WIP Wednesday - Marsala edition

I was inspired by a few people who jumped at last week's announcement of the 2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Marsala and started their entries, to start my own Marsala quilt.  Last year, just after Marsala was announced as the 2015 Pantone Colour of the Year, my mum sent me this lovely bunch of flowers to celebrate a promotion at work (oh yeah, I got a promotion at work, yay).  I was very impressed with how on trend these Marsala coloured roses were, and also how well these unexpected colours work together.

I've used my Marsala pull from last year, and added in some intense blue/purples, some burnt oranges and a smattering of slightly browner fabrics as well.  

I have a general plan, which is to use a combination of traditional blocks and my own designs, in a medallion setting.  I'm going to let this quilt develop as I make it though - that's often the most fun.

This is the first block, and I'm really happy with how it has come out.  I don't think this quilt will be particularly modern, which kind of worried me at first, but now I've decided I don't care.  I'm excited about making it, and I think that's the most important thing about a quilt.  I'm aiming to have a quilt top finished by the entry deadline (although of course, as organiser, I won't be entering my quilt).

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<a href="http://www.onthewindyside.co.nz/p/2015-pantone-quilt-challenge-marsala.html" title="2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Marsala"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLVg9GeddQE_Ls9Hjc2hLzaqIgn_EYBk2DWYJJxUVdd2soNk8ZevJTlBVIaZ7dGfUSvTtrAd8DzkjYWS0frMkFqp2xpNIO45Z-OeeiSv0Kl1m7McU88o7ubMXznLx8kE_wHbro3ZoxON4/s1600/Marsala+button.png" alt="2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Marsala" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

So, anyone else getting started on their Marsala quilts?  We are sharing on instagram using the hashtag #pantonequilt2015.  A quick tip for tagging your photos on instagram - if you find the hashtag you want to use, and click on it, when you go to tag your photo it will auto-complete.  Much less chance of getting the spelling wrong that way!

I'll be linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced:

Raspberry Lemonade (Show Off Irish Chain) - a quilt pattern review

I've written before about Penny and Fenella Jameson, a mother/daughter team who own Stitch Playroom in Christchurch. I met them when they visited Wellington to teach their quilted hexagon ottoman class and then saw them again in Christchurch when I attended Sarah Fielke's class (which was organised by Fenella).

Last year, Fenella asked if I would be interested in reviewing one of their quilt patterns. Since I had so much fun making the ottoman, I jumped right on board. The pattern is for a modern variation on the traditional irish chain pattern, which is designed to show off fabulous large scale designs (hence the name Show Off Irish Chain). Penny's original quilt is made with lots of different coloured Kaffe Fassett fabrics set against a neutral linen background and is a lot of fun. I decided to go down a slightly different route, choosing to keep my feature fabrics in the same colour family (red, pink, purple) and set them against a bright and completely contrasting background (for a great explanation on why those red prints seem to be jumping right off the aqua background, check out Anne's great post on complementary colours).

 

I found this aqua fence to hang my quilt on - wasn't someone daring with their paint colour! The quilt top was a cinch to put together, and super speedy because of the large pieces. I think it would be great for a beginner, and actually, the first quilt I ever made was nine patches alternated with large squares - exactly like this quilt in construction, if not design.

 

Fenella picked out the Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics that I used, and she did a fantastic job with my extremely vague instructions of "red, pink, purple, maybe a bit of orange"! I swapped out a couple of her picks for fabrics from my stash - partly because I wanted to keep this quilt very bright and there were a couple of darker purples that weren't quite working for me, and partly because I love to show how fabrics from different designers can work together. I've snuck in a bit of Jay McCaroll, Amy Butler, and one older Michael Miller fabric.

 

One of the things I look for in a pattern is room to put my own spin on it and to make tweaks. I like the way that this pattern has guidance on how you might like to lay out your blocks, but isn't overly prescriptive. Having a clear construction diagram also meant it was easy to make the borders a bit narrower than the original quilt. Of course, I had to pull out my quilt math, but I enjoy that part! I do really like the chunky borders on the original quilt, but I'm trying to get out of the habit of making enormous quilts, and reducing the size of the borders meant it was easier to baste and quilt (hooray!).

I love my finished quilt, and I would heartily recommend the pattern, especially for beginners.  If you are interested in getting your hands on a copy, email Fenella (fenella at stitchplayroom dot co dot nz) for all the details.

I'd love to know - do you find it hard to resist tweaking patterns too, or are you a strictly by the book kind of quilter?

Quilt Stats
Pattern: Show Off Irish Chain by Stitch Playroom
Finished Size: approx 66" by 75"

Fabric: assorted Kaffe Fassett collective prints, also prints from Amy Butler, Jay McCarroll and Michael Miller, Freespirit Designer Solid in Caribbean Sea.

Backing: Blockprint Blossom in Blush from Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection

Binding: Michael Miller Ta Dot in Berry

Pieced and quilted by: me

Linking up with finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts.



Full disclosure - Fenella provided me with the prints I used on the front of the quilt in exchange for this review.  The rest of the fabric came from my stash.  The review is an honest reflection of my thoughts on the pattern.