Recreating the Iconic American Beauty Quilt

Many years ago while visiting the Michigan State Quilt Museum, in Lansing Michigan, I came across a quilt from 1876. I will never forget it. The boldness of the red and green stopped me in my tracks. Many more years later I was reminded of it when I came across the very same quilt on Pinterest and fell in love all over again!

And recently, again, many many more years later…

I keep a very long list of quilts that I hope to someday get around to. While looking over them, I knew I needed to recreate a quilt like the one that stopped me in my tracks so many years ago. I make baby quilts for all the new littles in our family and we had a new to be born great-niece coming! The American Beauty, aka New York Beauty, aka Rocky Road, aka Crown of Thorns design would be the one. I was SO excited to have a plan!!!

As I was researching color ways, I came across the Rainbow Road quilt design by Little Pincushion Studio. With a few changes, it would satisfy my need to make this style quilt. It would also be perfect for a new baby and I didn’t have to redesign the wheel!

So in late fall I got to work resizing and paper piecing.

By the time it would be ready to start hand quilting, we would be in Florida. A perfect quilting project to get through all the football we would be watching!

There were only a few pictures taken while quilting. Turns out they were when this family’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, were playing and winning! Two different games!