By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador

This week I’m teaching a class on Pine Burr, a very old technique which I have grown to love. It uses folded fabric squares to create unique textured designs and can be found in many cultures in centuries past.

You can use your ugliest fabrics to make these blocks and they still look great as long as you have some contrast. In other words, you want some darks, mediums and lights so it doesn’t look too mushy. The block above was one of my first and is about 20″ square. It has about 1000 triangles.

I wanted to inspire my students beyond the samples I have for them, so I scoured the internet for other ideas.

This is a large quilt that was posted by Deb Rowden from Kansas. It hung in her quilt guild’s show and had been acquired by Jean Ayres a short time before. On the back of one corner it says “Bea Birthday from Lou 1982.” Read Deb’s post, and while you’re there, poke around if you love vintage stuff.

Pine Burr by liont, posted on the Quilting Board

Is this a gobsmacker or what?! I could not love this more. A user named “liont” posted it as her work on the Quilting Board.

Pine Burr Quilt by Tara Faughnan, Oakland, California

This quilt by Tara Faughnan was juried into QuiltCon 2016. Read more about Tara’s quilt.

Detail of Tara Faughnan’s quilt

I love how she took a very old technique and reimagined it to make something completely her own. Here’s another of Tara’s folded squares quilts.

Bazaar Quilt by Tara Faughnan, tarafaughnan.com

The quilt below is on an auction site for $7500. You read that right: seven thousand five hundred dollars. It’s listed as “African American Pine Burr Quilt.”

African American Pine Burr Quilt from auction site, 1stdibs.com

Here are some detail shots.

Aren’t the faded colors lovely? Here’s a portion of the back.

And a zoomed out shot to give you perspective:

Here’s a link in case you wish to purchase it on 1st Dibs.

One of my favorite makers is Lee Ann Decker over at Nifty Quilts. She too has made a Pine Burr.

Pine Burr by Nifty Quilts/Lee Ann Decker

I can’t get over that floral border fabric. It makes me laugh!

And the incomparable Karen Griska took a stab at Pine Burr, too.

Pine Burr by Karen Griska, theselvage

Karen is always up to something interesting. Spend some time on her blog and prepare to be inspired. She has the BEST scrap quilt patterns and they’re just five dollars.

Pine Burr Quilt by Lucy Mingo, Gee’s Bend, Alabama; owned by Saint Louis Art Museum

The quilt above has been added to my bucket list. To see it, not to make it, although wouldn’t it be fun to tackle this?! It’s an authentic Gee’s Bend quilt made by Lucy Mingo, and it’s in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

The Pine Burr is the official state quilt of Alabama.

I hope I’ve inspired you today.