Flowering Snowball Quilt

 

This curve-filled Flowering Snowball quilt began when I bought the pattern and templates from Stitch Supply Co. but then stashed it with my other patterns without really making a plan to start. I knew that I'd want to make it someday, but I wasn't motivated to make that someday happen any time soon.

Then my friend Kelly (@stitchykelly), whom I've known since we were literally babies, posted on Instagram that she was starting on this very same pattern. I responded, "I have that too! Should we make them together?" and that was that. I had a fat quarter bundle of Elizabeth Hartman's Berry Season waiting for the perfect project. This pattern allowed me to pull out a half dozen or so of my least favorite prints (mostly yellow and brown) and use the rest. For the background I turned to my admittedly extensive stash of low volume neutrals and scraps from another quilt in which I mixed them up as well.

I enjoyed cutting all the pieces -- a rotating mat and small rotary cutter are must-haves. The only thing I would have done differently is to put something with more contrast in the junction of the prints, where the little square is. Maybe something dark, and the same fabric in each block so it shows up better.

Piecing the curves went better than I expected. The pattern offers good tips and guidance for best results, like which direction to sew in and where to pin. This was the first time I didn't load up my curves with pins, and it still worked out great.

Keeping with the theme of this project, sewing the blocks together into the top went better than I expected, too. I didn't need to trim the blocks to size, and my seams matched up surprisingly well. This could just be luck, but I think good directions and attention to detail contributed, too.

One thing I struggled with was choosing a backing. I wasn't sure which direction to go in since there are so many small prints and motifs on the front. But this orchid stripe by Rashida Coleman-Hale turned out to be the perfect choice. I ordered a charm pack of this Adorned line first, just to make sure I was happy with the color. Then I found the yardage on sale and ordered a lot (more than I needed for this quilt) because I know I can use it again in the future. Bias striped binding is hard to resist, and once you've made bias binding, you might as well round the corners, so that's how those two things came to be. The quilting was done by a local long armer using the Dainty Lady Floral design by Urban Elementz.

Overall, I'm very happy with how this quilt turned out. I'm keeping it for myself because, well, it was a lot of work! (Also I usually only invest in longarm quilting when I'm keeping the quilt or giving it as a gift.)