Architextures and Botanics [A Finish]

I started this quilt five years ago. My plan was a sampler quilt of 6" blocks from a variety of sources using fat quarter bundles of Architextures and Botanics, the first two fabric lines from Carolyn Friedlander, along with coordinating Kona solids. I made 20 blocks then moved on to other projects.

Fast forward to 2018 and I was looking for a fabric plan for the final instalment of 100 days 100 blocks quilt-along hosted by @gnomeangle using Tula Pink's City Sampler book. Having made it a few times I was out of ideas for new colour palettes. It was a logical step, therefore, to pick up the Architextures and Botanics blocks and finally make enough for a finished quilt. In the intervening years, Carolyn had released a few more fabric ranges so I added in what I had from Doe, Carkai, Friedlander and Gleaned, as well as the newly released colours of some of her classic Architextures prints.

I found out that I was pregnant with Joshua just before the quilt-along kicked off. I had no energy and really didn't feel like sewing, but I knew that if I didn't join in in July, I would regret it in September when I was feeling better.... I wasn't feeling better in September but I kept up with the blocks and it made me keep sewing over the summer which did me good!

I kept the momentum going and made a decision not to use sashing in the final quilt. This meant I was more inclined to get it together as a finished quilt top whilst on retreat in October. But once done I didn't really like it...

I put it away. But as one of the few quilts I've ever made with no pink in it, and a baby boy on the way, I added it to my quarter 1 Finish Along list. And when I got it out again, I quite liked it! Backing caused me trouble. I often use duvet covers as backing but I really couldn't find one I liked that worked with the quilt. Hidden away in a draw I had a huge piece of mustard Chroma by Alison Glass. I had intended to use it for a different quilt back but changed my mind. It seemed to work with this quilt. And added a flicker of pink!

It's quilted in Aurifil 50w in mustard. I free motion quilted "stright" lines approximately a quarter inch both side of the seam lines between blocks. The lines are a bit wobbly but it was much more enjoyable than using a walking foot. It's bound in Kona Gotham Grey.