Mosaics in Cyprus

Several years ago I visited Cyprus, the small island nation in the Mediterranean Sea. There are many, many things to enjoy on this sunny Greek-flavored island. One of my favorite parts was touring the archeological sites in the cliffs. The floors are covered with intricate mosaics that made me want to start quilting immediately.

I haven’t made a Cyprus quilt yet, but the inspiration is there, and someday something will come from it.

My husband told me that I’d be good at making an entire mosaic floor… something about repetitive detail work. Yup, he knows me well. That might have been a good job for me 2,000 years ago if I lived on Cyprus.

Paper Quilt

During the first week of school, my third graders worked on this paper quilt. Each block is a grid with 100 squares (10x10). I used blank 100 charts that were in the math textbook we use, but it would be simple enough to create a grid that would work well. Each student made a block by writing their name over and over again in the squares and then coloring each letter a different color. For example, “Jane” might choose red for J, yellow for A, orange for N, and black for E. The pattern is repeated until the 100 squares are filled up.

Students with 5 or 10 letter names just colored stripes, where students with 7 letter names had to be a bit more careful. Overall the project was fun and not too demanding for my uncertain brand new third graders. They were very excited when I unveiled the complete project!

Summer Quilt

This was one of those projects that starts with a particular fabric grabbing hold in a store and demanding to be bought. I brought two yards home, and the next day I went and bought two more. I hung the pieces over the back of a chair and left them for a week, looking at the colors and the design that I liked so much and smiling every time I passed. I couldn’t find a project that suited the fabric, so then it had to live among my stash for a few years.

A few weeks ago, while I was awake on a jet lag fueled night of insomnia, I saw a picture of a rectangle quilt with sashing that seemed like the perfect project for my beautiful fabric. I spent the next few days cutting and assembling the simple top.

It’s still just a top, but it will soon have a border and be layered with just backing and muslin. I want something very thin as a coverlet during the hot summer. Something more substantial than a sheet, but not as hot as a quilt.