Bloggers' Quilt Festival

The "Bloggers' Quilt Festival" coordinated by Amy of Amy's Creative Side begins today.  I have discovered so many talented quilters and beautiful quilts through these biannual linky parties...it is definitely worth checking it out!

I am usually pretty shy about putting my work forward for all to see (but also love to get feedback on the things I make...it makes for an odd combination, huh?).  I participated in the BQF once before and it was great fun.  So here it goes -- drumroll -- my entry for the Spring 2012 BQF is

Berry Patch!

This wee quilt made last winter (can you see the cold in these photos?) is one of my all-time favourites -- and my affection for it is heightened by the fact that I didn't have high expectations for it, I was just following my nose, playing around with "granny squares" (inspired by Jolene in this tutorial), some stashed Kona plum, and scraps I had cut into 2.5" squares a few weeks earlier (conveniently!).

The purpley-plum palette was a little bit of a challenge, and before I knew it this project had fully occupied my brain.  I find that the projects I end up most attached to are the ones that aren't smooth sailing, that present certain design problems.  This colour palette did just that.

The turning point for me was when I threw all my squares down on a yard of black and white Annie's Seed Catalogue (I had used one scrap, the berry for the centre of a granny square, ultimately placed at the centre of the quilt).  Suddenly the squares came to life!  I ended up scrapping 3 squares that just weren't playing nicely, but am so, so, so happy with the others, sashed in black and white.

I machine-quilted in the ditch along the sashing and then hand-quilted with perle cotton around the very centre square and then the perimeter of the nine-patch formed by each granny. I also hand-quilted in the outer border of plum solid, lines about 3/4" apart.

The backing fabric was one of my absolute favourites from my stash, Alexander Henry Viva.  I'm so happy that I get to see it every day.

Thanks so much for coming by, and I really do love to get comments (and answer every single one!) -- so please feel free to add your voice.

And now it's time to go look at the green grass and get warmed up...! But when I'm next at the computer I'm going to explore all the lovelies linked at the BQF and you should too. You can click on the button below to get there.

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