B.O.W. - a mini quilt failure that actually was none

I seem to make a lot of blue and orange quilts lately... well, it is a beautiful colour combination! 

The is one is called B.O.W. - Blue. Orange. White. 

This quilt was actually the very first attempt for my mini quilt swap at QuiltCon 2020 organised by The Modern Quilt Guild. My swap partner was Audrey Esarey... and the pressure was on. 

I first didn't really like where this project was going but as the quilt was finished it grew on me and now I do really like it. I made Audrey another one though - see blog post here. 

Audrey's quilt is on the right. I used the same colours, and they do look good together! 

I first started to make monochromatic log cabin blocks and then arranged them. 

The orange blocks were always to be the focal point so they did get a special place in the overall design. 

I match stick quilted in a light blue 40wt Aurifil thread. Loved how that turned out. 

I made a faced binding, my go to choice lately. 

I used a bit of linen fabrics, they add such a beautiful texture. 

Here is B.O.W. with the original design source and the quilt that Audrey liked and wanted a mini quilt with the same colours.  

So, I first thought this was a failure - never judge the quilt before it's finished! 

Play Cube - HST Mini Swap

This is only my third time taking part in a swap and it was a lot of fun. The swap is very well organised by Sharon, check out her Instagram profile, she hosts a lot of really fun swaps.

I signed up for the Half Square Triangle HST Mini Swap. We could choose between 2", 3" or 4" squares (unfinished), I opted for 3". The finished size was to be either 18" or 21" square using either 6x6 or 7x7 units. I used 6x6 units.

As it is a secret swap I cannot reveal my partner yet, but she likes cool colours so I opted for turquoise, gray, white and a little bit of green.

I mixed solids and prints and I think that worked really well.

I used double sided tape again and taped the quilt to a converted sea container, which is now an outdoor bar (pretty cool!).

I didn't have name for the quilt until that photo shoot. It just had to be 'Play Cube' taking from the stickers applied to the sea container. Some quilt names just fall into place.

Even though HST are not my favourite thing to sew (why is that squaring off process ever so tedious?) I really enjoyed working on that mini quilt. An I hope my partner likes it as much as I do.

I opted for diagonal straight line quilting with my favourite Aurifil 40wt  #2600 Dove but unfortunately some puckering appeared due to my ongoing problems with my sewing machine. And photos in the blazing sun show that off very clearly...

I cannot adjust the pressure foot pressure and that is causing the fabric to shift.
I am currently saving up for a new machine. All other quilts will have to wait, but this one had a dead line.

Partner, I hope you like the quilt despite the little flaws.