Monday, August 15, 2016

Filled With Love

This quilt has been a long time in the making. I began this sometime in the summer of 2014, while I was in graduate school, so my quilting was limited at that time. I finished the top last spring (spring 2015) and it sat around for a while as I contemplated how to quilt it. I was in love with the quilt top and wanted to make sure the quilting was just as awesome.


After sitting around for a while, I threw the quilt on my longarm and just went for it. As Angela Walters says, "finished is better than perfect." The quilting isn't perfect, but I just love it. I definitely need to practice my stitch in the ditch skills, but I know that will get better with time.
I started quilting the white background first and then moved onto the gray diamonds followed by the colorful stars last. I didn't know what I was going to do, but each step of the way, with the desire to get the quilt finished, I just picked something and went with it.

The best thing? I don't regret any of my quilting designs and can't pick a favorite. People often ask me how I pick a quilting design, and I always let people know that my goal is always to pick a quilting motif that compliments the quilt top. Every quilting decision should be intentional.

The pattern I used for this quilt is my free Prism Dust quilt block pattern. I used primarily Michael Miller Cotton Couture with a couple of Art Gallery Pure Elements mixed in. The thread is So Fine #50, and yes I changed thread for each gray and each colored star. The batting is Quilters Dream Cotton Select. 

Monday, August 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 8

Ah, August - with your glorious heat, chatter of back to school and the reveal of yet another set of Kaleidoscope BOM blocks! I love the heat and warm weather, so the thought of fall coming is a bit of a disappointment, but to many, it's a welcome season. These two blocks channel fall with their colorings. We're starting to get into some slightly more detailed blocks, with more pieces, but that doesn't mean they're any more difficult than the other blocks.

I love the possibility that this block has. If we repeat this block in one quilt, the lime background could create an interesting grid pattern with its straight lines. The bold use of purple in this block really makes the star stand to here.

The second block this month has some fantastic elements to it as well that can be emphasized depending on the fabric placement. Emphasize the purple or green stars, or both, should you choose. The possibilities are endless.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 7Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection