat quarter, so more fabric will certainly be necessary for those temperatures that your area sees the most. Lastly, the mini version: A finished center of 32" x 36" means patches would be cut at 1.5" x 3.5". Some other things to mention. Each month (obviously) has a different number of days. I figure there are a couple ways of addressing this. If you look at my two examples above you'll see I added the extra grey patches on the right, starting each month on the same place on the left. If you wanted to center things you could add half patches on each end of the shorter months, or you could stagger your months, as well. I guess this might be less of a quilt-a-long and more of a suggestion/guide to get you going. Temperature guide. I would suggest deciding before you begin to find a consistent place to base your daily temperatures on. If you want to use your own thermometer, great. I am going to use a website that tracks daily temperatures, and one that I can go back to find 'historical' data for when I'm out of town, or behind on my quilt (not like that would happen). In my case the closest weather station is an airport about 8 miles from my home. Around here, this matters. Since I am in SE Wisconsin, Lake Michigan can greatly effect the weather (called Lake Effect). But sometimes it depends just how close you are to the lake. Sometimes a half mile can make a difference in temperature and clouds and snow, too. Right now, my plan is to share each week's progress on Fridays. Which means next Friday, 1/3/14 will have my first 3 patches cut and sewn. Lastly, I am happy to answer any questions. I reply to comments if I can, but if you don't hear from me you are probably a 'no-reply' blogger. Then feel free to either leave me your email in the comment, or email me directly.
Temperature Quilts for 2024 and a Moxie upgrade!
A temperature quilt uses fabric to show the high and low temp of each day, this temperature quilt tutorial will show all of the steps needed to make one.
Temperature Quilt Tutorial
The story of how my 2021 Temperature Quilt, tracking the temperatures in Helena, Montana, was created.
If you want to know how to make a temperature quilt, look no further, we've got everything you need to know right here!
Have you ever heard of a Temperature Quilt before? A Temperature Quilt is a visual snapshot of the daily high and low temperatur...
(Click here for One Monthly Goal July Link-up) Bring on summer! Mixed in with all the typical high humidity we've managed to have some really gorgeous days in June. When I compare to June of 2020, we've had more days this June in the 70s and less in the 90s. In the photo below, the first six months of 2020 are on the left and 2021 is on the right. My design documents both the high and low temperature in a block which finishes 1 1/2 '' x 2''. The improv strip is 1/4'' wide and records the low temperatures. Every month takes 2 columns - the 1 through 15 in first column and then 16 through end of month in the second column. Filler blocks are added to square off the quilt. The thin strips - 1/4'' wide - are randomly inserted and run 'vertically' for odd days and 'horizontally' for even days. I'm using the exact same fabric that I did for my 2020 Temperature quilt. The time I spent organizing is paying off - it takes no time at all to get the prep work done for sewing each block. I made myself a mini-quilt to show off my temperature grid. Oranges are 80s, yellows are 70s and sew on. I've been asked several times what my fabrics are - I used all Painters Palette solids: 100+ is Sangria, 95+ is Real Red, 90+ is Poppy red, 85+ is Burnt Orange, 80+ is Tangerine, 75+ is Pencil Yellow, 70+ is Bright Yellow, 65+ is Apple Green, 60+ is Mint, 55+ is Bright Aqua, 50+ is Turquoise, 45+ is China Blue, 40+ is Lapis, 35+ is Purple, 30+ is Amethyst, and any temp is the 20s is Royalty. I've written up my basic temperature quilt process in my tutorial including where I source the high and low information. I'm looking forward to sharing the progress! You can see my temperature quilts for 2018, 2019, and 2020! Have a wonderful day! Patty
A quiltmaker’s quilt often tells a story, and maybe they can even predict the weather too!
You’ve seen temperature quilts haven’t you? Each day is represented by a block or patch? My sister Deb making one this year … I lifted this photo from her Facebook page. I love house quilts and coul
One way that modern quilters from around the world are marking the progress of the seasons is by ‘noticing’ their environment with a temperature quilt.
Is it possible to be thrilled to have finished a quilt, but be so tired of working on it that you almost don't like it anymore? That's how I feel about my 2019 temperature quilt. 2019 Temperature Quilt, 72" X 84" Starting in January, 2019, I made each block according to daily high and low temperatures recorded at a Wunderground.com weather station belonging to a homeowner who lives on a street behind my house. This is the color key I used, though this version didn't happen until summer, when the temperatures got higher than I anticipated! I began with 20 colors, but by mid-summer, I added the three colors at the top of the range for a total of 23 colors. Every color is in the quilt. These four-inch Drunkard's Path blocks, cut using a Classic Curves Ruler, are arranged in a vertical "snake" layout, and hand-embroidered with the month number on the first day of each month. The direction of each convex curve is based on the previous day's high temperature. If the day's high temperature increased (from the previous day), the convex aimed up; if the day's high temperature went down, the convex aimed down; if it stayed the same, so did the convex, though the direction of the convex alternated. Confused? It made sense to me as I did it, and made these wonderful half-circles; quarter-circles; three-quarter circles; and waves. Quilter's Dream Wool batting and more than 20 colors of Aurifil 50-weight thread were used for quilting. Thread colors in the top and bobbin were changed to coordinate with the rainbow ombré wideback by Hoffman. For quilting, I used my Bernina 770QE with the #72 ruler foot to ruler quilt all the straight lines and curves with Fine Line rulers, and Sew Steady echo guides. I filled in with free motion quilting. After quilting for hours and hours, I stopped to figure out how much time I was spending on it. I determined that each 4" X 4" block took approximately 15 minutes to quilt. Between changing thread colors; un-quilting and re-quilting the occasional curve or circle; and burying threads, 15 minutes is probably an accurate number. Multiply the time by 378 blocks on the quilt, and I spent 94 hours quilting. That feels about right. It was a lot! It gives me a perspective on the Peter Byrne's 2020 QuiltCon Best of Show with 150 hours of domestic machine quilting! See it here. Since the number of days in 2019 didn't work out to a complete quilt top, I added "temperature key blocks" along the right side of the quilt. Each color is machine-embroidered with the degree range it represents. The unquilted white convex curve is the label. Binding on the sides is the Hoffman rainbow ombré, but I cut out the green section and replaced it with an aqua ombré. The top and bottom binding colors are solid orange. A happy finish! Linda
Interested in seeing Temperature Quilt Examples from around the US and an update on the one I started last year? Read on!
Moving right along, I'm starting a new quilt. Though this one is really different from any I've made before. Have you heard of temperature quilts? They've been around for at least three years, and temperature versions can be crocheted or knitted or embroidered as well. After seeing a whole bunch of quilts crop up on Instagram (see #temperaturequilt) I decided to join in. Basically what you're making is a quilt that's assembled with 365 two-color patches that represent daily - for one year - high and low temperatures of some location. Not surprisingly, I am making a 2019 quilt using temperatures from The Villages. To make your own quilt you first need to find historic weather data on the place you choose, to learn what the high and low temperatures have been. Where I live, the range is about 60 degrees (92 to 32). You can usually find this sort of data on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website, but due to the federal government shutdown, the website isn't operational. Based on the range, temperatures are broken into units of five or four or three degree increments. Then, select 18 to 22 different fabrics that may be solids or prints, and assigned a fabric to each increment. In my case, I am going with three degree temperature increments, assigning 20 solids (one is missing because I need to order it) to them. Using my iPhone and the Wunderground app, each day I've been tracking local weather high and local temperatures. I'm recording that info on an Excel spreadsheet I created on my iPhone as reference for block-making later. The two-color block I chose is a sort of Drunkard's Path made with the Classic Curve Ruler. Convex curves are the high temperatures and concave curves are the low. I'll assemble these four-inch blocks in vertical columns, and turn the block up or down according to whether the high temperature is higher or lower than the previous day. The vertical columns make photos challenging! When I've made 21 patches, I'll start another column... until I have 18 columns to make a total of 378 patches. Yes, that's too many than the 365 days of the year, but if I make month markers for 12 months, I'll have only one block extra to make of something - maybe the color key for the quilt. No doubt this will evolve as I go along, but right now the quilt will turn out at around 72" X 84". It's been fun to see what other blocks quilters are making - flying geese, half-square triangles, improv rectangles, circles appliquéd on a square, English paper-pieced hexagons, and so on. Every quilt is different of course, so the outcome is a surprise. I decided I wanted to be sure to include the 2019 Kaufman Kona Color of The Year (COTY) in my temperature quilt, so I bought some - Yes! This was the first time I've bought fabric since last May! Kona's COTY is "Splash," as seen on the right. It's too perfect for a Floridian, isn't it. Painter's Palette Solids color card next to Kona Splash Please note that if you buy Splash (or any Kona for that matter), be sure to prewash it! It bleeds. I washed Splash yardage with a color catcher that was distinctly aqua when it came out of the washing machine. My favorite brand of solid fabrics is Painter's Palette, but unfortunately there's no color that's close to Splash. Hence the reason I purchased several yards. I'm looking forward to making this quilt through 2019, though perhaps by August or so I'll be sick of it, especially when the daily temperatures aren't varying. Maybe monotonous? If you'd like more information about making a temperature quilt, visit Anina's blog - TwiddleTails. Anina, who lives in Des Moines, Iowa (!), is leading a temperature quilt-along, and has lots of helpful information on her blog. It's certainly not too late to get started! It feels good to be working on something new and fun! Linda
Looking forward to the new year, have you ever considered making a Temperature Quilt? Read on for more info on how to get started, including a palette of Bella Solids and a temperature tracker download.
Interested in seeing Temperature Quilt Examples from around the US and an update on the one I started last year? Read on!
Temperature Quilt Tutorial
Revive the lost art of crochet temperature blankets with me in 2019! Let's bring this vibrant project back to life.
I mentioned a couple of posts ago I was debating about doing a Temperature Quilt this year. I mentioned it on Instagram, too, and between the two, at least three people expressed that they wanted to do it too! So I guess I'm making it official. So lets talk about a couple things if you want to play along. 1. Fabrics. You will need a range of fabrics representing the range of temperatures for where you live. You can usually find your extremes by a web search. Here in WI I'm ready for a range of: -20 through 109 degrees Farenheit. I've assigned them every 5 degrees for more interest. You could do every 10 degrees and use less fabric. Maybe if you live in a place that doesn't change much you could do every 1 or 2 degrees. 2. Timing. I found it worked best to do blocks for a week at a time. Usually on Sunday afternoons I would pull out the fabrics, write down the numbers for the week and then make the blocks. Two weeks is doable, but more than that takes a while. 3. Getting your information. I would recommend getting your temperature from a consistent source. Where I live it matters quite a bit, because Lake Michigan causes something called "Lake Effect" which means the closer you are to the lake, the more the weather and temperatures can change. Generally cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I really like Weather Underground because they keep a historical calendar, so you can look up all the past information you need. 4. Rules. Well, there aren't really any. At least not yet. If I get enough interest I'll see what I can do about prizes and motivation and such. I will for sure write a post once a month for progress and encouragement. This was my original mock-up from 2014. My quilt turned out pretty close. I only did each day's high. The following is loosely what I'm planning. I will for sure do half square triangles for highs and lows. I will not do so much sashing (the grey) if any at all. I consider this an evolving project. Here are some other ideas for you to check out. The half square triangles are for highs and lows. Each vertical row is a month. Vertical rows, no sashing. Vertical rows, sashing, highs only. This quilt along is really quite free form - the few people I've talked to have different ideas they are trying out. Hexies and diamonds have both been brought up. So, if you are interested - go ahead and leave a comment on this blog post - or on Instagram. We'll use the hashtag #tempquilt17. Tell all your friends. If it gets bigger than a few comments - I'll look into an official sign up sheet. If you comment below, make sure you are NOT a no-reply blogger. If you are, I cannot reply back to you.
A temperature quilt uses fabric to show the high and low temp of each day, this temperature quilt tutorial will show all of the steps needed to make one.
Is it possible to be thrilled to have finished a quilt, but be so tired of working on it that you almost don't like it anymore? That's how I feel about my 2019 temperature quilt. 2019 Temperature Quilt, 72" X 84" Starting in January, 2019, I made each block according to daily high and low temperatures recorded at a Wunderground.com weather station belonging to a homeowner who lives on a street behind my house. This is the color key I used, though this version didn't happen until summer, when the temperatures got higher than I anticipated! I began with 20 colors, but by mid-summer, I added the three colors at the top of the range for a total of 23 colors. Every color is in the quilt. These four-inch Drunkard's Path blocks, cut using a Classic Curves Ruler, are arranged in a vertical "snake" layout, and hand-embroidered with the month number on the first day of each month. The direction of each convex curve is based on the previous day's high temperature. If the day's high temperature increased (from the previous day), the convex aimed up; if the day's high temperature went down, the convex aimed down; if it stayed the same, so did the convex, though the direction of the convex alternated. Confused? It made sense to me as I did it, and made these wonderful half-circles; quarter-circles; three-quarter circles; and waves. Quilter's Dream Wool batting and more than 20 colors of Aurifil 50-weight thread were used for quilting. Thread colors in the top and bobbin were changed to coordinate with the rainbow ombré wideback by Hoffman. For quilting, I used my Bernina 770QE with the #72 ruler foot to ruler quilt all the straight lines and curves with Fine Line rulers, and Sew Steady echo guides. I filled in with free motion quilting. After quilting for hours and hours, I stopped to figure out how much time I was spending on it. I determined that each 4" X 4" block took approximately 15 minutes to quilt. Between changing thread colors; un-quilting and re-quilting the occasional curve or circle; and burying threads, 15 minutes is probably an accurate number. Multiply the time by 378 blocks on the quilt, and I spent 94 hours quilting. That feels about right. It was a lot! It gives me a perspective on the Peter Byrne's 2020 QuiltCon Best of Show with 150 hours of domestic machine quilting! See it here. Since the number of days in 2019 didn't work out to a complete quilt top, I added "temperature key blocks" along the right side of the quilt. Each color is machine-embroidered with the degree range it represents. The unquilted white convex curve is the label. Binding on the sides is the Hoffman rainbow ombré, but I cut out the green section and replaced it with an aqua ombré. The top and bottom binding colors are solid orange. A happy finish! Linda
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Are you looking for a fun, new quilting challenge for 2020? Join and see how your quilts temperature changes throughout the year!
