modernJax: Charming Cuckoo

Thanks for all your kind words about my Caravan fabric. I'm not completely giving up hope on it, just putting it away for a couple of weeks. I've got a couple of projects to start and finish in the next two weeks, so I had to get my sneak peak from last post done.

So without further ado:

Charming Cuckoo

When I saw the contest announcement for the March Moda Bake Shop Challenge, I knew it was kismet. I had just fallen head-over-heels in love with Hideaway. I quickly found a pattern on the Bake Shop called Charming Stars that seemed perfect.

The original pattern called for yardage to make the stars. I wanted to play up the gingham in the Hideaway line and I already had two charm packs. I was trying not to buy too much yardage, so I bought another charm pack. That meant getting really creative on how I sewed the stars to minimize waste, but it all worked out.

I knew I wanted to include embroidery in the quilt and was thinking I would have to design a cuckoo clock pattern. About a day later Aimee Ray released her cuckoo clock pattern. Kismet! I really drug out the stitching, which is why I ultimately missed the deadline for the contest (and somehow the linen I stitched on --originally the same white as the sashing-- became discolored), but I wouldn't love this as much without the embroidery so I am A-OK with it.

I happened to have a yard of the cute village print from the day I was introduced to the fabric, but I thought it needed a little something extra. These mini stars were just the ticket.

And I couldn't just meander around the embroidery, so I did a bit of stippling in each star and then quilted a series of chained circles in the sashing. I was thinking clocks but they look more like eggs. I'm A-OK with that, too.

Particularly because I think the quilted back is pretty cool. I talked myself into doing a solid piece of kona for the backing -- this is meant to be a wall quilt, so the back won't be seen; kona is cheaper than a good quality print, and little piecing means a fast backing! Now I'm really glad I did, and I'm thinking maybe someday I'll tackle a whole cloth quilt.