Purple Orange Peels

I am knee deep in Quilt Market prep. Contracts, logistics, writing new quilt patterns, booth design, quilt making, marketing...the list is a mile long. So March's Island Batik ambassador quilt got squeezed in at the end of the month among a lot of other things!

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If you're new here, hello! I'm Laura! I design quilt patterns, and I'm a self-proclaimed deal hunter! Be sure to join the popular Quilting & Sewing Deals Facebook group where I post sales, deals, and coupon codes from all around the web!

The March challenge topic was "Vintage Reimagined." I hunted for inspiration in lots of places, but ultimately, I chose this vintage quilt that was sewn by my great grandmother as a gift for my parents many years ago. I decided I would make a few jumbo blocks for a modern version of the quilt.

I started by pulling out all the purple Island Batik fabrics. I was shocked at how many I had! I sorted them from light to dark to try and pick out which would work best for my version of my great-grandmother's quilt.

However, this is when the fabric told me it wanted to do something else. That it didn't like my idea for the challenge. I argued. Hard. I didn't have time for anything else. Despite my best efforts, the fabric won. I chose 15 Island Batik purples that together created an ombre effect.

I used EQ to print out a template for an orange peel, then traced it 256 times onto Lite Steam-A-Seam 2. Then I pressed those onto the purple fabrics. A few of the fabrics were definitely small scraps, so I had to be quite creative in placing the orange peels in order to get enough of each color! Then I hand cut each orange peel with scissors.

I mocked up the quilt in EQ so I could try a few different options for the background color. I wanted to use white (which I still love!), but when I switched it to black, I audibly gasped! I knew I had to use the black!

I cut the background fabric (the solid black by Island Batik) about 44" long. I cut it the same as the width of fabric to make a square. Then using a white water soluble pencil, I drew lines onto the background fabric to create 2 1/2" squares.

Creating the quilt top was SO easy! I just peeled the paper off each orange peel and placed it on the background fabric. Each orange peel fit perfectly inside the drawn squares! (Thanks to EQ for making that work!) Pressing it was all it took to finish the top!

I sewed two pieces of Island Batik fabric together for the back, then made the quilt sandwich using Hobbs black batting. After using it in this quilt, I'm hooked! It really does work well, and I knew it was perfect for this quilt too! I pin basted so I could quilt it on my domestic Juki machine.

I picked light, medium, and dark purple Aurifil threads for quilting (#2562, #2540, and #4225), then free motioned 1/8" inside the edge of each orange peel. This would applique the peels onto the quilt, but also quilt it at the same time! I started in the center with the lightest thread, and moved from peel to peel in a way that enabled me to start in one spot and end in the exact same spot! (If you're not familiar with Dorie Hruska's "one start, one stop" method, I highly recommend her book!)

Once all the peels were sewn on, I machine stitched the binding (tutorial here).

I made the quilt from start to finish in just three evening sewing sessions!

The hardest and longest part was actually taking photos of the finished quilt! I finished the quilt a few days ago, but it's been raining non-stop since then! It was finally sunny today, so we ventured out!

This is my 16th quilt finish for the year, and my 253rd quilt since I started quilting 9 years ago! In fact, the baby that inspired me to make my very first quilt just turned 9 last week! (You can read about that quilt here.)

I hope you're buckled up, because April is going to be a whirlwind of quilty things around here! It's six weeks until Market, and I'll be sharing as much as I can with you here beforehand. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook, as I'll be sharing all of the behind the scenes work in my stories there.

Next week, I'll be releasing the first of four new quilt patterns in preparation for Market, and you definitely won't want to miss it! It's a collaboration between me and a *sweet* friend! (That's a clue!)

Linking up with Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, What I Made Monday at Pretty Piney Quilts, Favorite Finish at Meadow Mist Designs, Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter, Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication, Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting.

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