One of the special exhibits at QuiltCon 2022 was ‘Temperature Quilts.’ The idea behind a temperature quilt is to make a small quilt block for every day of the year. The parameters for a temperature quilt vary. Frequently, color is used to represent the temperature that falls between a certain number of degrees for a given day. At the end of the year, the combination of all 365 blocks shows an overall temperature pattern for the year.

Enjoy a sampling of some of our favorite temperature quilts from QuiltCon 2022:

Mother Nature Bats Last by Joan Chao

Mother Nature Bats Lastis a temperature quilt that documents the high and low daily temperatures in Chicago in 2020. Monthly columns are arranged in rows of streaks of lightning. The gray background color is meant to represent gray skies. 

In Full Color by Kelly Lautenbach @itsjustsew

Machine Quilted by Tia Curtis

Pattern by Juicy Goosey from Kelly Liddle - JelliQuilts

Lautenbach didn’t want her temperature quilt to be too bright so she picked a variety of shot cottons to represent high temperatures in three degree increments. She then chose Essex linens to represent low temperatures in ten degree increments. Each block represents a month of the year. 

Viral Temperatures by Nicholas Ball @quiltsfromtheattic 

Ball came up with the idea for this quilt during the UK’s first Covid lockdown. The shapes were inspired by found objects, such as stones and leaves, moods, and by what was happening in the world around him. Over time the shapes took on a viral quality and Ball began to view them as viruses under a microscope. The unique shapes were created by appliqueing in combination with using a traditional trapunto technique. This quilt won second place in the Applique category. 

Temperature Anomaly (1600-2020) by Sylvia Schaefer @flyingparrotquilts

Each line of stitching on Temperature Anomaly represents a single year between 1600 and 2020. Schaefer says about the quilt, ‘The global average temperature was calculated for each year, and the thread color represents whether that year’s temperature was about the same as the average (white), or either cooler (blue), or warmer (pink/red) than the average. The bluer or redder the shade of thread, the more of a deviation from the normal of that year's average temperature.” This quilt is a fascinating representation of climate change. 

Albuquerque 2020 by Ann Petersen @BrownPawsQuilting

Petersen’s temperature block uses a rectangle to represent the daily high temperature and a triangle to represent the daily low temperature. She says, “I switched up block orientations across the rows and from one row to the next to get the triangles to come together as diamonds.”

2019 Temperature Quilt by Linda Hungerford @FlourishingPalms

This quilt is based on one of Hungerford’s neighbor’s weather station temperatures in Central Florida. She used 23 different colors in the quilt. Each day’s temperature change from the previous day determined which way she rotated and angled the block. 

We Freaking Made It by Bridget Vian @BridgetJaneCreates

This temperature quilt represents the time period of Vian’s first year of marriage, May 2016 - May 2017. The highs are in the center and are shorter or longer depending on how many daylight hours there were for that day. Each color depicts 10 degrees. 

You can find a plethora of modern quilt inspiration in the physical copies of Curated Quilts, or connect with us on Pinterest and Instagram.

By Brittany Bowen Burton