Penny Farthing Art Quilt Tutorial

Penny Farthing (High Wheel) Bicycle Art Quilt

Here's What You'll Need

Penny Farthing Art Quilt Pattern (available in my Etsy Shop)

Fabric Listed in Supply List

10 Degree Wedge Ruler

Clover Fusible Bias Tape Makers & Tape Fusible Webbing

Stitch Witchery and Misty Fuse Fusible Webbings

Standard Sewing Supplies

Step One:

Select background fabrics, cut them to sizes specified in the pattern then piece together. I used Moda fabrics in neutral colors with printed words that included newspaper, typewriter keys, postmarks and maps.

Neutral Background Fabrics

Step Two:

Create the focal point of the quilt a Dresden Plate block. This one was created with 36 colors of Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabrics to form a color wheel. They are numbered on the wrong side so they stayed in the correct order while stitching and pressing. Check out the perfectly pointed wedges and the smooth inside circle.

Wedge Construction

Numbered Wedges

Completed Color Wheel Dresden Plate Block

Step Three:

Using bias tape makers, bike frame and back wheel are created then fused to the background. Bike parts use Stitch Witchery for perfectly finished edges and fusing to the background.

Fusing Dresden Block, Bike Frame and Bike Parts to Background Fabric

Step Four:

Sashiko stitching for wheel spokes, couched fibers for seat holder and a woven basket on the handlebars are details which add interest and depth to the art quilt. Apologies for not getting a photo of the flower basket while it was under construction.

Baby Lock Sashiko Machine

Sashiko Stitching on Back Wheel

Sashiko Stitching on Big Wheel

Yarn Couched for Seat Brackets

Step Five:

Misty Fuse is pressed to the wrong side of floral fabrics. Fussy cut flowers, greens, birds, butterflies, etc. from fabric.  Arrange in basket and press to fuse.

Woven Bike Basket with Flowers

Step Six:

With all the details in place, it's off to the long arm for quilting. Modern, straight quilting do the job while not detracting from the busy design. Rows are randomly spaced both horizontally and vertically.

Quilted Art Quilt

Step Seven:

Binding is the final step. The binding on the outer edge is pieced from scraps of fabric to capture more of the color wheel effect. You can find the pattern in my Etsy Shop. 

Finished Penny Farthing Art Quilt.