A Striking Giant Dahlia Quilt For Spring Or Any Time Of Year

The Dahlia Quilt Is Easier Than It Seems.

The Dahlia blooms in a multitude of colors and the flower burst can be captured in a quilt. A modern design that suits almost any decor, is also stunning in a traditional setting. It’s fun and creative from start to finish, taking surprisingly little time to piece the entire Giant Dahlia quilt top and see the Dahlia ‘bloom’.

 

Susan Murwin and Suzy Payne designers and authors of the book ‘The Quick and Easy Giant Dahlia Quilt’, suggest starting with a main print or fabric that you love, a simply must have in the quilt. Choose the main fabric first and let it control the quilt. Its surprising how quickly you find the perfect fabrics to add once the main fabric is selected. Then choose any color combination you like of six to eight fabrics. Paste swatches of your fabrics on a chart or color the petals to represent your fabrics.

The variations are achieved by color placement. It’s great fun and a new creative experience using a color planning chart to identify the different petals and see how they relate to each other. The largest petals will be dominant, but even the tiniest petal can be the secret to an exciting ‘Giant Dahlia’ that can be used to make wall hangings and even baby quilts. A great project to play with color and design.

A good guide is too choose a color scheme and repeat it twice with different values of the same colors. The gentle curves are quick to piece either by hand or sewing machine. The quilt shown is stitched in both solids and prints, and the medallion enclosed with a decorative border to enhance the Giant Dahlia. The border should repeat at least one fabric from the Dahlia medallion. Quilt a daisy flower in the petals.

To get started, there is a delightful free tutorial which includes pattern templates to make a Giant Dahlia quilt from She’s Got Mojo Fiber Arts Studio, which shows making the Dahlia using a Dresden center.

Make your own Dahlia quilt using Susan Murwin and Suzy Payne’s ‘The Quick and Easy Giant Dahlia Quilt’ book which contains one of the easiest ways to piece the pattern, has tips and guidelines for fabric placement, and a color plan chart. Construction of the center, and sewing the petal arms to the center, the book also includes accurate full size cardboard templates in the back of it for four different size quilts. There are instructions on how to enlarge a 54″ medallion to a 76″ x 76″ quilt, and making the decorative border.