callaloo
Have you heard of Callaloo? It's a Caribbean dish made with a leafy green that is cooked in various ways based on region. According to my quick Google search, recipes for it originated in West Africa, Trinidad, and Jamaica.
Latifah Saafir has a new quilt pattern coming out soon called Callaloo. It's made with clams and uses her 12 inch Clammy template.
The pattern includes instructions for 10 different clams with cute names like Half Baked, Clam Pie, Clam Dip, and Happy As A Clam. There are options for using each clam individually within a quilt or mixing them all together.
I jumped on a chance to play with the pattern. I had no particular plan when I started. The clams are fun and fast to make. I got 12 clams from one yard of this green Alison Glass Sun Print I had in my stash. That was enough to make a (38.5"x51") crib sized quilt. The Caribbean blue solid is from Paint Brush Studios.
I had just enough of 4 different neutrals to make the background clams. Do you see that the outside clams are oversized to give you a little wiggle room and options for a wider binding? I like having that extra space to square up the quilt.
I chose to quilt this with simple straight lines 1" apart for a quick finish. That turned out to be a bold move on my part. Keeping the lines straight through four vertical clams is quite revealing of piecing skills. I'm not a queen of curves but Latifah's pattern and YouTube video instructions for how to sew the clams together was VERY helpful. I love it when following directions produces great results!
I used Quilter's Dream Orient batting and another Alison Glass print for the 1/2" single fold binding. Again, both from my stash.
The backing is a Dear Stella print from years ago. Actually, I'm just now remembering I bought this on sale during a 2015 Sewtopia Shop Hop in Chicago.
I was shopping with Latifah that day!
Does it look like garlic and onions with my leafy greens? Actually that was not my intention but then I did the Google search for this post (after I made the quilt) and now that's how I see it!
I hope you'll experiment with the Callaloo pattern. I'm watching the hashtag on Instagram to see how everyone adapts the recipe!
Happy spring!
Yay!!! Looks so good. I also love fun coincidences. Like the colors in our jackets in the picture look a lot like your quilt too! ��
ReplyDeleteHa! I hadn't even noticed that but yes, we do match the quilt!
DeleteThanks for the invite to play with this fun pattern. I'm cooking up another in my head.
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ReplyDeleteIt's really a fun design, Karen! I've always liked the clamshell designs Latifah comes up with, and this version, with piecing within each clam, is really different. In a good way! Such a great color combo too. Really nice. And I'm happy for you to have spent time with Latifah. Was that in California? I bet that was a good shop hop.
ReplyDeleteLove the different clams each with their own unique personality. Love your fabric choice too.
ReplyDeleteI like all the variations in the clams. It's very bold and graphic. One of these day I need to make a clam quilt too.
ReplyDeleteWow! This quilt is stunning. And I looove the different clams. I have been eyeing her clam quilts for a while but am still playing chicken :) And the oversized option for the binding is genious. I often add a small strip just for that reason. Congrats on this truely amazing finish! xo Melanie
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What a beautiful quilt Karen. I love the fabrics you chose to work with and they really show off the patterns in the clam quite well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful design. I love the clam shapes and how each one is a little different. Thanks for linking up with the Favorite Finishes Monthly Linky Party!
ReplyDeleteReally a pretty quilt and pattern. I love the colors you used. The quilting looks great too.
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