Kansas Troubles

I am a pretty decent quilter but NOT a pretty decent photographer. Nevertheless, this is a full size, scrappy, Kansas Troubles quilt, hand quilted. The colors are richer than it appears. I purposefully chose muslin for the lights, to use something similar to what would have been used during that time in history.



While most of us love the speed of machine quilting, there are times when nothing is more delicious than curling up on the couch, with the fireplace glowing, a cold winter wind outside, with a partially finished quilt in your lap, quietly hand quilting something lovely.

The little triangles at the corners are not easy to keep from stretching, so I used Sally Schneider's method of making the block, which makes 2 blocks at once, a method similar to "Mary's Triangles."

This is one of those blocks where there is no end to settings. Instead of making a large dark triangle, it can be left light, giving an airy, delicate flavor to this pattern. Or, the corners where the blocks meet makes a pinwheel, not apparent in this setting, but that's another option.