Radiant Orchid Quilt Challenge


Here is my quilt for the Pantone Radiant Orchid Quilt Challenge. Normally I don't find out about these kinds of things until after the fact, but a couple weeks ago I happened to see a post about this years challenge. I was a little bit excited about this one since I am a huge fan of the color! Just ask my favorite shirt...or my handbag...or my roll of masking tape. :) Usually it takes me the whole year to warm up to the "color of the year" --so by the time I get around to making a quilt using it...there's a new color of the year! :) This year, that was not a problem! I already had some good fabrics in my stash so I figured I could whip out a Mini in no time flat...but let's talk about it...I am finishing this up with less than one hour to spare. Woah. That was close.


This mini quilt is 21" x 27". It actually took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to do. Surprise, surprise. I thought about it a lot and even came up with what I thought was a really good idea. I mocked it up in Inkscape and showed my husband and he looked at it kinda funny and said "I don't get it." So that kinda ruined my enthusiasm for the whole project...since it was Sunday night-- I had less than a week to get it done and I was now back to the drawing board. I got all frustrated and decided I would probably just forget it. I went upstairs and held the baby for a while. When I came back downstairs I just started messing around in Inkscape, looking at old files...and found a quilt design I made last year...the Circles and Rings Baby Quilt. Somehow, ten short minutes later I had come up with this design. And I totally loved it. Luckily, my husband did as well. (Good thing too or I might have fired him again for killing team morale). 


This quilt is entirely appliqued using fusible web (I use Pellon 805). I stitched around all the shapes using a blanket stitch in matching thread. Then, rather than drive myself crazy trying to figure out a cool way to quilt it, I decided to just do a grid (similar to the original quilt) only I decided to make an imperfect grid that I drew on with disappearing ink before quilting it. Then I bound it in my favorite black Alexander Henry June bug dot. It's the same fabric I used when I made my small wall quilts a few years ago...I am hoarding that fabric...but I think it was perfect for this quilt so I figured it would be ok to use a little bit of it!


I haven't decided what the fate of this quilt will be yet...I have a friend who just had a birthday who might like it, and one of my daughters wants it on the wall in her room. And I made a crib/baby size pattern for it!! I made one for the Circles and Rings Quilt but loved this one so much I added a bonus layout to the pattern so you can make either quilt (or both!) with the same pattern (get it HERE)! Glad I didn't give up on this challenge!!

2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Radiant Orchid

60 comments

  1. This is great! I"m so glad you finished in time to enter. I love the design and the use of purple. I'm like you - lots of purple in my wardrobe!

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  2. SO cute! This is one of the cutest quilts you've ever made.

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  3. Great design and perfect execution!
    Love it!!!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

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  4. OUTSTANDING, love it glad you got it finished.

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  5. This is lovely! I love the little black polka dot pinwheels!

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  6. Oooohhhh!!! Aaaaahhhhh! is all I can say. Love it!
    Thanks for sharing.

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  7. I'm glad you persevered because you have an outstanding quilt. The quilting is beyond perfect!

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  8. Great design... and I love the quilting!

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  9. I knew this was yours as soon as the photo came up in my feed. It's fantastic! I love your style!

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  10. Love this!! I just voted for you.

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  11. Wow! This quilt is spectacular!

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  12. Absolutely gorgeous! I love the design and colors and the quilting!!! Looks like a winner to me.

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  13. Love, love, love this!!! The addition of those asterisk appliques just makes this design pop! Amazing quilting. Such precision! Just gorgeous!!!

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  14. Stunning. I'm still bumbling around trying to understand what "modern" quilts are, but I think this is a wonderful example. Have you thought about publishing a pattern?

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    1. I have! :-) It is here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/other/circles-and-rings-baby-quilt-pattern/90434

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  15. I love the color. And your design. And the quilting. The bits of black (dots) and grey (dots) just make the color pop. Great job!! And fast work.

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  16. so cute! love your design, and the quilting - so glad the hubster liked it so that we could get to see it!

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  17. Ah so cute! Good job Cynth! Just looking at that quilt makes me feel happy :) It is SOOO cute!

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  18. That is so beautiful! Orchid is my favorite color too! :)

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  19. wow. Looks amazing. I love it.

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  20. Epic. Don't tell the others, but this could be my favourite! :-)

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  21. I had faith that you would complete it in time!! I didn't know what it would look like but I knew you could do it! I absolutely LOVE it! Perfect quilting too.

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  22. Just love it.....you have great ideas.

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  23. OK - *This* is my all-time favorite of the challenge quilts! LOVE. :D The grid quilting is perfect for it, as is the binding!

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  24. Obviously you work extremely well under pressure. Even in the husband vetoed idea #1. Because this little quilt? Is totally awesome.

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  25. This is amazing! I love the colors, the fabrics, the contrasts, the whole design. Very, very awesome!!!

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  26. such a fabulous quilt, I love it!

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  27. This is so cute! Very fresh and fun

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  28. Holding that baby must have worked because you did a beautiful job! I vote for you!

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  29. It is beautiful and I just adore the grid quilting in the background!

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  30. Super cool! I love the grid quilting you did, too, it's the perfect contrast to all the circles!!

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  31. Wonderful quilt! Congratulations!

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  32. Beautiful and very creative! Congratulations, Cynthia.

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  33. Congrats on your win! I really love this and your quilting just makes it!

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  34. So glad you won, this is awesome! The quilting is perfectly fitting too, love it!

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  35. Congratulations on double win! This is awesome!

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  36. Congratulations! I am so, so happy you won! I totally love the cleanness of your quilt and quilting ~~ and apparently a lot of others do too!

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  37. Congratulations on the wins, Cynthia!! It's a really gorgeous mini!!

    -Soma

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  38. Congratulations on winning the challenge. You deserve it!

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  39. Congratulations on the win. It is a stunning quilt.

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  40. This is just so so fabulous. That dense grid quilting really is the perfect complement to your appliqué design.

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  41. Congratulations, Cynthia! What a neat design : )

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  42. Love it! Such a great design! Congrats on winning!

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  43. Love, love your quilt. And I love the story behind it. I saw that it won Viewer's Choice so congrats!!

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  44. Gorgeous congratulations! You may have hooked me on attempting applique. Wow, your work is terrific.

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  45. Your quilt is beautiful. I am glad I came across it.

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  46. I am a beginner and I'm just wondering... did you quilt the "background" first and then appliqué?

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    1. Nope! The whole top was appliquéd first and then the background was quilted.

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  47. I love it, wow, but gosh, having to avoid the circles while you quilt the background must've been a pain!!

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  48. I thought it was a diamond ring when I first saw it. So cute - I love it. All my favorite colors :)

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