It’s a truth, that I do most of my quilting (as opposed to piecing) in the winter. I started quilting this one last winter, only to put it aside for other projects after we went into Covid lockdown. For a change, I started with the background, and I was very happy with the cone of Connecting Threads dark blue poly I used for both top and bobbin thread. I have a Pfaff Expression with the extension table.
Moving onto the foreground blocks, I used sort-of matching threads–silver grey, dark grey, aqua, beige, and pink.
Most of the fabrics are from an Alison Glass Sunprints bundle purchased a few months before I joined this club (Summer Sampler 2017). I practiced colour theory and made up pleasing combinations, and in the end they all work well. The Summer Sampler 2017 was run by Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced, with contributions from Katie Blakesley of Swim Bike Quilt and Faith Jones of Fresh Lemons Quilts. The weekly blocks had both 6″ and 12″ options, and included foundation paper piecing and traditional piecing. Can you find which block I converted to English paper piecing?
The solid border is slightly larger than called for in the pattern, to use the maximum amount of the fabric I had left. I divided it into sections and alternated swirls woth a vine and leaf design. The binding is also by Alison Glass.
The non-traditional setting of this quilt really appealed to me. When it came time to make the sawtooth border, I couldn’t decide which colour to use – so I used all of them. This quilt will be a gift for someone special. And the cats that live there.
Thanks for joining me to learn the story of this quilt. Now I’d like to hear the story of your finish–a long-term work in progress, or a satisfying quick project, all are welcome. Please hop around and leave a few comments for others too. Because after all, every finish deserves a celebration!
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Lisa in Port Hope 
Wow Lisa, this is a real beauty! I love the rich navy background; the blocks just sing! Lucky recipient and kitties. Thank you for hosting TGIFF.
Yes, white is such an impractical colour for quilts, especially when animals are in the home. They have a lot of rich colours in their house so I think it will go well.
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Wow! It is such a grand looking quilt. I love that blue background with bright colors and the quilting is just fabulous!
Thank you, it has taken some time for my quilting skills to match what I love best about quilts, but totally worth it in the end.
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WOW seems to be a popular response to this quilt! I’m not a big fan of sampler quilts, but this one is stunning! The multi-coloured border is perfect!
Yes, I think the unique setting is a big part of the appeal of this quilt. I’ve also seen it done in monochromatic shades for the blocks and that is very effective too. Thank you!
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Looks amazing. Congrats on finishing.
Thank you! It’s not my oldest…
On Fri, Jan 15, 2021 at 2:25 PM Lisa in Port Hope wrote:
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Someone is going to be very happy with that gorgeous quilt.
Yes, I’m sure she will be! I gave her a heads up when I pieced it, but I don’t think she’ll remember 😉
On Fri, Jan 15, 2021 at 4:02 PM Lisa in Port Hope wrote:
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The multicolored sawtooth border sets the blocks off perfectly.
Thanks!
Your sampler is so beautiful, Lisa! The explosion of color radiating from the center against the dark background reminds me of those science documentaries about the Big Bang. Love it! Can you tell me, if you remember, what fabric you used for your navy background? Thanks for hosting TGIFF!
Thanks Rebecca, since I didn’t really make the blocks with a plan, I appreciate that! It’s a Free Spirit solid, but I don’t remember the colour name.
On Sat, Jan 16, 2021 at 8:55 PM Lisa in Port Hope wrote:
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Congrats on a beautiful finish. The multicolor sawtooth border was an inspired choice.
Thank you! I do love a good quilty rainbow.
Lisa
On Thu., Jan. 28, 2021, 6:45 a.m. Lisa in Port Hope, wrote:
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