AFTERNOON DELIGHT--Fabric Requirements

So many people have told me and The Quilt Show how excited they are that Afternoon Delight, a pattern by the late Sue Garman, is the 2020 Block of the Month Quilt for The Quilt Show. So, I am not the only quilter who had this great pattern on their bucket list!

The patterns will start January 1, 2020, the same day the show that introduces the Block of the Month is released. If you are not a Star Member, join now so you will be ready to jump in.  Join Now   

If you join in December 2019 you have the added bonus of access to ALL 12 months of the 2019 Block of the Month quilt, Sizzle by Becky Goldsmith--just be sure you download and print all of those instructions you want because after December 31, 2019 they will no longer be available from The Quilt Show--you will have to buy the pattern from Becky when she has it available for sale. 

Here is my version, made from the Kit fabrics available at The Quilt Show Store.

The Kits have been very popular, if you want one, you should order right away. You can add on 3 different border choices, or decide on your own border a year from now when you'll be ready to assemble your quilt.

If you would rather use your own fabric, this pattern is a great stash buster!

Sue's quilt from the cover of her pattern features a red border:

Here is what Sue had to say about Fabric Considerations for this quilt:

1. Her quilt was made with an assortment of civil war reproduction prints, small prints, and tone-on-tones, combined with shirtings. You will need LOTS of them. Fat quarters are convenient but long quarter yards are just as easy to use. Except for the border finishing triangles and borders, none of the fabric needs to be wider than 9 inches. Scraps from previous projects are also great in this quilt.

2. You could just as easily use a different set of fabrics: assorted red or blue prints with white-on-white or cream/tan background prints--or batik prints with a tan or white background. Use what you love!

3. You could also choose to use a single background fabric for the entire quilt. Sue said "I have not calculated how much background fabric would be required for the entire quilt; you will have to use your own math skills for that task!"

4. Sue also said "I have intentionally not included exact fabric color choices for any specific blocks in this quilt. If you, too, want a scrappy quilt, use whatever fabrics you wish!"

Oh, Sue! How often I thought of you and knew you were laughing at me as I used my math skills to calculate all the yardage. I spent many hours going through all 12 months to be sure the Kit would have enough fabric. No wonder you didn't do that...

Here is what you will need and it is the amount of fabric in the Kit:

Background: 10 yards    The Kit has 10 one-yard pieces of light prints. If you prefer fewer, you can use one or a few. If you want a variety, the beauty of this quilt is you don't  have to have it all when you begin. You can add to your stash over the year.

Prints for Piecing and Applique':  13.5 yards  The Kit has 27 half-yard pieces. Again, use fewer or more. If using quarter yards, you would need 54. Start with the color families you want to use and add a variety of light/medium/dark prints of each family. If you have fat quarter bundles you've been saving, this might be the perfect time to use them.

Yes, that's a lot. There is almost as much seam allowance in the pieced blocks as there is visible fabric. All I can say for sure is, with this much fabric, you will not run out. If working scrappy, you can easily add more--one red or green is as good as any other when working with this many pieces.

How about a Red, White and Blue quilt? I quickly pulled from my stash--I call it "shopping in my closet". A few whites that total 10 yards and a bunch of reds and blues. Many of the reds are leftover from Red and White--By the Numbers that I made in 2012-2013:

Border Fabrics: 4 yards, this is enough for the inner and outer borders AND binding. There is a narrow black border between the inner and outer borders—the pattern calls for 1 yard but 1/2 yard will do, it’s a very narrow border.

Sue recommends pre-washing and these fabrics would be great candidates for that. While I am not making a second complete Afternoon Delight, I will be making samples each month that will create a small version so pre-washing might be in my future...

We would love to see your fabrics--post a photo in the 2020 Afternoon Delight Forum under Fabric Show and Tell:

Fabric Selection Show and Tell--Afternoon Delight

One more important NOTE about the Kit: the fabrics are not labeled or numbered--you will decide which fabrics to use in each block--your choice.  This means each quilt will be as unique as its' maker.

Enjoy the journey!

Let's quilt.

Barbara