Fractured

Here is what I wish I was doing today.... but instead I will iron for an hour...


A few months ago, I whipped out this baby quilt in two days. It went together so quickly and looked so vivid and sharp, I was so impressed. Just 3" diagonal strips pieced together.....



Then quilted 1/4" from each seam.


I made this quilt during the time when I was all gung-ho about using up all the random scraps of fabric that I had lying around my sewing room. I love how black and white can go with almost any color and make it pop! A friend of mine happened to see the quilt and fell in love with it, so when it was time to make one for her wedding, I decided to use the same technique in a different palette. Two days for a quilt, why not?

After meticulously cutting and carefully lying out all my fabric strips (this time Denyse Schmidt, Joel Dewberry, Amy Butler, Monaluna, and a few other randoms), I started sewing them together. Enter calamity..... I started sewing them together at the wrong angle and didn't notice 'til I was a third done. Aaaargh! Random info about me - I HATE seam ripping. I will do almost anything to not rip out seams; including scrapping the whole project. But this was not an option for this quilt. I was using GOOD fabric this time, and I was on a tight timeline. So after a good cup of coffee, drank while glaring at the quilt (how dare it do this to me?), inspiration struck! I took the remaining fabric strips and lay them at odd angles to the piece I had already completed. A thin line of white sashing to separate the different angles gave me this.....


a new quilt pattern that I call "Fractured" (I wanted to call it "Fractured Serendipity", but my husband said that was cheesy). It is a brand new favorite and will be made again. In fact, if I had had more time, I would have kept it for myself and whipped out another one for the wedding gift. I love it when a discouraging mistake turns out so beautifully. Even the one blue corner (see it on the bottom left) adds so much, but is only there because I ran out of the Joel Dewberry fabric I was using for the binding.

A view of the back, where you can see the small pieced section I did, and all the stitching lines from quilting 1/4" from each seam. LOVE it!!

Now I'm off to tackle that mountain of ironing, then I will attempt a few more mistakes :)