Adrift Quilt Pattern
It’s finally here! Chill and float along with the Adrift quilt pattern available now!
QUICK LOOK
Adrift is a traditionally pieced design that’s perfect for confident beginners. Sizes include:
Wall Hanging
Baby*
Throw
Twin*
*Extended layout. The iceberg will look farther away as there are larger sky and ocean pieces for these two sizes.
FABRIC REQUIREMENTS
One of my favorite things about this pattern is that it doesn’t use up a lot of yardage to make the iceberg. In fact, some of the fabric pieces I used were leftovers from previous projects. Here’s what you’ll need:
*Extended Layout
BEHIND THE DESIGN
Born after a long-awaited trip to see the glaciers in 2020 got canceled, Adrift is a nature- and therapy-inspired design. I borrowed Freud's iceberg analogy (since I was deep into therapy during the height of the pandemic) and sketched this one up to process our missed opportunity to view the majestic glaciers in Alaska. Needless to say, the pattern has been a long time coming.
SAMPLES
Note: Fabric names are italicized and located under each finished quilt photo.
Scrappy Blenders in Baby Size
Solids are great for this pattern, but if you're wondering how Adrift would look with prints, here you go! I find that blenders work really well because they add interest to the different facets of the iceberg.
This example also shows the extended layout version (baby and twin sizes), where the iceberg will look farther away due to more negative space (i.e., more sky and sea pieces). I sent this off to Sterling Quilt Co. for a simple edge-to-edge quilt design. I love the borderless look of the previous Adrift versions, so I finished the quilt with facing too.
Quilted by: Sterling Quilt Co.// Fabrics: agf wildflower wovens dots sweet pea; rss starry in vivid pink, add it up in lavender, netorious in filler paper (c+s), sugar in denim; add it up in shibori (c+s), double dots in shibori (c+s), sugar in neon pink; fableism sprouts in obsidian
Cover in Wall Hanging Size
The cover sample went through a series of challenges. From the wrong fabric color placement, to sewing machine tension issues, to lots of seam ripping, this baby was tested so many times that I've lost count. In fact, this sample still isn't accurate: the ocean is supposed to be deeper but I didn't realize I missed a piece until I quilted it. 😅 On the bright side, it forced me to slow down and take my time with the process. I even went down a rabbit hole watching iceberg videos for color inspiration. (Have you seen this clip? It's so terrifying and spectacular!)
Since I'm still using my fabric stash as much as possible, the colors use leftover fabrics from multiple projects. For the first time, I quilted vertical straight lines instead of my usual horizontal ones. I decided to face the quilt to keep the sky and the ocean uninterrupted.
Fabrics: kona breakers, capri, azure; bella pastel blue; kona stratosphere; cotton couture electric, peacock; bella solids off white; kona fog
Global Warming in Wall Hanging Size
From the start, I was keen on making a version using non-icy colors. I'm a big believer that you can use whatever set of colors or fabrics you want on a quilt! That said, I had a ton of peaches and earthy yellows in my stash that not only "warmed up" the design but that also conveyed global warming.
For this version, I decided to use a mix of machine and hand quilting. I really wanted to show the wirings of the human brain by quilting interconnected lines between the visible and submerged parts of an iceberg. I used my thickest threads (size 8) to match the colors of the iceberg. Then, I went with an echo effect for the rest of the quilt to create a visual pulsating effect.
Fabrics: kona yarrow; bella mustard, afternoon; birch shell; kona creamsicle, nectarine, terracotta; ruby+bee stormy; agf coconut milk
Baby Soft in Wall Hanging
Excuse the blurry photo! I wasn’t going to show this version (because like the cover, it's missing ocean pieces lol), but I like how these softer colors worked together. The sky is the only printed fabric in this bunch, but I like how the dots depict a snowy day. Since I didn't have any matching hand quilting thread, I decided to machine quilt this baby using an angled crosshatch design. I haven't decided how to finish this quilt, but I might make this the only version with regular binding.*
Starry in Wall Hanging
*Though I have yet to bind the above quilt, I ended up making one final sample with regular binding to match the horizon line! Check out the RSS Starry version HERE!
Tester Version
Kelsey @tumbleweedstitchery volunteered to test the pattern and she made a gorgeous green version. I love how she quilted this one too!
