Orange Crush anyone? and thank you for voting

Christina’s quilt should be finished today and there is a lot of orange in the quilt…orange and white stripes, white with orange dots and wild orange prints! And there are lots of other bright colours like fuchsia, ruby, lime, blueberry and grape! And the backing is a lovely melon and lime print. All of these colours remind me of soft drinks.
 

Given all of the lovely soft drink colours (but primarily orange) I’ve decided to call this quilt “Orange Crush”! Orange Crush is a popular soft drink!

This quilt is made up of two blocks that measure 7 1/2" finished. Block A is very scrappy but not entirely scrappy – there is some control. A single background fabric is used in each block. The X is made with four different fabrics. The cross is made with two fabrics. While this is definitely a scrap quilt and each block is different the use of a single fabric in certain positions within the block gives a cohesive look to the quilt.

 

Block B is also scrappy however I’ve used the orange and white stripes in each block to give some continuity to the quilt while still maintaining its scrappiness! And again in order to give a cohesive look to the quilt the same fabrics are used in the same positions within a block. For example the corners use a single fabric and the centre of the cross is a second fabric and the top, bottom and sides of the cross are a third fabric.

 

This is what four blocks look like when put together!

 

I opted for simple straight line quilting on the diagonal but I used a variety of sherbet coloured threads! And I followed my own good advice and stitched in the ditch before I did any other quilting and it quilted like a dream! I used my machine quilting my way technique which means stitch in the ditch, quilt the border, bind the quilt and then go back and quilt the middle!

I am pleased with the quilting in the border. Aside from the fact that is fast and easy to do, it flattens the quilt and I like that look! I was able to quilt right out to the edge of the quilt so any wonky turns are covered by the binding. Mind you the turns on the inner edge of the border have to be a little smoother! This is a great way for a beginner to quilt a border and it looks more refined than simple stippling or meander quitting. I love feathers but they can be scary, especially if you are just getting started so this is a great alternative!

 

At the corner the lines radiate our from the inner corrner like sun rays.

Back of quilt with sunray design from corner

It is helpful to use some sort of temporary marker to draw some guide lines for both the rays and along the border. It helps to keep you on the “straight and narrow”! I would space the lines every three to four inches. I've used red to give you an idea about the spacing and placement of the temporary lines you would mark to quilt in this way.

If you haven’t tried this method of quilting a boreder give it a go. I always struggle with how to quilt a border made with a busy print (or a quilt for a male) and I think this is a good solution. I should mention that once the sun rays were quilted and the quilt bound I went back and stippled in the half moon shapes on the inner edge of the border.

Phew...lots of words. So here it is.... Orange Crush!

Orange Crush

Orange Crush (the centre)

 

Yesterday I finished the quilt for Christina's brother Alex and his has an appliqued grasshopper on the backing (it hides a small problem). There are no problems in Christina’s quilt but I think she deserves her own grasshopper. It is also a way to add your personal “signature” to a quilt! You can also quilt your initials into the quilt. Remember, if a quilt is lost or stolen a label can always be removed making it hard to identify a quilt but if you are in the habit of hiding the same identifying mark in each quilt it is another form of signing the piece! And it makes a nice little surprise for the recipient! You can read more about identifying marks here.

 

Can you see the grasshopper?

Here she is!

 

And now for a little good news for me! Late yesterday evening I received an email from Quilting Gallery advising me that my quilt Stars in the Loft tied for second place in Show and Tell. Thank you to everyone who voted not just for my quilt but for any quilt. It is so nice to know that people see and appreciate the quilts that are entered. The theme was Memory Quilts/Creative Expression and if you had a chance to take a look and read the stories I know you will agree that they were all desrving of support. Once again, thank you!

Stars in the Loft

I'll leave you with a few pictures from the garden!

Trailing clematis

 

Trailing clematic close-up

Teetoo the neighbours cat rolling around in a stump hole

 

Are they the best when they are asleep?

 

Kentucky yellowwood tree in bloom

 

Pawpaw tree in bloom

 

Until I post again, happy sewing (and maybe a little gardening)!