Smithsonian NMAI Quilt Along

Check out the NMAI website here.
The blocks of this quilt along are original patterns “designed by Indigenous artists inspired by a different era of United States history as seen through a Native lens.”
The June block is a herd of bison. The pattern recommended choosing a dark color for the body and a light color for the head. I got my box of browns out and came up with a good mix.
This block was designed by Lauren Good Day to represent Pre-Contact to the American Revolution (any time prior and up to 1776).

The pattern is a reverse applique where I traced the pattern pieces onto a double sided fusible. My new light box was a tremendous help!
I fused one side to the back of a piece of print fabric, cut the piece out, peeled off the second side and fused it to the square. I played around with the placement of each one until I was happy with the result.

With the herd ironed in place, I embellished each bison with hand embroidery.
This is Block 2 of the quilt along. The pattern, designed by Cissy Serrao, represents the Post-American Revolution Period (1776-1901). The name of the pattern is Kanani O Ka Home and uses the needle turn applique technique. Cissy offers numerous tutorials on her Youtube channel here for Hawaiian Quilting.

Block 3 is designed by Emma Alcazar to represent the 20th Century to present day (1902-2026).
Emma says “Because Native women and girls are victims of violent crime at a higher-than-average rate, I knew I wanted to highlight the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous people by including my handprint, created in red fabric, in honor and remembrance of lives that have been disruptedor lost, and to recognize the ongoing struggles that we still fight.”

I used the same color palate as Emma’s original design. The diamonds are made by cutting strip sets (shown in the photo above) on the 60 degree angle.
The rows are sewn together, matching all intersections of the seams.
Barnaby, my shop helper, thought I needed an extra hand!

Monet's Garden