Finally took the leap and cut into my beautiful box of Denyse Schmidt's Modern Solids collection for Free Spirit Fabrics. I had been waffling between several different ideas for my entry in the Modern Solids, Traditional Inspiration challenge -- with this box of 75 full-spectrum fat quarters, the possibilities are literally endless! -- but ultimately decided to pick a direction and take the plunge.
Inspiration came to be in the form of my friend Angela Pingel's new book, A Quilter's Mixology: Shaking Up Curved Piecing. I fell in love with her Petal Pushers quilt and envisioned a version in Denyse's bright rainbow of colors, but with a few slight alterations.
First, I had planned on 3 shades of a particular color for each block. But these blocks are BIG! Finishing at 24", the fat quarters don't stretch quite far enough to make a complete block. No worries! I decided to dive into my Denyse Schmidt collection to pull out a couple of coordinating scraps to help complete each block. I thought this felt in the spirit of Denyse's classic log cabin blocks, but with a bit of a twist.
Second, I decided that I am going to assemble the quilt top with the blocks on point. As much as I like Angela's original layout, I prefer to look at these blocks tilted on a 45-degree angle. On point, they are more diamond in shape and remind me of paper lanterns.
I had mentioned previously that the challenge would also entail some fun giveaways, and I am so excited that Free Spirit has provided me with a fat quarter bundle of Denyse Schmidt's Hadley collection for one lucky Quilt Dad winner. Stay tuned for details on how to enter!