Blossom Burst was created as my entry for the 2019 MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge. This quilt is 48″ by 48″ and much to my surprise, it won first place in challenge! For this quilt I designed freezer paper piecing templates using Adobe Illustrator. The blocks feature triangles, diamonds and parallelograms in finished sizes of 3″, 4″, 5″ and 6″.
First, I tested my templates to make sure they looked the way I wanted. Next, I used colored pencils and paper to sketch out my color transitions using the color palette I picked. I liked my first attempt on the left best, and got to work.
See the evolution of Blossom Burst on my “design floor” over time in the video below. The picture quality is poor due to bad lighting in my tiny downtown apartment at the time. I started out making blocks that I knew belonged in different areas according to my color sketch, and then filled in from there to blend around the quilt.
Blossom Burst was also selected to be a part of the MQG Showcase at International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX in October of 2019. I made a day trip to Houston (yes, same day flights) to attend the show and see it hanging in person. I met up with Audrey of Cotton & Bourbon and we (along with the flat Steph Skardal I made) were able to hang out and walk the show. It was a great day!
The Details
- Finished Size: 48″ x 48″
- Fabric Front: Riley Blake – Blossom in Baby Pink, On White Navy, Denim, Tone on Tone White, & Navy; Basic Shades in Robin; 1/8″ Stripes in Denim, Navy, Mustard & Baby Pink; Crayola Kaleidoscope in Robins Egg; and Confetti Cotton Solids in White, Denim, Navy, Yellow & Fuchsia
- Fabric Back: Riley Blake – Blossom in Baby Pink, On White Navy, Shades in Robin, and Confetti Cotton Solids in Denim & Fuchsia
- Binding: Scrappy using Riley Blake 1/8″ Stripes in Denim, Navy, Yellow & Baby Pink
- Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Bleached
- Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
- Shows:
- MQG Showcase at International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, October 2019
- QuiltCon 2020, Austin, TX, February 2020
- Publications: None
- Awards: First Place, MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge, 2019
