Little Boxes–Double Wedding Ring Challenge Quilt

This summer I met Victoria Findlay Wolfe and took an amazing day long class from her.  She mentioned that the New York Modern Quilt Guild would be putting out a challenge in August.  Well…I can’t say no to a challenge…even if it’s a Double Wedding Ring Challenge.  I actually had my idea for the project right away – I just didn’t have the time until after apple season was over.  I knew I would have November to start and finish the challenge to make the December 1st deadline. I had seen one of the infamous ‘Swoon’ blocks made into houses and just loved it.  When I was looking at different double wedding ring (DWR) quilts I soon saw in my mind that I could make my DWR quilt into a ‘subdivision’.   In the midst of the process of this quilt I had an epiphany that this was extremely fitting of a quilt for me since I used to design subdivisions as a civil engineer.  None were as cool looking as this so since all these curves would be ridiculous to actually construct in real life. 

Anyway…This was the first block I made (I added all the roofs later by raw edge appliqueing the wonky triangles to each ‘home’).  This is ‘Butterfly Lane’ – each ring has it’s own subdivision name.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to make more than one block or not.  This was my very first attempt at the elicit Double Wedding Ring Block. I finally decided that I would only make five rings.

Which ended up being six…  Also – I did not do a typical layout of the rings.  The ‘black’ strips are roads that create an ‘apple core’ effect which is also fitting since I have an apple orchard.  My dreams were designing subdivisions with

“Birds of a Feather Way”

’Octopus Circle’ – I needed some Tula in there…

”Fairy Dust Drive”

”Flower Garden Trail”

”Orange Daisy Court”

I free motion quilted different designs in each ‘subdivision’  and then outlined wonkily around each house making a door and driveway.  I wanted to maintain a whimsical feel with the quilting.

I named my quilt after the theme song from the show ‘Weeds’

Little Boxes

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1962 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1990. Malvina and her husband were on their way from where they lived in Berkeley, through San Francisco and down the peninsula to La Honda where she was to sing at a meeting of the Friends’ Committee on Legislation (not the PTA, as Pete Seeger says in the documentary about Malvina, “Love It Like a Fool”). As she drove through Daly City, she said “Bud, take the wheel. I feel a song coming on.”

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There’s a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there’s doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There’s a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.