My Flower Shop Quilt
This is the 8th quilt I have finished this year. It wasn’t a quick quilt due to all the needle turn applique but is was so fun to think up new flower shapes and arrangements. I was definitely inspired by antique four block applique quilts, but I tried to make them my own. I absolutely love my garden. I am so inspired by all the shades of my zinnias, cosmos, exotic okra blooms, and big crazy squash flowers. I tend to like saturated colors. So I knew I needed a background that would support without being boring. I still have some of Melody Miller’s Ombre Pigment dyed fabric from her time over at RJR, and I knew it would look great. After the background was decided the rest was just having a good time fussy cutting and sketching flowers in my journal. All the edges are finished (needle turned) as I want this quilt to last through many washings. Raw edge just can’t stand up to actual use (my personal opinion and experience of course). For some of the pieces I did use a fusible wash-away product from Hugs ‘n Kisses. It is so nice. Silly name and hard to search for to share a link, but it is great. I will be carrying it in my online shop as soon as my order comes in. I love it so much I want to have unfettered access and I am sure you will want to try some too.
I finished the quilt with a facing and a sassy prairie point edge. I think prairie point are the confetti or jazz hands of the quilt universe.I could go on for days about this quilt, but I figure pictures are worth more than words.
The Earth Laughs in Flowers. - Ralph Waldo Emmerson
Flower shop quilt (62×62)
As I was working on the four blocks I knew how over the top I can lean, so I reminded myself to leave empty space for quilting. The most difficult thing about this quilt was trying to figure out what to put in the center. Many vintage quilts include another flower or bouquet in their centers and I was 98% leaning that way, but then I looked in my applique orphan block basket and found these triangles I had prepped for another project (long discarded) and a clashing floral piece I was going to use as a big focus flower, but I hated the colors. Looked pretty sunny to me and flowers need sun right?
Block #1 I used a Ruby Star Society print for the vase and a variety of Ruby Star society fabric, Heather Ross fanrich and Tula Pink fabric for the flowers. There are some other treasures in there too. I found my little collection of charm packs very hands for the applique pieces.
Block #2 I used a Heather Ross mermaid print for the vase and lots of fun fabric for the flowers.
Block #3 I used another Heather Ross print for the vase and dove into my scraps for the flowers.
Block #4. Yet another Heather Ross print for the vase and more scraps for the flowers. I got excited about some pieced flowers for this block as it was my last one. I quilted the Quilt with Wool batting and two shades of thread. Cool mint in the background and Neon Pink in all the applique.
Alright. That is it for now. What do you think? I would love to write a pattern for this quilt, but the templates would be a lot. Many pages. Maybe it work well as a block of the month? At any rate. I love it and I hope you do too.
Have a lovely day friends!