EBDQS4 quilt top

Here's the completed quilt top. It's a wholecloth quilt; I chose some of Karen Stone's Cinco de Mayo blocks (which are based on the Radiant New York Beauty block) and marked them on the fabric using a Clover blue water-soluble marker. I marked the block grid with rulers first, then traced the blocks into place one at a time. Then I quilted the 'patches' with different colours and textures instead of piecing them. I worked out the layout in EQ7, but chose the colours and textures as I quilted. I used 10 colours of Auriful cotton Mako 50, and one 50wt Guterman cotton. The white (front and back) is all bottom line, and I went through five bobbins of the stuff on the back!

I tried to use as many different patterns as possible, but did repeat a few. Most of the patterns I doodled, but a few came from Leah's blog. The border is McTavished, and the white background of each block is finely feathered - all but a few feathers are under an inch long. I chose to leave one row of triangles unquilted in most of the blocks, because of the texture and contrast it added.

(Different lighting and showing some of the binding fabrics I auditioned;
I went for a black with a delicate white filigree pattern.)

The back is plain white Bottom-line thread, but some of the coloured threads show through where they were threaded-in, and some of the colours show through a little, too. This will look fun when backlit!

I'll photograph it properly outside on Friday, when it's bound, with a label and hanging sleeve. But before I can label it, I need to come up with a name; I have an idea around which to base the name, but haven't come up with something that's quite right yet.