Normally the thought of trying to keep up with sewing a small block a day frazzles my brain, but for many reasons, this is the year I am going to do it and I am going to do it my way – simple. This means, not every day, (especially as I haven’t started yet), and with a formula that is super easy. I am going to make a temperature quilt.
Temperature Quilts
Every day, I will record the maximum and minimum temperature of where I am. So part of the year that will be Maidenhead, some days it will be Leeds and for some weeks in the Summer it will be New Zealand. I have chosen my source to be the UK Met Office, but there are many apps and websites that could help you – www.accuweather.com is great for historical weather as well as forecasts, so it’s not too late to join me!
Your Design
The design I have chosen to use is a Geese Block. The centre of the block (the triangle) will be the upper temperature and the outer part will be the lower temperature. 
If you don’t like the idea of a ‘geese block’, what about a 5” square as the lower temperature and a circle appliqued onto it as the upper temperature or vice versa? You could also simplify this again by choosing the maximum or average temperature and use a square or a strip of fabric to represent that single temperature. There are lots of example of Temperature Quilts, I created a Pinterest Board of Temperature Quilts which you can access here for more inspiration.
If you choose to use two temperatures, then it doesn’t need to be a maximum and minimum. It could be the temperature in two places. A friend of mine, who is going to make her version of this quilt alongside me, is using the temperature at home (where she lives) and the temperature in Perth, Australia (where her daughter lives). There is so much flexibility with this idea, you can really make it your own.
Colours
This part has taken me a while to sort out. I dithered for some time. I have chosen colours I like and not tried to stick to the traditional blue-green-yellow-orange-red. I have gone for purple-blue/turquoise – greens –coral – pinks. There isn’t such a natural flow with this combination, so added some Tula Pink fabric in the blend to help the transitions.
The number of colours needed depends on the temperature range. I am using 20 colours. This is 2 for between 0 and -6’C then 18 for temperatures between 0-36’C. I haven’t worried about buying colours below -3’C or above 34’C. I will buy those is as needed. I have chosen 14 Kona Solid colours and 4 blends of Tula Pink (TP) colour mixes. The TP mixes are not one fabric, they are a number of small pieces of fabric that are in the colourways that suit the transition. Specifically, I have chosen the following..
-3C or lower TBD, -3 to 0C Eggplant (1133), 0-2 ‘C Berry (1016), 2′-4’C TP mix, 4′-6’C Ultra Marine (483), 6’C-8’C Jade Green (1183), 8’C-10’C Breakers (440), 10’C-12’C Jamaica (491), 12’C-14’C Pool (45), 14’C-16’C TP Mix, 16’C-18’C Lime (1192), 18′-20’C Peapod (414), 20′-22’c Chartreuse (1072), 22′-24’C TP Mix , 24′-26’C Punch (447) , 26′-28’C Watermelon (1384) , 28′-30’C Pomegranate (1295), 30′-32’C Sangria (481), 32’-34’C TP Mix, 34’C + TBD
Getting Started & Joining In
January has been a month of getting the year prepped at GillyMac HQ. As of this week, I am able to catch up on making my January blocks. From time to time I will post pictures of them on Facebook and Instagram, however, let me know if you would like to create your own version of this quilt with me. I’d love some company and will arrange some in-person or virtual quarterly meetups. I am contactable on mail@gillymacdesigns.com.
Happy Sewing … Gill
