Caribbean Blue Ombre Quilt - Update

Mother Nature was much more cooperative today and I was able to take some outdoor pictures of my latest quilt.  No edits on these, other than a little cropping.  The colors are pretty good for a change.  (Although the slight rippling along the top edge of the quilt bugs me - the quilt is flat - that's just where I pinned it to the styrofoam panel.)

Click here and here for all the details about this quilt.  Today's post is just pics.

Enjoy!

Tasting Table Tuesday - A Finished Ombre Quilt

Last week I shared the beginnings of my Ombre Quilt.  I finished it yesterday, and attempted a photo-shoot today.

It was so cold and windy, I just knew I wouldn't have any luck with pictures outdoors, so I had to make do with the brightest spot I could find inside, and that still wasn't very bright.

It's hard to get the colors to look true, but this is the closest I could get.  It really is the most gorgeous shade of aqua/turquoise - honest!

That's why I'm naming this quilt Caribbean Blue.

(click here to see the aqua and all the other colors in the Ombre line on Moda's website.  They take much better pictures than I do!)

It still amazes me that this entire quilt top is made from one individual fabric!  The gradient effect is magical.

To begin the quilting process, I threaded my Juki with Smoke MonoPoly and stitched-in-the-ditch of each seam to help stabilize the quilt sandwich.  This really helped keep the layers from shifting, since all the quilting was in one direction.

Then I switched to Real Orange So Fine #50 thread, and stitched parallel lines 1/2" apart, diagonally across the quilt (with my walking foot), curving the lines as they crossed each sphere to further enhance the 3D effect.  It isn't the "spinning" effect I had hoped for, but I still love the dimension it gives.

Since I used Elmer's Washable School Glue to baste the circles in place, and a Water Soluble Blue Marker to mark the quilting lines, I had no choice but to soak the quilt when I finished the quilting.  I have washed my quilts after binding, but never before binding.  I blocked it onto a styrofoam board and left it on my screened porch to dry.

It turned out so square and flat, that I'm now sold on blocking!  Yes, it takes a little more time, and I doubt I'll do it to every quilt I make, but it's definitely worth doing for wall quilts that will hang for display.

I used Kona Caribbean for the binding, and added some Bright Orange Batik Piping as a "zinger".

The backing was a piece I picked up from my local quilt shop, called "Modern Roses" by Stephanie Ryan for Moda.  It's a perfect compliment to the front, don't you think?

Until next Tuesday...

Cheers!

Tasting Table Tuesday - An Ombre Quilt

I started collecting Ombre fabrics quite a while ago.  Their subtle gradation of color is so appealing to me.  I have been hesitant to cut into any of them though, because I just couldn't decide what to do with them.

A few weeks ago, a friend showed me a picture of a quilt that just blew my mind.  It looked like it had three dimensional spheres on it.  I couldn't get that quilt out of my mind, so I ordered the pattern.  It's called Orbital View by Mary Lou Hallenbeck of H.D.Designs (here is a link to the shop I bought it from).

The pattern calls for 4 different colors of ombre fabrics.  I had this gorgeous piece of Aqua Ombre by V and Co. and opted to just use the one color.

I used the pattern to make my blocks, but altered the layout as well.  Here is my variation of the Orbital View Quilt, with the blocks all laid out on the floor, ready to assemble.

Every time I look at this, I'm amazed that the entire quilt contains just ONE fabric!  The color gradation does all the work.

I can't wait to get this all sewn together so I can start quilting it.  My plan is to quilt it so the spheres look like they're spinning.  Hope it works!

Cheers!