Dorothy’s Sunflowers

Dorothy’s Sunflowers is a 2-color, 2-fabric quilt in a horizontal setting. It measures 80 x 80 inches. This quilt is based on a red and white quilt that was in the Infinite Variety Red and White Quilt Exhibit in New York in March 2011. The Sunflower blocks made me think of Kansas and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

This design uses the Inklingo 12″ Sunflower, 6″ Sunflower, 3″ Drunkards Path and Circles Collection. I colored the blocks in EQ7 with fabrics from Toscana by Northcott.

Dorothy Williamson is my paternal grandmother. She was born Grace Rose Buisch on 24 December 1889 in Batavia, New York. (I have no clue why she started going by Dorothy sometime in her forties.) She was an excellent seamstress and had the patience to teach me, her left-handed granddaughter, how to embroider at an early age. My grandmother insisted I learn to use scissors with my right hand though. She is the reason I iron and cut with my right hand, use a rotary cutter with both hands, and the reason I make quilts both by hand and machine today. This is her quilt. The fleurs de lis on the border represent her French ancestry.

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Dorothy’s Sunflowers 80 x 80
9020-240 Toscana Kiss Me					9020-110 Toscana Porcelain
Purchase and download:
Inklingo 12” Sunflower Collection			Inklingo 6” Sunflower Collection		Sunflower Design Book		Inklingo Circles Collection
Inklingo 3” Drunkards Path			Drunkards Path Design Book		The Inklingo Handbook		Cheat Sheet (Download from website or print from collection)
For more information about Inklingo, click here.
Copy the information below to a printed Cheat Sheet. To figure fabric yardage, see the section “Planning a Quilt” in the Inklingo collection.
Fabric	Yardage	Shape		# of Shapes		Cut & Print		Page # in shape collection
Fabric 1 Red		Combo 6		12 sets		12] 8.25 x 12.75″		12″ Sunflower: 18 & 19
		Background Half		24		24] 7 x 13.25″		12″ Sunflower: 20 & 21
		Diamond		192		3] 8.5 x 11.5″ & 1] 7.25 x 6.25″		6″ Sunflower: 30 & 31
		Circle [center]		12		2] 6.25 x 9.5″		6″ Sunflower: 24 & 25
		AB Combo		104 sets		17] 8.5 x 12.75″ & 1] 4.5 8.75″		3″ DP: 6 & 7
		Borders		4		10.5″ wide strips cut length of fabric to avoid piecing		//
		Binding strips		9 strips		//		//
Fabric 2 White		Diamond		192		12] 7.75 x 9.75″		12″ Sunflower: 30 & 31
		Combo 6		12 sets		6] 8 x 11.5″ Landscape		6″ Sunflower: 18 & 19
		AB Combo		104 sets		17] 8.5 x 12.75″ & 1] 4.5 8.75″		3″ DP: 6 & 7
		Fleur de lis applique		20		Applique Border PDF		**See note below about applique placement.
		1.75″ Circle applique		20		1] 7.25 x 9.75″ & 1] 5 x 9.75″		Circles: 44 & 45
		1.25″ Circle applique		32		1] 7.5 x 11.25″ & 1] 7.5 x 4.25″		Circles: 36 & 37
		.75″ Circle applique		96		1] 8 x 12″ & 1] 8 x 9.5″		Circles: 28 & 29
		.5″ Circle applique		64		1] 8 x 8″		Circles: 22 & 23
Want to check my math? The Dorothy’s Sunflowers Math PDF is here.  Quilt blocks are pictured on the Math PDF. **IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT APPLIQUE PLACEMENT:  I made the applique border printouts only 8″ wide to save on paper. You will need to place the bottom edge of the printout 2″ from the seam where the border is sewn to the quilt center or 2.25″ from the raw edge of the border strip before it’s sewn to the quilt center for correct spacing. Be sure to check my Sunflower Quilts Pinterest board for more quilty Sunflower inspiration!

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Inklingo Drunkards Path Video

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How to Rotary Cut Curves Inklingo Video

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Sewing Curves Without Pins

This is how I sew curves. (I dislike pinning!) I use a 3M Command Strip pasted along the side of my presser foot to help as a guide also. You need to be sure to use your 1/4″ presser foot if you are going to use a Command Strip as a guide. When I am done sewing curves, the Command Strip removes easily from my machine bed.

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