In June, I asked our Believe Circle group to send in quarter log cabin blocks. They had my blocks along with an inspiration quilt for the color palette.
The result is this sweet quilt with rows slightly offset.
The layout and piecing of the quilt top was easy. I knew I wanted to sort the blocks by color keeping the darker ones in the center and the lighter ones to the outside. I also wanted a little bit of variation in the placement of the rows. The hard part was deciding how to quilt it. I considered doing something consistent in each block like circles or flower petals but in the end decided I wanted some sort of all over design.
After spending a few days looking at the quilt top,
I started noticing a trend
in the blocks.
There were just a few flowers with petals.
That decided it. I quilted a giant flower on the quilt. At first I thought I would do all of it free motion, but after quilting the spiral for the flower center, I backed off and did the rest with my walking foot.
The center was defined with a plate and a blue marking pen. The petals were cut out of paper and pinned to the quilt top. Longer petals stretch to the corners while shorter ones extend to the sides of the quilt.
This picture was taken before the quilt was bound and washed.
This one was taken after the quilt was bound and washed. I think it is easier to see the design after it is washed. The soft crinkles help the design stand out more. It was hard to not continue adding quilting but I was determined to keep it simple. Once the flower was stitched, I added a second line of stitching in the petals and two lines to shadow and fill in between each petal.
The quilting is hard to see on the front, but that's okay because the blocks are the star of the show anyway. The next decision was binding.
I decided on this print by Brandon Mably. I tried different pinks and reds and determined that a large scale design that had both colors worked best. The red blocks are in the center of the quilt and I hoped the binding would draw your eye out from the center.
The finished quilt is 46" x 49", just right for a baby or young girl.
The label has been added. This quilt will ship out tomorrow on its way to a new home.
Thank you to all of the Believe Circle members. Each month is an adventure and I love creating beautiful quilts with you.
