It is currently December, and so quilting plans for the new year have begun to pop into mind. Over the past few years I have been interested in doing a temperature quilt, and so planning this in December, ready to kick off in January seems to be the logical thing. But I am starting with some questions (in no particular order):
- Do I want to commit to this?
- What data source am I going to use?
- How would I break down the temperature “blocks”?
- What shape do I want to use?
- What about rain?
What is a temperature quilt?
First thing first – what is this?
When I was growing up, stuck to the wall next to the phone was dad’s rain chart. Each morning he would wander out to the garden and check the gauge for any evidence of rain. The rainfall level would then be checked, emptied and the data written on the chart next to the phone. Pretty sure he sill does this. Keeping track of weather was something which we did. And then quilting enters the chat.
Temperature quilts have been around for the past few years and are another way of expressing the data of everyday life. The high and low temperatures are recorded, colours representing them in some sort of quilt block – they can be appliqué, stars, flying geese or anything really. Have a look at the #temperaturequilt hashtag on Instagram to see the variety of ways that the information is being communicated.
Why do I want to do this?
I live in a country which is experiencing climate change (I do understand that this is not something all Australians understand), but having grown up in rural Australia I know that when I go “home”, that the seasons are changing. Some things are happening later, and others earlier. Anyone with a family of gardeners will be able to tell you about how the tomatoes can go in earlier now – the frosts are mostly done. And while the nature of temperature quilts is that they are a snapshot of a year – there is also the ability to track how the local temperature is against the years that have come before. Is it above or below average?
We know that each year is hotter than the last, we see the global heat maps showing the extremes of weather and the heating of the planet, and this could be a small way for me to bring attention to this on a more local scale. It is all about how we present the data.
So lets assume from this, that the answer is yes – I want to do this.
What data source am I going to use?
This one should be relatively easy – the Bureau of Meteorology (or the BOM) – keeps really detailed data on weather in Australia. There is a station not all that far away from me at Canberra Airport, so for the sake of ease and record keeping lets use that. Added bonus: they have all the historical data for when I lose interest for a bit and then decide to come back to it.
How will I break down the temperature ranges?
If I head to the BOM website, they have data on the monthly breakdowns for 2024:
I can then take this, and add a temperature or two to the ranges and work out that colours is going to represent the temperature of the day. Based on the information above, I am going to need to cater for a temperature range of 44 to minus 9. So I think it is going to be 45 to minus 10 – with one either side for the extremes… because Australia.
When I have looked online, much of the information is based in the USA where temperature is expressed differently (Fahrenheit), and so the recommendation is that you use 5 degree increments in your colour designations. Looking at some of the other approaches (UK/Canada and Australia) 3 degree increments are typically chosen.
What shape do I want to use?
The short answer here is, I don’t know yet. Wandering around Instagram at the progress photos of some of the quilts, I am drawn to triangles. This one from NannoCreative uses the Marti Mitchell system to make flying geese (once again curse Instagram for not allowing embedded images without jumping through hoops).
If you would like some other options:
Plains and Pine made a rather interesting one in 2024 based on a simple 8 point star – the link goes to the blog page for it and includes options and a pattern.
Crafty Quilter has options for appliqué and using an orange peel block; the posts also look at fabric choices and shows options for using Moda Grunge
So triangles of some description is going to be it, but also…
What about rain?
I would like to keep track of rain (I would also like to keep track of snow, but the chances of that are very, very low). So as I work though the design and overall approach I am going to take with this, I think I will build in the ability to show the days is rained. Even if this is just for dad.
Next steps:
- Work out the colours I want to designate for the temperature ranges.
- Narrow down the options for shape and how I represent high/low temperatures and rain.
- What do the monthly markers looks like? Am I going to show where the different months start or leave to the temperature?
- How big is this thing going to be? What size do I want it to be finished? How much fabric am I going to need?
- Shopping
- How am I going to make this easier on myself? What can I prepare to make this fun and not a chore?
Until next time – Katie
