Monday, November 24, 2014

Fraidy Cat for Color

Cheryl’s first Looking Glass quilt,
featuring Into the Woods, by Lella Boutique for Moda
You can’t say I’ve led you astray. I’ve been completely honest about this: I am afraid of color.

I can handle a little color. Four rooms in my house are painted a shade of yellow (five are a shade of beige). I wore a bold red shirt this week (under a navy hoodie). When it comes to my quilts, this tendency translates into slabs of white and negative space. My preferred fabric to achieve this result? Some Kona Snow, please.

When I offered to test the latest quilt pattern from Cheryl Brickey, of Meadow Mist Designs, I thought I was headed in the right direction. I bought a layer cake of Bonnie Christine’s Winged and yardage of Kona Snow. When it came time to join the pieced rows to the sashing, however, I got cold feet. I feared there was too much going on color-wise—light teal, medium teal, deep eggplant, salmon, pale coral, gray, aqua, yellow!—and sent out a call for feedback. (Many thanks to those of you who chimed in!)

In the end, I decided to split the five pieced rows between the quilt top and backing instead of following the pattern. The top features three rows broken up by chunks of Kona Snow.


The back highlights the remaining two rows sashed with Kona Sage.


The result is true to my gut feeling about the fabrics I was working with, but it doesn’t make me the most helpful pattern tester! My next step is to learn how to free-motion quilt so I can finish this project up in time for Christmas. (My procrastination efforts on this front have been most effective.)

If you would like to try your hand at Looking Glass, Cheryl is offering this pattern for $5.50, a special price good through December 6. It’s available on both Etsy and Craftsy. This pattern works well with layer cakes or charm squares. If you start today, it’s definitely doable by Christmas. : )

To celebrate the release of this pattern, Cheryl is giving away a PDF version of Looking Glass to one From Bolt to Beauty reader (my first giveaway!). To enter, include a comment on this post, sharing with us your top sewing or quilting priority at the moment. If you’re a no-reply blogger, please include your email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway will remain open through Monday, December 1. I’ll post the winner here on my blog and contact him or her via email on Tuesday, December 2.

Update: The giveaway is closed. The winner is mfhagopian. Congratulations!

I am just one stop on the Looking Glass blog hop. To see other testers’ quilts, and for additional chances to win the pattern for yourself, visit the other participants:

Friday, November 21: Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs
Saturday, November 22: Lin @ Lin’s Quilts
Sunday, November 23: Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts
Monday, November 24: Anna @ Fresh Dew Drops
Tuesday, November 25: Chelsea @ Patch the Giraffe
Wednesday, November 26: Shauna @ Shauna’s World
Friday, November 28: Shelley @ The Carpenter’s Daughter Who Quilts

Linking up to Sew Cute Tuesday, WIP Wednesday, and Let’s Bee Social ...

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31 comments:

  1. My quilting priority at the moment is to get my sewing space back! Due to house alterations and redecorating, my room is empty, and everything is scattered round the house.

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  2. My top priority at the moment is to finish the three Frosty & Friends quilts that I posted on my blog today. Two of them are teacher gifts for this year. You can see them at new2quilting.blogspot.com

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  3. I am working to get the binding on a quilt that will be a Christmas gift. I love all aspects of the quilt making process except hand sewing the binding.

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  4. I've got to zipper pouches to make before my postal deadline of the 12th.

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  5. That turned out great! We just need to spend more time sewing together, that'll conquer your color fears! :D My biggest deadline right now is the holidays, of course. For some reason my brain keeps thinking there's 32 hours in the day or something. And trying to fit in everything is going to be...interesting. :)

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  6. Oh, so happy! I can't wait to see this one finished. My biggest priority? A baby quilt for my soon to arrive niece. I really need to start cutting fabric for that one....

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  7. your quilt is so pretty. Right now I am sewing a king sized quilt for our sons wedding. This weekend I will start a baby quilt for another great niece born. Will give it to her at Christmas when all the family gets together.

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  8. My sewing priority now is to get all of my family/friend Christmas gifts sewed and ready for our family event in 3 weeks.

    Have confidence to step out of your use of color comfort zone and expand your quilt horizons. Start with small projects first. You will not be sorry.

    tushay3(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. I really love the negative space on your version of the pattern. Very nice! Right now my sewing priority is to piece together a quilt top for the MQG charity challenge quilt and get that mailed by Monday. After that I'm diving into holiday sewing and hoping to get that done within the next two weeks!

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  10. I'm working on a set of Ghastlies mini quilts with holiday fabrics! Need to get them done by Wednesday... probably should be working on them right now but here I am admiring your version Cheryl's pattern. I really like how you finished it up, look at that sage on the backing!!

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  11. I have a baby quilt to finish befor the baby arrives , I've just got my free motion quilting foot so I just need to learn how to do free motion quilting

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  12. My top priority is finishing a quilt for my brother. -- soparkaveataoldotcom

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  13. I want to finish a quilt for my youngest daughter before Christmas. I only have 4 rows and the borders left to quilt. I like your version of this pattern and I love the backing. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. I must finish my Christmas quilt before Christmas! My husband thinks I never finish anything on time (too true, I haven't finished my Valentine's Day bed runner I started last January). Thanks for the give away! jacklynnsteven at netzero dot com

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  15. Hiya!!! Just love this pattern. My top priority at the moment is fixing some pants for a lady that had to have both legs amputated. She really feels the cold now and needs to have her pants closed off. Then it's on to Christmas gifts. Thanks for having the giveaway. Blessed be, hugs!!! Pam
    pamspretties57 at gmail dot com

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  16. FMQ just do it! Your sister is going to love this.

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  17. Working on a binding to finish a quilt. Love the backing of your quilt. Thanks for the give away.

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  18. This looks great, Michelle! It's important to stay true to yourself, since making a quilt is making your own art -- based on a pattern or not. You did a great job, and I'm sure your sister is going to love it! And if you get cold feet before Christmas, there's always straight line quilting to fall back on!

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  19. I like your version very much - big fan of Kona snow too!

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  20. I love your version too. I struggle with the same issue, except I have a hard time using white (may have to do with having 3 dogs). Great job (and I don't need to be added to the drawing)

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  22. Stay true to yourself is important. You figured out a way to this and personalize Looking Glass as your own. Love the colours, Thank you for a chance to win. Happy Quilting:)

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  23. email address|: smivany@gmail.com

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  24. I love how the colors run across the quilt. I also like how you pieced the back. Very nice!! Right now I'm finishing up some cloth baby books for some special babies and making a bunch of laminated cotton trash stashers for friends and family. Thanks for the giveaway!!

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  25. My top priority is to finish the quilting on a Christmas gift.

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  26. Your first giveaway! How exciting! I hope your winner will be ecstatic about winning this pattern. I am really enjoying seeing the creations using this great pattern...each is so different, but beautiful!

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  27. I love love love how your quilt turned out. Kona snow is my go to fabric, so that may be a big part of the attraction, but I think your quilt is just the right combo of color and negative space. (And if I win the pattern, I just might have to follow your lead.) My priority quilt right now is a baby quilt for my grandson due in January. Yikes! I forgot to factor in holiday busyness in my time for getting it finished.

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  28. Ok! Seriously! Who has fear of color?? I am impressed..your quilt is amazing!

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  29. I like color, so I thought your original idea was great. But, your final quilt is fabulous! Now you have a quilt that is reversible and the rows look so different on each side because of the different backgrounds. mfhagopian@aol.com

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  30. My top priority at this moment is to finish some pillows for Christmas gifts!

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Thank you for commenting! I almost always respond to comments by email. If my response might interest others or if you're a no-reply blogger, I'll post it here.