The Midnight on the 707 Quilt pattern evokes the dawn of the jet age, when travelers might be asleep at "midnight on a (Boeing) 707" while powerful jet stream winds propel them across the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe.
The chevron blocks in this quilt are inspired by the wind maps that pilots use when planning their routes before transporting passengers to new worlds in a matter of hours. The chevrons represent what I think a pilot might see if they were flying through a wind map.
Below is an example of what an aviation wind map looks like. The little feather shapes are called wind barbs and they tell you what direction and how strongly the wind is blowing.
Aviation Weather Center/National Weather Service
Why a 707?
For me, quilting is a time to reflect on things that make me happy, including my sense of wanderlust. I often think about what it must have been like to travel in the golden time of the jet age, the 1950s and 1960s when people were first able to board jet airplanes rather than slow, low-flying propeller-driven airplanes, for a faster, smoother ride to nearly anywhere in the world.
The Boeing 707 was the plane that really opened the skies to more travelers, especially international travel across the Atlantic, when it first entered service in the late 1950s. For that reason, it’s an aviation icon.
Mike Freer/Wikipedia
The Midnight on the 707 Quilt pattern launches on February 8. I love this pattern because it’s so versatile! Look for more ideas on all you can do with this pattern in future posts. Happy sewing and happy flying!