Quilt Reveal - 2020 Color Challenge

 I love when it's time to reveal quilts!

I enjoyed making the blocks each month and learning about the birds that 

Jen - of Patterns by Jen used to introduce each month's color. 

I think that is such a fun way to choose colors!  

These fabrics...

have turned into these two quilts.

If you followed along each month of 2020, you know that I used a group of batiks that I purchased from Once Upon a Quilt in Ft. Lauderdale 

while I was there for a workshop in Dec. of 2019.

Like I had done the previous year, I decided to make two sets of blocks. This time one set would be made with a white background and one with black. 

After making the first couple of blocks, I started thinking about the quilt layout. I have to admit that when I work with batiks, I typically use either a black or white for the background. I think those two colors just make the batiks pop and look awesome. Here are a couple of examples of quilts that I've made that demonstrate what I mean.

Compass Points - Tamarinis

Bloom - Cut Loose Press pattern

Mandalynn - Busy Hands Quilts

Prairie Star - Judy Niemeyer

See what I mean? How could I go wrong with using black and white background fabric?

I was considering making one very large quilt (these two each measure 63" x 81") and incorporate both sets of blocks into one quilt. It didn't take long before I changed my mind and decided that I was going to go a different route.

Look closely at the two quilts and you will see that they are exactly the same, except for the background fabrics. 

Every block is in the same place, framed by the same fabric, sashing stars are identical, and even the scrappy flanged binding fabrics are placed in identical order. 

(Yep! I may be a little OCD.) 

I even made the backings identical, just changing the color/fabric. 

It's hard to see, but I quilted both of these the same way as well - with a free motion loopy design. You can really see it on the white quilt, but not so much on the black one.

Because the blocks were placed randomly and not according to the month they were completed, I decided to place the scrappy flange binding in the order the fabric was used. Realizing that didn't really tell me which fabric was used first, I decided to add a little reference guide in the binding. 

Since it's on top, I know that yellow was the January color and red was December. All the other months/fabric fall in the correct order in between those two. Just to be sure that I have it correct, the flange fabrics follow the same order as the fabrics in the guide. I think this is just plain fun and adds a bit of interest.  :-) 

I like this addition to the binding and have done it on some other quilts. 

On this one, I took the opportunity to add my label at the same place 

as the binding addition.

Even though I had lots of time to get pictures of this quilt, of course I waited until it was a windy day. It's always so much fun trying to take pictures when it's windy. Jack is feeling better, which is a good thing because and he and Lynn were pretty darn quick at stopping the rack from being blown over. 

I had a couple of other great helpers too! Whenever a big gust of wind would start, these two would run over and stand in front of the quilt, trying to hold it in place. 

Peyton even got down on the ground and held the bottom of the quilt so I could get a picture of the binding from the back.  :-) 

I am one lucky woman to have this much help. 

Not a single one of them mentioned the fact that I could have taken 

these pictures a month ago.  :-)

Let's see some other finished 2020 Monthly Challenge quilts!

This is just a handful of the many other quilters who met the challenge and created some amazing projects. 

Patterns by Jen

(Our amazing hostess for the challenge!)

Quilty Creations by Fawn

Home Sewn by Us

Sew Joy Creations

rainbows. bunnies. cupcakes

Pieceful Thoughts

Anja Quilts

I had a lot of fun making these blocks and quilts, and 

I'm already enjoying the 2021 blocks. 

There's still time to participate in for the 2021 Challenge. 

Simply go to Jen's blog and get the free pattern.

I hope you join the fun!

 

I already know how I'm going to finish my 2021 projects. 

Hopefully I won't wait until a windy, rainy, or snowy day to take pictures.  :-) 

Reveal - 2019 Color Challenge Quilts

I've been teasing you lately with pictures of my completed 2019 Color Challenge quilt blocks and bindings (even more so on social media!), but I'm ready to share the quilts today.

As I have said before, I made two full sets of blocks and just reversed the fabric placement. See THIS post to see what I mean. Even though I toyed with the idea of making one large quilt, I ultimately decided to make two separate quilts, and I'm very happy with my choice.  :-)

I used Jen's awesome Checkered Rainbow setting for the original blocks, and I love how it looks. I loved the look of a black and white border, but I also knew that I didn't want to use a solid black and white. What was a girl to do?  I was thrilled when I found this Wilmington Prints fabric - Bubble Up. 

Isn't it perfect? I paired it with this Zen Chic Spotted Black fabric.

Success!

And just because I love a good side view of a quilt...

Do you see what I mean about how beautifully that Bubble Up fabric works?  

I used the Spotted Black for my backing and while it's difficult to see in pictures, I like how the quilting design shows up on it. 

Jen has great instructions on the Checkered Rainbow option on her blog. Be sure to check it out. I did add an additional small black border (1.5" finished) so I could sew a flange binding and not lose any of my points. 

The Checkered Rainbow border and sashing was somewhat time consuming and labor intensive - but so well worth it! I decided that my second quilt was going to have a very simple border and sashing offering. 

I chose two fabrics - the Spotted Black (can you tell that I really liked this fabric and bought a bunch of it? lol) and Grey Rustic Weave by Moda to frame the blocks. The grey looks slightly brown in this picture, but it is grey.

I framed the blocks, alternating the fabrics with a 1.5" finished frame. Technically, that made the finished block size 15". I then laid out the blocks in the same order as the first quilt. I played around with borders and decided that I needed/wanted to use the Bubble Up fabric because it had so many of the block colors in it. After sewing on that 2" finished border, I decided that I couldn't end with that fabric, so I added a 3" finished border of the Spotted Black. I was still a bit underwhelmed when the top was together, but while I was picking up fabrics to put away, I decided that a scrappy binding made from all the Starlet fabrics (Blank Quilting) that I used for the blocks just might solve the "boring" problem. I think I made the right decision.

Of course, here are the obligatory side view pictures. 

Because these quilts are so colorful (I guess the challenge worked!), I thought it would be fun to photograph them in a park or playground. We are fortunate to have one very close to us, so Jack and I took advantage of the surprisingly good weather and headed to the park. 

Jack actually took most of the pictures this time because he is nursing a sore leg and I didn't want him up on a step stool (which you can see in some of the pictures, but I don't care). When he takes pictures, this is some of what you get.  😄  I guess he hasn't figured out how to delete pictures before handing them over to me.  hahahaha

We had a good time and laughed through much of the picture taking. We tried a lot of different shots, trying to be creative like those other quilters out there. We succeeded in some cases, but failed miserably in others.  lol

We really wanted some good pictures of the two quilts together, just haphazardly hanging side by side. We had good intentions...

And then we thought that we should get some pictures of the bindings and maybe some of the quilting...

Like the Spotted Black, I bought a lot of the Grey Rustic Weave, so I used that for the backing of the second quilt. It shows off the random free motion quilting that I did.  

After we got home, I realized that we didn't get any of the flange binding by itself. Oh well... We did however, get these pictures of the binding. I really like the first picture!

 Even though it doesn't look like it, both quilts measure approximately 60" x 70". I just folded them differently when I was trying to show off the binding.

I am very pleased with these quilts and am looking forward to the 2020 Challenge. Check back tomorrow, because Jen is releasing the first block a day early - December 31st, and I'm blogging about it. Yay!