This week, I'm sharing the project I made for the Oakshott Scandinavia Challenge over on Sew Mama Sew! When Kristin and Beth announced that the next challenge was Scandinavian designs, I flipped right to my sketchbook page littered with motifs from the movie Frozen (have I ever mentioned how much I love Disney movies? Because I do). I love the clean, modern look of the architecture in that film (I also love the rosemaling accents in the film, which is drastically different, but there you have it).
The Scandinavia Oakshott Cottons are a rainbow of calm, glittering colors; they give off an ethereal feel. If you've never worked with Oakshott, you must! These shot cottons really do shimmer in the light and they are so easy to work with. They quilt up beautifully, too:
Bound in Stockholm, the darkest color of the bunch.
The backing: I pieced together scraps in a rainbow cascade. Now this table topper is double-sided and ready to be used this winter. My mom wants to hang it on a wall - whatever works for her. :)
I decided the middle squares needed something special, so I searched my sketchbook for some mandala or medallion inspiration. Nothing (now I'm inspired, though, so that might change).
Then, I went to Google (oh, wise Google), typed in "mandala coloring books," and found Quality Kid's Crafts. I printed out the first PDF because it was exactly what I was looking for! I simply scaled the image down, pinned it to the quilt, and quilted right through the paper. In the past, I had done this for Shirley's Stars with great success in my book.
It was not easy getting the paper out of the small middle sections, but it was worth it (I found another use for my seam ripper, at least. Eternal optimist here).
Quilting brings peace of mind.
Thank you Oakshott and Sew Mama Sew for providing the fabrics for this challenge. It was great fun! Make sure to check out all the other challengers this week!
Jessica Skultety from Quilty Habit (that's me!)
Jennifer Fullteron from Never Just Jennifer
Mary Kolb from Mary on Lake Pulaski
Casey York from The Studiolo
Caitlin Topham from Salty Oat
Linking up to: My Quilt Infatuation, TGIFF, Crazy Mom Quilts.

It looks great, Jess, and I love that is is double sided. Great tip for the center quilting. And there are never too many uses for a seam ripper. I call mine my multi-purpose tool !
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! The fabric is lovely. I am very impressed with the source of your inspiration for this project! And thanks for the quilting ideas!
ReplyDeleteWonderful quilting on this lovely quilt!
ReplyDeleteThose colors!! So calm and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought on the fabrics was calming. they are lovely and you made it great with the quilting
ReplyDeleteI trace my quilting designs on wash away stabilizer, quilt through it, tear away all I can and then spritz the rest with water so it dissolves. Love your quilt.
ReplyDeleteyour quilt is really pretty. What a lovely little finish. (And thank you for the link! I have to go back and add that to my post!)
ReplyDeleteI will totally be looking at all the floors next time I watch Frozen! This turned out really nice, the colors are so pretty together. I love how shot cottons are allllmoooost a solid, and they quilt up beautifully! When I print out something I want to quilt, I then trace it onto a water-soluble stabilizer, and then quilt through it. No tiny paper bits or loose stitches! Just soak it in some water when you are all done. Someone actually asked me to do a tutorial about it...maybe I should do that soon.
ReplyDeleteComgrats with this beautiful finish. Lovely quilting!!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful Jess. I love the subtle colours and the quilting is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful link-up to TGIFF! Very pretty finish, Jess. You're right - I can see it sitting gorgeously on a white table. Or on a blonde wooden table like the one downstairs. . .I may have to explore these kinds of colors. ;D I also love that you took your cues from "Frozen" and produced a lovely adult quilt!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! I love the colors and all that quilting! Gorgeous! What a great idea for the centers...I may give that a try!
ReplyDeleteWow, these fabrics really allow your quilting to shine. What a beauty!
ReplyDeleteLove the colors!
ReplyDeleteWow, fabulous quilt, and quilting! I was on a table topper kick for a while there - this may get me going again.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful soft colors. You blended them beautifully in your design, and your quilting is just awesome!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful colors and so soft and pretty.
ReplyDeleteThe quilting is perfect for this project - great job!
ReplyDeleteI think this is so beautiful. What a great use of the fabric. And thanks for the tip for quilting through paper designs! I hate marking, and like to decide on designs as I go. This will work perfectly.
ReplyDeleteLovely topper, Jess. Love the muted colors and the quilting really makes it shine.
ReplyDeleteYour quilting is very clever and what a good idea to use those mandala colouring sheets. Did you print them on tissue paper for easy removal? Or did you use a shorter stitch length? I am curious to learn more about that!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to use papers for the quilting! Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeletePlease click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.
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ReplyDeleteThis is a sweet little quilt! Such softness is revealed in the color combination of the Oakshott fabrics. And the quilting is divine! Thanks for sharing your tips on the quilting.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt with spectacular quilting! Love the oakshot fabrics and the pastels are refreshing.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Well done!
ReplyDeleteLovely topper, Jessica. I like the front as well as the back, and I really like the way the pale scandinavian colors would blend with almost any decor.
ReplyDeletelove those colors
ReplyDeleteThe pastel colors remind me of sorbet. I also like your spirograph quilting motif very much! ljbisme at msn dot com
ReplyDeleteSecond thing I noticed was the design in the cernter of each block. Thanks for explaining. It is so pretty. I think it would be calming to have on the table.
ReplyDeleteLovely colors and beautiful quilting design!
ReplyDeleteso pretty. what a beauty!
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