Here's my latest quilt! I tried to think of a better name for it, but I have been affectionately referring to it as "the curvy ruler quilt" for over three months...why stop now?
I made this quilt for the "Quick Curve Ruler Challenge" on the Fat Quarterly Blog. (UPDATE 2019: Fat Quarterly is no longer in existence. Luckily, I saved a copy of the post (see it here)). This was my first design challenge quilt...I don't normally enter contests or volunteer to try out new products, but I've been a big fan of Jenny Pedigo's blog, Sew Kind of Wonderful, for a while. Jenny invented the Quick Curve Ruler and she makes the cutest curvy quilts EVER! When she finally released her ruler I was kind of excited to make one of her quilts (this one) and was just about to buy the ruler when I saw the call for volunteers for the design challenge. I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the challenge...so I got the ruler for free (yay!) and I had about 2 months to come up with and finish a project--it didn't have to be a quilt, but obviously it was never a question--of course I was going to make a quilt!
Originally, I was planning on making a completely different quilt. I had mocked it all up in EQ and picked the fabric I wanted to use and everything--but then Jenny posted a block that was similar to what I was planning...and I wanted to do something different and original for the challenge so I decided to go back to the drawing board. It took me a few more days but I finally came up with this design. I immediately loved the optical illusion created by breaking up the waves with boxes. I played with a lot of different color schemes...but in the end, I decided I really wanted to use the fabrics I had chosen for the other quilt. So I did. The sweet gray dots are from Juicy Blossoms by Simon and Kabuki for Quilting Treasures and the rest is Good Fortune by Kate Spain for Moda.
Piecing the top went pretty quickly...Jenny's ruler makes it really fast to cut out the curves and my sister sent me her "Curve Master" presser foot when I told her what I was doing-- that made sewing the curves a snap too.
The quilting on this one was pretty fun. I used my trusty straight line stencil and pounce chalk to mark all the diagonal lines and then my mini ruler for the actual quilting. I made a paper stencil in the shape of the white wave section that I used to mark the centers of all the circles...then a circle groovy board to make the circles...easy and fast--I love that groovy board. I wanted to have some kind of "girly" element in the quilting so I added the flowers in the centers of the boxes--I just free-handed those. I am pretty happy with how it turned out.
I bound this in the gray dot...I totally love that fabric! And for the backing I used the light blue/white fabric from the front. I think it is such a beautiful print--and I love the color, but after I had finished quilting it, I was sad that I had used it...due to the busyness of the pattern you can't see the quilting on it at all. Oh well, still pretty.
Ahhh...quilting makes my heart sing!
I LOVE this quilt!!! What more can I say?
ReplyDeleteTotally fabulous!!!!
ReplyDeleteglen
You have such talent! I saw on Jenny's website a massive call for a pattern. Have you ever considered writing and selling patterns? Just wondering, because I would be your biggest cheerleader :)
ReplyDeletethat is one amazing quilt. I absolutely love it. You did a fantastic job and if you ever decide to give it away (hehe) I'm up for grabs!!
ReplyDeletelove it !! i am one of jenny's biggest fans and a lucky friend....
ReplyDeleteit has been sooo fun to see what everyone in this challenge is coming up with xoxox
I loved reading this post Cynthia! How you came up with the design and had to change from one plan to another. So glad though, because this one is pretty fantastic, buy you all ready know how I feel about it ;o)...Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThe quilting is just the perfecy finish for your fantastic quilt.
ReplyDeleteI am a gadget girl and have been trying hard to resist the lure of this ruler. But reading Jenny's blog and seeing all the variations this ruler makes and now yours....I'm not sure I can hold out much longer! Love this design!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great quilt, Cynth! I like the colors and the way the pattern "moves." The quilting is just right for it, too. Really nice job!
ReplyDeletehow do get the pattern for this quilt?
ReplyDeleteI love this pattern, and the quilting is just perfect for this design. I made a couple of test blocks, but am having trouble squaring up the block. Would you be willing to share the reference points on the ruler for squaring, or will you be selling this pattern in your Craftsy store? I really want to make this quilt. Great design work!
ReplyDeleteThere will be a pattern for this eventually, but for now check the post on the Fat Quarterly blog (there's a link above in this post). There are pictures of how the pieces were cut out. Once the curved pieces Were sewn, I just slightly trimmed the two shorter edges of the blocks to the same measurement. Then, once I had sewn two blocks together I trimmed the top and bottom. I know visuals would be so much better... Hopefully this will help a little!
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