Skipping ahead to finish #16

I've been doing a lot of secret sewing lately and that means revealing finishes a bit out of order.   With three baby quilts yet to be gifted and not wanting any spoiler alert posts,  I decided to skip ahead and share the latest in a modern medallion series of original designs for my June challenge and the threads used from my 2022-2023 Aurifil Artisan welcome package.

Measuring 42" square with similarities and differences from the previous four modern medallions that came before, I am in love with the final layout.  To say that there was a lot of thought and decisions made in the making process is an understatement.  

The brand new cone of 50wt color #2600 was perfect for piecing on my domestic machine and with 6,452 yards it'll be serving me well for many quilts to come.  It isn't often that I hand appliqué and was glad to have been sent a spool of 80 wt color #5004 because my novice stitches sink into the fabric so well it makes me feel like a pro.

 Pulling from my tried and true stash of Aurifil,  I used Forty3 in Light Grey Green color #2843 for the matchstick quilting and color #5014 in a 40wt for the hand stitched binding.

You would think that working in a series would make for a quicker finish but there are so many options that even with having made multiple there's still too much that I'm trying to pack into one quilt. Editing is key and a skill that I continually work to improve. 

The fat quarter of fabric shown above is from our local quilt shop as part of an annual contest to "make something inspiring out of visually challenging fabric".  I really appreciate that despite the store changing hands, the new ownership has carried on the tradition.  

The original fabric pull shown above felt too literal and once I settled on the Tula Pink "Hare" as the center everything else fell into place.  Using the raspberry pink and tomato red with green risks reading as as a holiday palette which just makes the challenge more rewarding to pull off.  

I think that I counted 14 fabrics added to the FQ, all from stash.  I do know that there were piles and piles of auditioned pieces that did not make the cut and had to be sorted and put away - my least favorite step.  Having two “samples “ of the 4 made available for reference and pictures of the others that were gifted was helpful. 

Cohesive scrappy and symmetry for a modern traditional design occupies my creative space more so than improv lately.  I enjoy having a broad spectrum of what I make and what makes me happy. 

I'm especially excited that the corners lined up - four out of four!