Boho Beads

Boho Beads is finally finished, and the bright, bold colors make me want to do a little happy dance!  In case you missed my last post about this quilt, I designed it to look like funky bead curtains.

There are a couple of things in this quilt that are out of the norm for me.  First of all, the background fabric on this one is Kona Coal.  I do like gray backgrounds, but I usually gravitate toward a lighter shade.  Even though I was hesitant to use such a dark gray, the colors really sing against it, and I'm happy with the choice.

Another break from my comfort zone is the quilting.  To give the beads some movement, a friend in my guild suggested that I quilt this one with some free motion curves, waving gracefully down the quilt.  This friend is a rockstar longarmer, and I knew her suggestion was spot-on, and best of all, achievable on my domestic machine.

The curves are pretty organic (which just sounds better than saying they're imperfect, ha!), and they move in varying widths down the quilt, creating a cool ripple effect.  The result is great, but it took much longer than stippling.  Like waaaay longer.  Usually, I match the quilting thread to the background, but since I knew I didn't want to darken the prints, I opted to quilt with white thread.  It really adds to the movement.

Per the norm, the backing is pieced from the leftovers, and I even made a scrappy binding!

Making this quilt was so much fun, and I am so excited to say that it is available in my Etsy and Craftsy shops!  The pattern is written in three sizes, and includes cutting diagrams and full color illustrations for every step.  This is a perfect pattern for a fun-loving, free spirit!  Check it out!

Eclectic Vibe

I finished up my modern cross quilt, made with Anna Maria Horner's Pretty Potent line last night and I must say that it has grown on me.

I still won't say that this one ranks amongst my favorites, but a finished quilt always looks better than an unfinished one, and I'm glad that I persevered to get it done.

Something my mom said actually made me view this quilt in a different light.  She said that this quilt looks like something you would find in the store Anthropologie, and I agree with her.  If you've never been in an Anthropologie store, they have an eclectic mix of clothing, home decor, and kitchen and bath items.  Everything in the store has a handmade, funky vibe.  I don't go in that store often, and I don't love every single thing in it, but just thinking of this quilt in that light makes me like it better.  It's almost like appreciating the quilt for the unique style it is, rather than disliking it for something it's not.

On the back, I used up all of the scraps, and if you look closely, you'll even see a few scraps left over from my mom's Dowry quilt.  I love that muted shade of yellow, and I think it sets off the darker colors really well.  The pattern is so small that I almost consider it a solid, and I was happy to find a fabric that could add a little balance to the color and pattern.

When I was trying to come up with a name for this quilt, I kept thinking that the fabrics have an eclectic vibe, so I decided to call it just that!

With all of the busy pattern and bold color, I knew this quilt needed a solid binding, and the Kona Berry is a perfect match to the rich, raspberry shade in the quilt.

All in all, even though this quilt isn't one of my absolute favorites (they can't all be), I am accepting this quilt for it's unique style, and since I'm selling it anyway, I'm sure that someone will love it!