A new quilt top to close out the year

I can't believe I finally finished this. While it is only a quilt top and remains a long way from becoming a completed quilt, I am totally enamored with it. I've never thought quilt tops had much personality--that until they are quilted they are rather boring. But, I can't say that about this one.

I almost didn't take this on. When I was making the decision whether or not I wanted to make it, I almost reverted back to my my old way of thinking, back to when I favored traditional, simple, monochromatic quilts. At first glance, I thought this was way too busy for my taste, has too many colors, too many pieces, and just has too much going on for my liking. I wondered if I could even do something so complicated. But that was before I started working on it, but I do love a challenge. And, this certainly fits the bill. Interestingly, I have thought the exact same thing with each of the last several projects I've done. And, I have fallen in love with each of them.

Old ideas are haunting, but I think I have actually changed my thinking, grown in my appreciation for the artful work. It didn't take me long to realize how much I appreciate all the pieces, all the colors, and how it all fits together. 

This was a project offered by thequiltshow.com, one of my favorite goto's for all things quilting. 

This is a design by Australian quilt instructor Irene Blanck who named it Garden Party Down Under. I have an absolute admiration for her and people like her that dream up beautiful quilts and then write clear and concise instructions for others to follow so we can re-create their work in our own way.

Though I didn't deviate from her instructions, I did use my own fabric in the colors that I like. This project was offered as a kit, with fabric included, but I generally like to choose my own. Afterall, that is why I collect fabric. This could even be considered a scrappy quilt, since so many of the pieces are small and leftover from other projects.

This quilt was a real challenge for me for so many reasons, not the least of which was the heavy emphasis on applique. I still consider myself new to needle-turn applique, which I enjoy immensely. I am not completely comfortable with it yet, but I love to practice. I've come to really love hand sewing. 

Once I got through that first month's 'assignment,' the center block, I was hooked. I have said before and will say it again, I love every bit of the process of quiltmaking. With this project, I loved cutting out all the tiny pieces, fitting them into just the right place on a square of fabric, and then hand-sewing them. I took it one step (month) at a time. It took almost every bit of the entire year to make this quilt top. I got a late start so had to play catch-up, but it was something I wanted to do. For a time, it was non-stop sewing day after day, as time allowed. No one is more surprised than I am that I could hang in until the end, right down to those 80 diamonds all the way around the border. 

In the picture above, I laid the quilt out onto the living room floor to get a picture of it. I was surprised to see that it was a pretty good fit for my bed. I had no idea it was that big. 

It will be awhile before I start quilting it. I have one other quilt top that I want to quilt first, and a new BOM to start on next month, not to mention a few other projects I've begun. I will get to it though, and when I do, I will love every minute of it. I'm thinking simple hand-quilting to accentuate the applique. There is no doubt in my mind that I will enjoy quilting it as much as I enjoyed putting all the pieces together. But that will have to come later. For now, I am just happy with how it turned out.