Bangles...

When I flipped through Sarah Fielke's book,  Hand Quilted With Love, the first time, the gorgeous "Bangles" quilt caught my eye immediately. Oh no, Y-seams. Yes, every seam is a Y-seam. I decided I'd just enjoy the picture in her book. No curling up with this quilt on the sofa. But then I saw this one and this one. Armed with some encouragement and inspiration, I set out to make my own Bangles quilt!

I started with the beautiful prints from Blythe, some coordinating stash fabrics, and the pattern. The quilt uses templates and I decided it could be rotary cut with my hexagon ruler {I added painter's tape to mark the exact lines I needed} and a freezer paper template.

And to my surprise, I found that I rather enjoyed all those Y-seams. It was a slow process, but not a difficult one. Actually a rather relaxing one.

And I so love the result. The colors, the intricate-looking design, the play of pattern...

Love it all...

I'm always a bit afraid to start quilting on a quilt that I love so much. I ended up doing a back and forth wave on the print fabrics using a yellow Aurifil thread which seemed to blend nicely with all of the colors. I was able to stitch from edge to edge across the quilt by quilting half a "bangle" and moving on to the next one. Starting again on the edge, the second halves were quilted.

In the white hexagons, I quilted a flower motif. I drew this freehand with a disappearing marker. You could easily do this without marking, but I like having a line to follow.

The back is several pieces from the inspiration line. I hadn't planned on using the darker floral piece, but found it on my recent trip to Virginia and couldn't resist adding a bit. It's so beautiful...

We're enjoying an amazingly colorful Fall this year. I couldn't resist sharing how nicely the berries on my Beautyberry bush compliment my quilt. Every Fall I'm in awe of them. Living proof that we can make beautiful quilts, but only God can make the beauty found in nature.

Enjoy the season!