Meet the Base Camp Quilt!

The Base Camp quilt was designed with the consideration of things you might see or experience on a camping trip. The centered triangles appear as interlocking mountain ranges or as a row of tents, the vertical lines represent trails you might walk that are near your campsite, the checkered blocks represent the cozy checkered fabrics that we often see in cabins or sleeping bags, and the exterior triangles represent trees. 

When I was deciding on what fabrics to use for this quilt, I knew I wanted to make a happy yellow one. For some reason when I think of camping, I think about waking up early as the sun warms and brightens your tent. For the yellow version I completed the "baby" size       (39 1/2" x 39 1/2") and I used the Art Gallery Pure Solids Fabrics: Creme de la Creme, Empire Yellow, & Lemon Tart. The quilt backing is also Lemon Tart. I affectionately termed this quilt "YellowStone" mostly because it's yellow and of course after the national park. 

See Quilt kit.

After I made the yellow version, with Valentine's Day coming up I was heavily inspired to use the colors of "love". I used the Kona Cotton fabrics: candy pink, dragon fruit, and chili. I decided to do the "full" sized quilt to test the pattern and referred to this quilt as "Red Mountain". Red mountain pass is a stunning and nerve wracking pass we often travel to visit our favorite mountain town Ouray. The quilt is bold and in your face, much like the lack of guard rails on the pass and the sheer edge of the cliff. For the backing and pillow case I used Robert Kaufman gingham check fabric. I straight line quilted this at 1 1/2" vertical lines on my Bernina 570. 

See Quilt kit. 

The last version I personally made is the "Rocky Mountain" version. Some of my favorite fabrics to use for any pattern are Art Gallery Pure Solids Northern Waters, and Raw Gold. I usually use Ocean Fog with these two, but decided to use Mediterraneo to make the quilt darker. I decided to do a Queen sample this time, so the quilt can live on our queen bed in our camper. Anyone whose ever made a bed quilt knows it is a labor of love and a labor on the shoulders. I straight line quilted it on my Bernina 570. I quilted every 1 3/4" interval vertically.  For the backing I used Art Gallery Fabric "Evergreens Dusk, Trees in Twilight". For the binding I used Northern Waters. 

For the coordinating pillowcases I used mediterraneo, northern waters, and raw gold. 

See Quilt Kit.   

Tester Versions

@MarvelousAuntieM

First up is the version my friend Mary Anna (@MarvelousAuntieM) made. She used the Kona Cotton fabrics Celestial, Ivory, and Fog appropriately reffered to as the "Everest" version. She completed this beautiful quilt in her home in Grand Junction and was assisted by her dog, Tank. She had the quilt longarmed by Shannon (@hellomynameisquilt). 

See Quilt kit. 

@Amyjohnstonrobertson

Amy always packs a punch with her tests because of her unique use of prints and love of Ruby Star Society fabrics. Amy completed her test in her home in Canada. Amy used the following fabrics for her version: Twirl in June, Plus in Cactus, and Flowerland floral in Turquoise. 

@RosieGirlQuilting

The next version is from my favorite mother and daughter run fabric shop, Mary and Emily from @rosiegirlquilting . Emily pieced a beautiful throw sized version using gorgeous yarn dyed fabrics from Diamond Textiles. Their version has a kit available on their website, click here. 

See Quilt kit!

@QuiltBlocked

Elysha from @quiltblocked was the absolute kindest volunteer tester. She showed up in my instagram messages on superbowl day and offered to test the pattern! She made an all "Starry" by Ruby Star Society version. Here's the mock up and a peek of her version.

Additional Acknowledgements

@KaceyCrutch

Kacey was the technical editor for the pattern. Kacey is a talented quilter and a thorough technical editor. She can be found on instagram @KaceyCrutch . 

Scheis Anderson

My husband who never complains about holding quilts in strange places and never asks why I have a new quilt top, but the house is a mess.