Friday, February 19, 2016

Echo: An Orange Peel Quilt

This quilt has been floating around in my sketchbook for a while (as many other orange peel designs are). When Northcott Fabrics asked me to make a quilt for their QuiltCon booth using just 5 squares of purple solids, I knew this was the one!


Using Colorworks Premium Solids 9000: purple - #86, light gray - 900, dark gray - 910)



I made orange peels in three sizes, using the technique I teach in my Orange Peels and Improv workshop. The purple orange peels are laid out in one of the traditional ways, so that I could modernize the quilt with the repeating blocks (side note - now I really want to make a traditional orange peel quilt). I also set the traditional block to the right side in an attempt at alternate gridwork.


I quilted the LIFE into this. Hardcore. Can you tell the quilting took twice (maybe three times) as long as the piecing? I wanted the two backgrounds to contrast clearly in both quilting and color shade. My husband gave me the idea of quilting outwards from the traditional block to emphasize the echo. #Quiltthelifeintoit. Forever and ever. :)

You can really see the quilting on the back!! I used Aurifil threads 2610 and 2600 to create this effect. I also used #4225, a great purple shade, for appliqueing and sketch quilting over the purple orange peels.

Backing Colorworks Premium Solid #231

A thought: I've been making more solid-only quilts in the last couple of years. Maybe it's growing on me. Maybe I'm just imbibing the trend from the modern quilt world. I still LOVE prints, though, and  combining prints and solids. Nevertheless, this quilt has made it into my top favorite makes because of the purple, simplicity, and the quilting opportunities. 

Also, just a second to chat about Northcott Solids (my honest opinion, as always) - I had never worked with them before, and they were SO SOFT and pleasant! Definitely going to incorporate them into my quilts from now on. Just saying.


Here's my quilt hanging in the Northcott Fabric booth this weekend in Pasadena, California! Thank you to Renee (@quiltsnfeathers) for the photo. By the way, did you know Renee WON the Machine Quilting - Frameless Award at QuiltCon? She ROCKS!!


Also, here it is with the other quilts for the Chip Pack Challenge! Use 5 pieces (I only used four) of Pansy purple fabric #86! I'll post the link here when it's up.




Yay QuiltCon! I didn't go this year, but I was there in spirit. More soon about trends/the winners. :) I've got a lot to say in the March issues of The Wonky Press.

Thank you again to Northcott Fabrics for the opportunity to participate in this challenge! 


14 comments:

  1. How absolutely cool your quilt is hanging in QuiltCon. Congrats on that. I think you've done a beautiful job on the design and quilting. And...I'll have to try some Northcott. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you so much!! It was really a fun project to put together. :)

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  2. Wow! How neat to have your quilt hanging at a big locale. Wonderful.

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  3. Love love LOVE! Nicely done!

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  4. Beautiful design, and wonderful quilting.

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  5. Beautiful job, I love the quilting you did, it really brings to the quilt to another level.

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  6. gorgeous. do you do all that quilting on your regular sewing machine by hand or do you use a long arm machine. i really want to learn

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    1. Hi kidsmom! This is all done on a regular sewing machine. It's TOTALLY doable. You can do it!

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  7. This looks snazzy Jess. I love the petals and your intense quilting skills

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  8. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF. How awesome to find this post. I'm guessing the Renae you mention is the same Renae in my Stash Bee Group who requested an Orange Peel block and linked up to one of your posts for tutorial help in making them. Also Elaine from Northcott was at the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild and mentioned bringing quilts from Canadian designers (who knew you were Canadian when I visited your site before!). This quilt is really wonderful and I was wishing you were closer to where I am so I could take your workshops!

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  9. It was beautiful hanging in the booth, Jess. :)

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  10. This looked like such a fun quilt to quilt! Lots of fun patterns and angles and shapes. And I totally can't believe I won, thanks for the shout out! :-*

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  11. Lovely quilt! Congrats on being in QuiltCon. The quilting is so wonderful! Inspired.

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