Details: Cinco de Mayo

The Cinco de Mayo quilt made by the Buda Bee quilters in Texas is definitely the largest, most ambitious example of this pattern that I've ever seen. It is 64 blocks, and most of the other examples I've seen are 36 blocks. The extra row of blocks on all four sides allowed for the completion of the circles around the perimeter. That gives it a greater sense of symmetry and graphic impact.

Needless to say, there are lots of details to be seen. Here are some close-up pictures. Don't miss the variegated quilting thread, rick rack, and decorative ribbon detail.

Even though the Cinco de Mayo quilt is just four years old, it's quite rare. The pattern was published less than 10 years ago, and it requires great skill and a lot of effort. Not many have been made. Experienced quiltmakers look at it with wonder, and it's the kind of thing quilt show judges tend to favor. No surprise, this quilt won a blue ribbon when it was entered in a quilt show.

Since the Cinco de Mayo pattern is so recent and serves as such a high benchmark for demonstrating sewing mastery in a quilt, the people making them aren't exactly selling them. In fact, I've never seen one available on the open market. This one happened to come from someone who won it in a raffle. I suppose, if there was a way to get hold of a Cinco de Mayo quilt, I'd find it.