A Finish! Madrona Road Challenge Quilt

Someday I will take 'artful' photos of quilts on a fence, on the grass, etc.  It was too cold and dark when I finished this to try.

This is my first finish for 2013!  I received seven fat eights of Violet Craft's Madrona Road fabric at the December Meeting of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild.  The Michael Miller Fabric Company offered the fabric to participating guilds.

The challenge rules were to create a quilt, at least 18" x 18" using only the Madrona Road fabric issued, other fabric from the line or solids.  The design was to be a modern take on a traditional block, and the traditional block was to appear somewhere on the quilt.  

My first pieced back!  I was glad to see it turned out pretty straight...

I used Elizabeth Hartman's Wonky 9-patch Trellis design and alternated traditional 9-patches with wonky 9-patches on the pieced back.

Quilting detail on the back.

I quilted wavy lines through the 'trellis' and free motion flowers in the white squares.

Quilting detail on front.

The wavy lines did not turn out exactly as I envisioned, but I think they are effective, especially where they cross.  The flowers were inspired by Angela Walters' "Flower Power" from her book, "Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters"

Before I resolved to sew from my stash last fall, I had purchased some half yard cuts of Madrona Road, but in the other colorway.  The only one that I felt worked in this project was the text print on white.  I also added some Kona solids in purple, blue, mustard and grey.  I pieced the binding with the gray, blue and purple and added some of the blue Haystack print that I mis-cut and couldn't use for the blocks.

I should have cut the binding a little wider, to account for the heavier Kona, especially since I had starched the fabric when pressing.  I realized it was a bit scant, but in my haste to finish I didn't want to take it off and resew it with a smaller seam allowance.  I stitched it down really securely though, so I think it will be fine, just more narrow on the back than the front.

These colors are not ones that I am drawn to, but I think it works.  The finished quilt is about 40" x 50". I think it could be a modem baby quilt.

The reveal will be at the February KCMQG meeting.  I know from looking at our Facebook page there will be lots of interesting quilts. 

 Can't wait to see them!

To see more  Madrona Road Challenge quilt finishes check out today's post at the Modern Quilt Guild or the Flikr group here.