Galaxy Quilt: Finished!

So this post has been in the works for quite some time now. Early last year my friend J and I started talking about a quilt for his bed. Only a few requirements: no flowers, dark man colors and it had to fit onto a queen sized bed. With those parameters I set out to make an epic man quilt; Nailed It!

The design part of Galaxy took a lot of thought. I knew it needed a bold geometric foundation...as this is a man quilt! The offset squares in dark/light values make a dynamic backdrop for 12" sampler blocks made from the 2011 Summer Sampler Series. I can't recommend this sampler series enough! Excellent directions and beautiful results. I could see myself making all these blocks over and over again. After making the six pointed string star block I felt like I could sew anything. 

The Minnesota block ended up being one of my favorites. I just love the way the colors and shapes play off each other.

Galaxy measures a whopping 90" x 88" and was quilted on a long arm by me. It was the 4th quilt I have quilted on the long arm and by far the most challenging. I sewed corner to corner on the dark/light background and then for the blocks did more detailed quilting to make an impact on each design. My best trick with the quilting details was to make a statement by not quilting some areas and heavily quilting others. This made for some cool effects.

The back of the quilt is completely pieced together with left over yardage. I had bought a lot of different colors and patterns and used up the ones with little flowers on the back. There was also a happy accident that made the back even more stunning. I had originally planned for a pieced scrappy boarder on the front but once it was on it just didn't work. So I decided to sew them up and use it on the back...as it turned out it was the exact width I needed. Amazing how things come together sometimes.

The way the quilt lies on a bed is magical. There is no way I could have known that the blocks would lie across the top pillows so perfectly, or that the center square would radiate so nicely from the bottom corner of the bed or that the blocks seem to burst out of the center gradually until becoming heavy on the outside. These are all wonderful coincidences that make me happy. 

Thanks for taking the time to read about this quilt! I really do appreciate every one of you that stops by! Happy quilting!
Cheers!
Kelly
ps. Rhonda's Finish Along at Quilter in the Gap is ending 1st quarter and this was my UFO, find the original post here

Modern Mini: Lone Star Dahlia

Hello! I am excited to share with you my entry for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge at Ellison Lane Quilts. I have been working on this relatively little quilt for a few weeks now; many, many naps times later this is what I ended up with. Little isn't necessarily fast in quilt land!

Hung by the Chimney with Care

This quilt started with a Lone Star pattern, but turned into something so much more. I wanted to try out the pattern and audition colors for a quilt for my bed. I am still undecided as if this will be 'the one' but I am sure glad I tried it out on a small scale before attempted 7x7 rows of diamonds!

The colors I used were from all different fabric lines and it was really fun mixing and matching. 

Yellow: Ocher Kona

Green: #102 Moda

Light Grey: Coal Kona

Dark Grey: Charcoal Kona

Orange: #80 Moda

Blue: Mari Michael Miller Cotton Couture

Red: Cran Michael Miller Cotton Couture

Purple: Berry Kona

Quilted Swirls and Straight Lines

The quilting pattern came rather organically. I had a plan for straight line quilting the back ground with small lines and then decided to take it to the next level and make it all diamonds. The swirls in the center remind me of the center of a flower with petals on the perimeter.

Quilting Detail

This whole quilt pushed my comfort zone. First time working with diamonds; which gets easier as you go (just make sure the seam ripper is near by!). First time just winging it from start to finish not really knowing what this quilt was going to look like in the end. Pushing myself was rewarding...I am really happy with it!

Quilting detail

The Back. Scraps and White. Brilliant idea for hanging with dowel and pockets

The back is the left over scraps, i just love the row of diamonds, that is my favorite! The quilting looks as cool from the back as from the front. The quilt measures 33"x33" just under the requirement. One night while in the middle of making this I had a panic moment wondering if it was too big to be a mini...thankfully the cut off is 36"x36", whew! 

Thanks for stopping by! I am so grateful to have finished my quilt in time and for the opportunity to enter into this amazing contest filled with so many beautiful quilts (and amazing prizes!) Competition is stiff, so wish me luck!
Cheers!
Kelly

p.s. this post will be linked up this week to a bunch of parties...find them here and other places:

http://www.canoeridgecreations.com/