Friday, June 30, 2017

The Graduate

I've been keeping this one under wraps so it would be a surprise.  Another family friend graduated from high school this year.  Unlike my last graduation gift I actually finished this one in time for her to take it off to college in the fall.

I chose this Helix pattern by the Tulip Patch as a nod to the STEM curriculum at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).  Another fan of purple I went back to my stash.  I think this design needs two high contrast colors to really work.  I decided to go with yellow, another color that I don't have a lot of.  Scrappy quilts aren't really thing so I think using two colors I had in small supply made me push past my usual matchy-matchy tendencies.

With my squares cut I got to work making my HSTs...  all 144 of them.

The great thing about this quilt is that while it looks complicated it's actually quite simple to construct.  Once all the HSTs are made it's just a matter of putting them together into these star blocks.

I debated how I was going to quilt this for awhile.  My first impulse was to schedule an appointment at Burlington Electric Quilters but I didn't think I could find a chevron pantograph and my ruler work isn't that good.  In the end I cleared my living room to baste this and quilted it at home.  I used a Hera marker to mark my quilting lines.  It's amazing how easy they are to follow and yet they totally disappear with a fluff in the dryer.

I used the last of my bolt of Fog Cotton Couture to make bias binding to finish this.

I'm so happy with how this turned out...

And the back.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 70" x 95"
Pattern: Helix by the Tulip Patch.
Fabrics: Assorted purple and yellow fabrics from stash.  Michael Miller Cotton Couture Fog.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Grey (2605).

9 comments:

  1. Love everything about this quilt - the design, the colors, the very modern vibe and points that are so neat, it makes me jealous!!! A terrific graduation present.
    Visiting from Crazy Mom Quilts
    Sew Preeti Quilts

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  2. This is beautiful! I love the scrappy front and the large scale print on the back.

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  3. Alidiza,
    What an amazing quilt. It really is lovely. The colors coordinate/contrast with each other so well - I'm not a purple fan either, but it's nice to go outside the box now and then, right?! I think the quilting really makes the quilt, too - it doesn't distract or detract from the pattern itself. I'll bet that new grad is thrilled all the way around. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  4. This is a really cool quilt. I like the design running down the center, it gives it a very modern vibe. Nice!

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  5. Visiting from Crazy Mom Quilts. Now that looks like a FUN quilt to make! I really, really like it and your quilting is the perfect choice! You did a great job with it.

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  6. What a great looking quilt! Super color combo and love the pattern.

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