It has just occurred to me that this is the first time I have shared the background story behind one of my quilts here on the blog! This is the whole reason I wanted to begin blogging in the first place – to tell the stories behind my quilts! So it is with a sense of delight that I share the story of my latest pattern – Cherry Tree Lane…
For me, some days creating is more about the process and less about any specific plan.
This particular design came about after I spent an afternoon ‘playing’ with some new Jelly Roll strips that I had purchased that morning…
I had asked the quilting community on Instagram what I should make with my new ‘Handmade by Bonnie and Camille’ Jelly Roll and received so many awesome ideas that I immediately felt a little overwhelmed! I really should have known better – when I am faced with so many good options it is almost impossible for me to make a quick decision! That is when I decided to forget about ‘what’ it was I was going to make and instead I decided to simply sew together a few strips and see where my instincts would take me.
I really wanted to make something simple and stress free, yet not so basic that it might be considered boring, and so without a plan I began to sew.
By the time I had the block constructed I realised that I had a design with multiple possibilities. As I noticed a pattern begin to emerge, it felt a little magical, and so I began to make some design notes as I went along.
Depending on how you combine your fabric strips and how you choose to rotate your blocks you can create so many different variations of the same pattern. As I lay the original blocks on the floor and began to explore different layouts it suddenly occurred to me that this little experiment was a lot like Jane and Michael Banks watching Mary Poppins reach into her carpet bag wondering what she might pull out next! (Do you think that I may have been exposed to too much Mary Poppins in my youth? – What can I say – to this day the British nanny still holds a cherished place in my heart :).
The minute the idea of Mary Poppins popped into my head I knew I had to watch the classic Disney movie to see what other inspiration might strike. After viewing the iconic nanny flying in from the east as the movie begins I settled on arranging my blocks so they give the appearance of diagonal rows of colour representing her grand arrival at Number 17, Cherry Tree Lane.
The quilt itself is delightfully simple to construct, and ‘as I expected… practically perfect in every way’ (Oh come on, you know I had to say that…;P.)!
The hardest part is choosing how you want to combine your fabric and layout your blocks, but I give you some ideas about this in the pattern. Of course, you can follow my lead and make something similar to the original, or you could try one of the different variations and express your own creativity in its own unique way :).
The quilt requires 1 Jelly Roll, some background yardage, a small amount of solid fabric for the block centre posts and some solid scraps for the cornerstones.
I used a quarter square triangle ruler to cut the triangle pieces, but I have included a template in the pattern if you don’t have an acrylic triangle ruler.
One of my favourite things about this quilt was that it came together without any pins – seriously, NO PINS!! Who knew that was even a thing – I told you it was magical ;).
I indicate the best direction to press your seams to ensure they nest together perfectly, and because the blocks are trimmed to size and the sashing is a consistent measurement, the quilt is assembled with absolute ease.
In the pattern I refer to the layout version I chose as ‘Sunshine and Shadow’. I chose to pair my strip sets into low volume and aqua prints (sunshine), and red, green and black prints (shadow).
Depending on the fabric assortment in your Jelly Roll you may find that you don’t have a clear distinction between light and dark prints but that’s okay – just pair them in a way that makes sense to you, or be completely random and enjoy a scrappy version of the quilt.
The pattern requires 35 blocks, but in order to give you the most flexibility when laying out your quilt pattern I decided to give you instructions to make 40 blocks and make use of the entire Jelly Roll. This means that once you have decided on what blocks are going in your quilt you have some leftovers to either go on the back of your quilt or turn into a mini quilt or pillow top like I did.
I had so much fun piecing this quilt and reminiscing about all the things Mary Poppins has taught me over the years – not to mention the sing along sessions as the pieces were stitched together :).
I am giving this quilt to my daughter as a graduation gift with a reminder of some of my favourite lessons on the quilt label (I can’t show you the actual label yet because it’s still a work in progress – I am trying to decide on the best way to include a silhouette of Mary Poppins alongside the life lessons); and in case you are wondering what a fictional character from a 1964 film still has to teach us – here you go…
- Strive to be practically perfect in every way.
- In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.
- Things are not always as they appear.
- Use your imagination.
- Choose your words wisely.
- It’s all a matter of perspective.
- You don’t always need to explain yourself.
- And always remember the importance of powdering your nose ;).
For all the controversy that surrounded the original literary author of Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers, she has been quoted as saying this –
“Fantasy is not a word I like. I prefer imagination. Fantasy has no relation to reality and is passive, but imagination is active and is the imaging of a portion of reality and requires conscious effort — not to invent but to remain quiet and still so the idea, if it wants, will come. I always recall D.H. Lawrence saying to remember that there is a truth of fact and a truth of truth — and I add that the truth of truth is imagination.”
I love the idea of being ‘quiet and still’ so the ideas will come – such a great statement on creativity!
Now I feel like I want to design an entire quilt collection inspired by the classic Mary Poppins…
How much fun would that be?! Maybe that could be my preparation in lead up to the release of the new ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ movie scheduled for release in 2018. (Crossing my fingers they don’t make Mary too mean as has been rumored!)
What do you think? Next up, a quilt called ‘Step In Time’….;P.
The Cherry Tree Lane pattern is available now and for those who are interested I am hosting a casual quilt along during November.
What is your favourite Mary Poppins moment? Or what character do you love who has taught you an important life lesson or two?
Leave me a comment and I will randomly choose 5 people in the next 24 hours to receive a copy of the pattern. (Use coupon code QAL to receive 20% discount on your pattern if you are joining the quilt along fun – EXPIRES Oct 31st 2016)
Goodbye friends, don’t stay away too long ;).
Samantha
PS. I f you purchase the pattern and then happen to be lucky enough to be one of the 5 winners, I will either refund your money or let you choose two other patterns from my store – does that sound fair? :). Thanks for stopping by. Your support means so much! xx
Edited to Add – We have some winners (courtesy of Random.org)! Thanks for playing everyone, if your comment was one of the numbers below then I will be sending you your pattern very soon :).
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
15, 9, 7, 2, 14
Timestamp: 2016-10-26 23:22:00 UTC
I love this quilt! Crossing my fingers!
Thank you Jen!
You promise it’s easy? I lOVE it and am thinking it’s perfect for my queen size bed! (I have 2 jelly rolls).
I promise!You do have to square up the blocks which might take a little more time if you are making it bigger, but that is about as difficult as it gets 🙂
Elaine, You became lucky comment #2, so I am sending you the pattern. I hope you have fun with it 🙂
I’m in love with this quilt! I just bought the Handmade Jelly Roll so now I know what I’m doing with it! Its gorgeous!
It really is lovely in Handmade! I hope you have as much fun making it as I did 🙂
This is super cute! Now to decide which line to use…..chestnut street or handmade…..
That is a hard decision Amy – and exactly why I am making another one 😉 Have fun choosing!
I like the moment in the park just as they are about to jump into the chalk art drawn by Burt. How she knows exactly what is going to happen but she rolls her eyes and pretends to not know…
Plus, I have always like the part when they dance with the penguins. How on earth does Burt get his pants down that far and still have full coverage?
Haha! My son has a pair of pants that appear that way and I am always telling him to pull them up, to which his reply is ‘they are designed that way’- LOL! Burt must have been ahead of his time 😉 Thanks for sharing Jerusha!
I love this quilt! I just happen to have a B&C Vintage Picnic jelly roll saved for the perfect pattern and think I just found it. I have to admit I’ve never watched the movie Mary Poppins. Might be fun to watch while making this quilt.
A Vintage Picnic version will be lovely! You must watch the movie – it’s a classic! I am always surprised when people tell me they haven’t seen it. I hope you love it!!
Your story and quilt are delightful!!!
Thanks Vicki! I am happy to say that you are lucky comment #7 and a pattern is heading your way 🙂
Got it, love it, Thank you!
Fell in love with your quilt the first time you posted it, definitely joining in on the quilt along- off to get a Handmade jelly roll! Oh, and Yoda has taught me some life lessons!
Oh Yoda – we are very familiar with his lessons in this house Veronica 🙂 Thanks for joining the quilt along, it’s going to be fun!
I like the quilt very much. I am always looking for quilts that make my sewing fun and not so challenging. This is one I really want!
Hi Judy, thanks for your lovely comments and guess what you are lucky comment #9 so I will be sending you the pattern. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
My favorite part of Mary Poppins is when they have tea up on the ceiling with all the jokes and laughter! It’s a great movie!! I would like to buy this pattern but I’m not sure where to go.
I love how your quilts have a story. I am going to be sew busy with quilt alongs in November.
Thank you Kim! I know – I wasn’t sure if it was a bad idea since there are so many in the works, but I decided to stop over thinking things and just offer it for anyone who wants to play along. I’m not worrying about sponsors or prizes and instead just keeping it casual. The quilt goes together pretty quick, so that is something 😉
Love the pattern!!!!!
Thank you Joan!
I have to admit I can’t remember ever watching Mary Poppins but it is high up on my list now, I love this quilt, the 1st time you posted a picture I fell in love with it, it looks like a lovely pattern & I can’t wait to make it ❤️❤️
Sheena – You must watch it!! If we were neighbours I would invite you over so we could have a girls night in. If you watch it you will have to let me know your thoughts :). Thanks for the pattern love. xx
Your post is lovely, your story as much as your quilt! What a beautiful gift for your daughter. I’ll share my Mary Poppins story with you, When I was 12 years old I played her in our school play. At the very end they hoisted me in the air to fly and one night had a hard time bringing me down as I spun around. An experience I cherish today! Even made the local paper, the play that is!!id love to do the QAL, and will be buying a triangle ruler this week at a creative sewing festival I’ll be attending, keep well!!
Haha! Oh my goodness that would be such a fun memory – I can see you would be a perfect Mary Poppins :). I hope you haven’t bought the pattern yet because you are lucky comment #14 and I am sending it to you now! xx
Right now my favorite Mary Poppins moment is when they are all laughing & floating on the ceiling. We’ve had some trial in our family the last few years, but we are trying to remember to see the funny side of life. This helps “lift” our spirits 😉
I have an extra jelly roll & this is very tempting. I’ve never had much luck with jelly roll quilts, but you make it sound so easy (& your quilt is beautiful!).
Oh Jeanne, that is such a great life lesson – I might have to add that to my list for my daughter. I am guilty of being much more like Mary Poppins in ‘silly’ situations and tend to be more serious. I definitely need to loosen up a little – lol! Thanks so much for sharing your favourite moment – you are lucky number 15 and I will be sending you the pattern! Maybe you will have more luck with your JR this time 🙂
I ADORE this quilt!! I have fallen in love with the design , and your fabric choices are gorgeous!
My favorite Mary Poppins part, is when she sings, Feed The Birds… That song is so poignant , for some reason. I really like the meloday. I sing it when I go out to my bird feeders and feed the backyard birds.
Thank you Susie – it is a beautiful melody – thanks for sharing!
Mary Popping is my fave! I was just looking my very old Scrumptious jelly roll, this might be good gorgeous that.
Scrumptious will be gorgeous!!
I just found out about your QAL and purchased the pattern straight away. Now I have the bigger decision of what fabric. I’m kinda thinking Aloha Girl by Fig Tree. Can’t wait to get started.
Mary Poppins is defiantly on my list of all time favorite Disney classics, but my most fav is The Arristacats. My family fits it to a “T”.
Thanks so much Kellie! I actually missed purchasing any Aloha Girl and was just thinking I needed to add a JR to my collection ‘just in case’ 😉 – I have always loved it when I see other people make things with it, so I am pretty sure I am going to have quilt envy if you do use it 🙂
I am in love with this quilt pattern and adding it to my quilt bucketlist as we speak. The very first home I ever lived in (at 4 days old) was on Cherry Tree Lane. So I’m going to make it (once I finish clearing my UFO list some) in honor of my beloved Momma (God rest her soul) and in a theme I know she would love. Thank you for telling us the story behind the pattern. It was a joy to read.
Thank you Karen! I hope you enjoy the pattern – what a great story your quilt will tell :).