Medallion Mashup 01 - Finish 4 in '24

Medallion Mashup 01

Time is zipping by as we sneak up on a new month and another season, I'm so pleased to present "Medallion Mashup #01" as the fourth finish in 2024 and my final Aurifil Artisan challenge.  

We were tasked with sharing our very favorite thread weight which isn't easy to narrow down with so many wonderful products and a range so broad.  Maybe it's because the quilting is such a dramatic step in the process that the Forty/3 cone of Aurifil cotton stands out to me or maybe it's just that not all of my quilty friends have discovered it and I want to spread the word.

Medallion Mashup #01   54"x54"

You would have guessed that being a Pantone Color of the Year challenge that I'd go with something along the lines of Peach Fuzz and while I did audition the color Shell shown below, the overall stitching motif would cross into the darker greens and blues giving the final selection of Light Grey Green the upperhand.

Auditioning quilting thread

I have the good fortune of having access to my friend's longarm and am trying very hard to embrace her recent upgrad to a computerized system.  The learning curve is a bit of a struggle and as soon as I think I've wrapped my head around what I'm doing there's a set back.  Repositioning as you can see below left a line gap and this happened each time that I advanced the quilt.  

Computerized Quilting

Fortunately the simple fix was to use the same cone of Forty/3 at home and fill in freehand which isn't perfect but certainly an acceptable solution.  I continue to brave on and am grateful not to be quilting entirely on my domestic machine.  

Quilted and ready to trim

The title of my quilt "Medallion Mashup #01" is an obvious giveaway that I do intend to make more.  Although I've been on a series of medallion quilts for several years, this Mashup idea is something that adds a twist and deserves a timestamp.  

80 wt Applique Hexi 

There is something quite satsifying about dusting off parts from an old quilt along like the New York Beauty blocks,  using up hexis left over from a bag swap more than a decade ago and seminole strips from a workshop - making them all play together with newer and brand new units. 

I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to share my work at the upcoming Medallion Medley PVQA Special Exhibit at the Pacific International Quilt Festival PIQF Santa Clara Convention Center show in July.  If you're local I'd love to see you there!

Aurifil Threads used:

Piecing 2600 Dove 50wt Cone  

Hand Applique 2220 Light Salmon 80wt spool

Longarm and Domestic quilting 2843 Light Grey Green 40/3 wt Cone

Domestic and Handstitch Binding 2865 Emerald 40wt spool 

Hobbs Batting 80/20

Babylock Symphony

HandiQuilter Avante

2024 Quilts - Catching Up

My previous blog post featured the first completed quilt for the year but I hadn't yet added the 2024 Quilts tab to the header until now.  Finish number 2 and 3 were both quilted with Forty/3 weight Aurifil as well.  

You may notice a similarity in palette for these three quilts and even a few of the same fabrics in each.  Let's just say that putting away my pull from one project isn't a favorite step and that one thing leads to another.  

Gifted to my granddaughter and designed with the help of her sister, I just love the uniqueness of the Flowering Snowball blocks layed out to create the quilt cleverly named "Flowering Poppies". 

Aurifil Forty/3 

Flowering Poppies

MQS Secret Agent QAL 

Modern Quilt Studio QAL was all about transparency and the theme was Secret Agent.  I chose to use my own stash in a palette that was inspired by nature so naturally a photoshoot in the redwoods was a must. 

Fabric Code 

Pairing 11 sets was more challenging than I thought given just how much fabric that I own. With the added element of a Mystery I'm really pleased with my choices.  Four of the eight half-circles were the only blocks that I remade using a slightly higher contrast.