April 2019 - AndreaLoyDesign.com

That Buffalo Check Quilt Trend

by Andrea | Apr 11, 2019 | Uncategorized

Are you pro buffalo check? All the buffalo check, all the time. Are you in that camp!? I’ve loved it for a long time, and I’m thrilled it is so widely available in home decor fabrics. It’s a classic look. Buffalo check quilts popped up on Pinterest last summer and I thought it was both an amazing and yet totally rediculous idea all at the same time.

But if by rediculous, I define the process as cutting out little pieces of fabric from larger pieces and sewing them back together again, then all quilts are rediculous. I guess I’ve just proved myself wrong, Becuase for me and great deal of others, quilting is life. It’s about organizing the creative process in a supremely satisfying way. This process involves a deeper level of emotion and pleasure than watching tv or organizing a sock drawer or even painting a masterpiece. Quilting is the marriage of art, love, and functionality for me. It’s perfect for a type A creative who can’t stand the thought of making something for no other reason than to look at it.

Now, back to the Buffalo check quilt trend. I began to get the itch for this quilt not more than a few seconds after the Pinterest image flashed before my eyes. I filed it under “must do” in the sewing section of my brain.

Once I found out I was going to be an auntie again I decided that my sister in law (who already had a buffalo check chair in her nursery ) was going to be the fitting recipient of my buffalo check quilt. Little boy was going to need to know my love in quilt form.

Then I waited for the fabric to come to me. I watched my stash for inspiration out of the corner of my eye when daily passing my fabric shelves. I browsed online fabric stores, but one day I was walking down the aisle of my local Walmart looking for a button and I saw the little precut packages of Waverly solids. They were perched in a little row along the bottom. I immediately reached out to touch them and test for quality. They were well made. The store had all the right shades to compose the three values needed for a buffalo check.

I took those little guys home with me and waited for Spring Break so I could have some uninterrupted sewing time.

Here is what I learned: Do not get sooo excited to start a project that you forget to think through the best process.

I could have cut strips and been very clever to piece this quilt in half the time I did. But I got excited, pulled out my accucut square die and chopped the yards up all into squares. About three rows into laying out the pattern on the floor I realized what I had done but it was too late.

I should have cut long strips out of my colors. Then sewed together Fabric A and B alternating and Fabric A and C alternating, so that I could strip piece.

But alas, I was just too excited.

Consequently, these squares are what I began my quilt with.

The top piecing was fairly easy after laying out the pattern. I bought one yard of each fabric. I ended up using the full yard of the medium value and only half or less of the dark and light values. I ended up with a perfect crib size quilt.

Choosing the thread and how to quilt it was the hardest decision. I landed on pearl cotton in two colors. After various texts to friends for their opinion and a few trial stitches I decided on dark brown for all the light and medium tone squares and off white thread for the brown.

The backing is tan and off white double gauze stripes! It’s so soft! I have no idea who made it.

Here’s how it ended up! I started out hating my color choices once I sewed the top together. I was actually wondering if I needed to start over, but after I hand quilted it with the pearl cotton, I fell in love with it.

And look at this amazing walnut quilt rack my dad made me while I was sewing!! Love it so much and am so thankful for his amazing woodworking skills. He always brings my designs to life.