It's getting crazier for me juggling time in the studio and time in the office. Because I own Green Fairy Quilts with my husband, Clint - and it's a family run business, I spend a lot of time working in the office. It's a good system for our family, but it does interrupt my creative time. I keep thinking that in life there are times and seasons, and this season is not meant for me to be in my studio as often as I would like.
Because of that, I usually end up snapping pictures in split moments of free time. Thankfully this morning the sun was shining and I was able to get my son to help me a bit. These pictures are not professional at all, I have never been able to master that part of my quilting business, but I think the rugged look shows a reality that is important to remember in a day of perfectionism, hmm - AI. I want to keep things real, even though it would be fun to have a professional set up.
When I started designing for Riley Blake, I needed to learn how to create quilt images with my fabric lines in advance of the fabric releasing. It has been fun to be able to see what a quilt will look like before I actually piece it. The above picture is my computerized image of my Juju's Petal Quilt. This image shows how I used the fabrics from my second fabric collection, also called Juju's Petals. I still have some yardage available at Green Fairy Quilts from this beautiful fabric line.
When I work on a quilt, I spend so much time on the quilted details that I feel just "done" when the quilt is finished. I forget that the overall design of the quilting is really what makes the quilt. This quilt was no different in the sense that it took longer than I planned, but that in the end, I loved it. It really comes down to a love/hate relationship for me.
I really wanted the quilt blocks to shine, cue in the sunlight, lol! When I am custom quilting I like the blocks to be shown off in a way that doesn't take away from the piecing design. The best way to do that is to create barrier lines around the blocks. In this case I did that with a spaced 1/4" line quilted all around the block. I keep the overall design of the block by using straight lines in a very distinct way. Take a minute to look at all of the straight lines, each one of them are placed on purpose to emphasize the piecing.
The checkerboard background is one of my favorite designs to incorporate into a quilt. It takes more time, but in the end, it's worth it. Also, because of the way the blocks are pieced in this design, the background quilting, came naturally for me. The on-point squares in the large borders worked out perfectly using my Quick Mark Ruler to draw it out. The 1" pieced squares also made for a fun "rail" design.
I think the most beautiful part about this quilt is that it isn't perfect. Looking now I can see my own learning mistakes in the piecing, but at the same time, it makes it human. I love it. We live in a world full of perfect expectations and I just don't think that is how it should be.
What is a quilting post without showing off the backing? This quilt was well worth the time to custom quilt and I will treasure it.
The pattern itself does not include the quilting instructions, but please take ideas from my own quilt shown in the pictures in this post. The thing I loved most about this quilt was the piecing was fun and challenging in the sense that I learned a new skill. That is all explained in the pattern, so I do hope you will give it a try.
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