Windows

Windows.  I like windows.  They let in the sun, and shut out the cold; they help air things out, and light them up. They are wonderfully, prepositionally diverse: you can look out them, in them, through them, and at them. And what you see when you look out/in/through/at them is up to anybody’s imagination. Window display is an art form in its own right. Windows.
It is this diversity that makes me a fan of the quilting in general, and in particular of making things that use the “attic windows” pattern. This pattern involves panels surrounded by sashing done so as to look 3D.  The sashing is the window frames, and the panels are…whatever you want. They serve as what you see through the windows. I love being able to play with both the panels and the sashing to create different styles. Over the years I’ve done several Attic Windows quilts, and really enjoy them.
The first one I made was this Animals in My Windows:

And a close up:

Made from flannel for a cozy winter quilt and is knotted rather than machine quilted. I was learning the pattern then, and had to do a couple of the window frames over again.

Next, to perfect the pattern, or my handling of it, I made this, Guitar Store Windows:

And a close up:

This one is also in flannel, but the red and orange give a different feel to the piece, I think, and the panels in the windows do as well. This one is machine quilted.

Both of these ended up on sale at a fundraiser auction at my kids’ elementary school.

And last year I made this: Dancing Bears, for a colleague expecting a baby. I didn't know if the expected child was a boy or girl, and did not know how traditional the parents would be about the choices of colors, etc. So I picked a more neutral color palette and a traditional kid-friendly fabric for the window panels.
Dancing Bears:

And a close up:

The primary colors here make a bold pattern but this is offset by the wide border of light yellow.

I love the versatility of this pattern! Hm...maybe it's time for another project with windows.