Pantone Quilt Challenge 2014: Radiant Orchid

I don't know what it is with me and the word "challenge".  I take it very seriously and find myself finding the hardest thing I can think of and attempting it.  I usually end up a mad woman crying every step of the way, i.e. the mini quilt challenge last year.

 

For this challenge I thought I would go the complete opposite direction and keep it simple.  I wanted to let the color shine and show how something as simple as repeating simple square blocks could make something beautiful.  I feel that I accomplished that while making the top, it was only when deciding how to quilt it that it turned into a pain.

I'm a straight lines kind of girl but one of my goals this year was to try more free motion quilting techniques and just as you have it Amy Free Motion Quilting Adventures is hosting a McTavishing Along. That was the start to the "challenge". I watched videos, practiced on paper, watched more video (Leah Day was a life safer), made a test block, and then I went for it. 

I wanted to bring more of the Radiant Orchid to the quilt so I used a variegated purple on top of the white areas.  That was one of the problems, as a beginner to see every single mistake made me a wreck.  Every time I started to sew I cringed.  I had to walk away many times very upset of how it was turning out and couldn't wait for it to be all over.  I decided that I was going to try something different for the other areas.  It turned into a fmq sampler piece.

Let me tell you every time I started to quilt I wanted to cry.  I felt like I was just making it worse and worse but it was too late to stop.  I got it done and honestly I love it so much.  I can't stop looking at it.  I think that for me, free motion quilting really freaks me out while I'm sewing and being hypercritical but when its all done there's nothing more beautiful.  You don't see all the weird things you see while you're working on it.

The quilt finishes at 37" x 37".  It was made completely from my stash.  The solids for the top are Kona. The back fabric was a random yard of something I got from Joann about a year ago.  The binding was left over from another project.  Overall I love how everything turned out and feel like I've learned a lot.  I will probably continue to struggle with fmq but next time hopefully I will be using a thread that doesn't stand out as much. 


Thanks for stopping by to check out my entry for the Pantone Quilt Challenge.  You can vote for your favorite for the Viewers Choice Award. 
TGIFF! and Saturday Sewjo.