Do I Like This Quilt?

I’ve spent more time than is necessary—or perhaps normal—trying to decide whether I like my most recent quilt finish.

Watermelon Patchwork: The front

It started as part of my purge effort, prompted by Stitched in Color’s exhortation to use up our neglected fabric, the stuff we’ve had for way too long. And the parameters I set up were significant: make a quilt with that fabric, buying as little yardage as I could to finish it up.

I had Lotta Jansdotter’s teal stripes, Joel Dewberry’s intricate Historic Tile in tomato and teal, Bonnie and Camille’s coral dots, the tiny gray checks, lots (lots!) of Kona Salmon, and scrapage from Denyse Schmidt and Tula Pink. I bought a little Bella Solids in Bermuda, some of Lizzy House’s Jewels in poppy, and lots (lots!) of Kona Cardinal.

A tiny bit of Tula

I went far with the purge part of the project, using up bobbins in blues and reds while piecing the patchwork. I even used Aurafil 4250 (flamingo variegated) because I have an obscene amount of it. (Do you ever buy something at one store because it’s easier—and probably cheaper—than driving to a second store to purchase a smaller amount or less expensive version? That’s my Aurafil 4250. If you need any, let me know. I suspect I’ll be using it for the next decade or so.)

Lizzy House, Kona Cardinal, and a small geometric from Clothworks

The jury of one has reached a decision: I like this quilt. Admittedly, it’s very un-Michelle. It’s bright! There’s almost no white on this quilt! And it’s bright!

But if given the same constraints, I’d probably produce something comparable to what you see here. My only regret is the uneven border on the front. It drives me a little batty.

Watermelon Patchwork: The back

The most fun part of the process, however, was knowing that this was headed to a charity: Margaret’s Hope Chest. Earlier in the summer, Amanda Jean rallied readers to make quilts for this organization. I couldn’t commit to a quilt back then, but I still wanted to contribute after the fact. Making a quilt for charity made me happy. As I vacillated about whether I liked this quilt—whether it reflected my personal aesthetic in quilts—I knew that it would find its way into just the right hands. Someone is going to receive this quilt and think, “Wow. This is so me.”

And that’s pretty cool.

This is what happens when you employ the services
of a five-year-old to hold your quilt. Fear not:
no quilts were harmed in this photo shoot.

Linking up to Let’s Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF at Quilt Matters, and Finish It Up Friday ...