Hello! I wanted to share with you my quilt top that I had recently completed and entered into QuiltCon West 2016. I had sketched out the bones of this design back in the fall of 2014. It was incomplete but mostly it was just a starting point. Just something for me to reference back to in case I ever felt inspired to finish it. Since inspiration never came, I decided it would be best to make this as a sampler, so I could see what it would like look as a quilt top. The majority of this quilt was improvised. I wasn't sure which shapes would be which colors, and since the design was not complete, I wasn't even sure what the final product was going to look like. It helped that I chose a cohesive palette. I originally was going to frame it in black and then place a white border around that before binding it. This was not planned and was not decided upon until I reached that point in the decision process. When I had completed the binding, the white border did not include the black pluses in the corners. I reached out to Instagram, and a lovely bunch of people suggested it. Thank you if you were one of those who suggested black pluses because it came out fabulous. I had also thought about incorporating 1981 somewhere in the quilt, but that never happened. To balance out the large negative spaces of color, I added a strip of small piecing in the upper left corner, and to balance that out, I added the four triangles in the bottom right corner. I would love to make this a bigger version as this only measures 39" x 42". The biggest crime and mistake I made with this quilt was not entering it to be judged at QuiltCon West. I only entered it. I still beat myself up about it, but the reason I didn't get it judged was because I felt that I would be critiqued harshly on my hand stitching. It's definitely not perfect, but I think that is what lends beautifully to the handmade look. It is handmade. I don't know why I ever listened to that little devil inside of me. Why 1981? This quilt is a dedication to my creative life and journey. I love making things, and I hope it shows. I had a few people say it reminds them of certain artists. Some I have never heard of like Charley Parker and Mondrian. Others, like Picasso, I do know. But none of these artists were in mind during the making of this. It literally was a sit down and draw, let's pull out some fabric, and let's-hope-for-the-best kind of quilt making. So it all worked out in my favor in the end, and I couldn't be more thankful. It makes me so happy when I look at it. :) xx nancy One year ago: Birchen Quilt top Two years ago: Crafty Travelers Series Three years ago: Creating with the Stars Four years ago: Fabric Birds I have a book!