Tim Holtz Framed Patriotic Patchwork Quilt

Hi again!  I'm back today to share a second Tim Holtz 4th of July panel.  I had an idea to do a quilted background with Tim's Stitched Square dies and am so happy that it worked out!  To me, quilts scream Americana!

I had updated my sofa pillows and created a coffee table vignette and thought this panel would tie in perfectly.  For those who wonder about the Sew in SewPaperPaint, the red pillow covers were sewn by me.  I use french seams on my pillow covers so I can wash them.  :)  I found the blue printed pillows on clearance at Pottery Barn and the gingham at a discount store in our town.  

I used the cut out letters from THIS sister panel for today's project. 

To arrange the "quilt blocks" perfectly I first cut a watercolor panel to 5x7".  Then I marked a pencil line straight down the middle.  I cut 15 squares from Tim's Correspondence paper stash.  The trick was to use wet glue so the pieces can be wiggled around as needed.  I used Eileen's Tacky Glue and it worked great.  Once all 15 pieces were in place, I cut the excess from the sides and used those little pieces to fill in the gaps around the perimeter. 

I glued my 1" Alpha Numeric letters to a piece of heavy vellum and stitched the border.  I wanted a transparent panel so the blocks would show through, but the letters would be defined.  I glued the stitching to the quilted panel.  I cut the bow from Tim's Festive Greens die set and sponged it with Fired Brick DI. 

And here she is atop another sewing project, a fringed linen table runner, which you can see in more detail on my Tim Holtz Tea Party Invites post HERE.  :)  I needed another frame, so I picked up this faux weathered wood frame from the Dollar Tree and it worked perfectly.  Make sure to check out my other Dollar Store craft projects HERE.  Here's to wishing you and yours a safe and festive 4th of July celebration!  God bless America!