During COVID I found myself really missing quilt shows. They always were sources of fun and endless inspiration. While we were all cooped up at home I would visit online quilt museums, looking at all these beautiful vintage quilts. One quilt I stumbled upon was finished by Anne Olsen, a gorgeous broken dish quilt in blue and white. In Episode 4110 of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting PBS Show, I show off my quilt Lakeside Lanterns, inspired by the vintage quilt I saw online, in which I wanted to use traditional blocks while incorporating the modern fabrics I love. In addition to incorporating moderns fabrics, I used a few updated techniques that make the construction of the quilt simpler and more accurate while still achieving that vintage look. 1. Oversizing I love the effect the straight columns create in this quilt. However, making sure all those side triangle blocks are just the right size can be fussy if the size is even a little off. One technique that made this process so much easier was slightly oversizing the setting triangle blocks and then trimming the column down to size to make sure everything is the exact same size. 2. Specialty Rulers Are Like Magic Wands The core of the block is the square- in a square- in a square central unit. This is a vintage block called an economy block but it can be a challenge to piece traditionally. Some folks turn to paper piecing for the block as the cutting math on the central square and outer triangles can get queasy. Instead, I use the Square Squared ruler for any unit like this. The markings on the ruler are incredibly easy to understand and everything you need is built right into the ruler! I love it!

I love how this fresh take on a traditional quilt turned out!