Bohemian Rhapsody

Warning: A wordy post! 

This is the year I emphasize on aesthetic. I have to admit I don't have a signature style and have been very introspective of my design choices to help me find one if such a thing is possible. I find a lot of different styles appealing and the variety in my quilts depict that. I can find a quilt that borders on traditional, to the one that's post modern equally appealing.

One way to ascertain your preference is to preview your Pinterest board and see if you can spot a trend.  I found that I mainly tend to pin quilts made only with solids, however when it comes to making quilts I almost never consider a solid only quilt. My favorite color is purple but I have almost no purple fabric.

So what is it that drives the choice and pattern of the quilts I make. So far it is experimentation. I love working with different types of fabric. I usually start with the fabric and that drives the design. It's rarely the other way around.

For instance, I love the feel of homespun cotton. I bought a few yards and that led to the making of my flying geese quilt. Simple timeless fabric, simple timeless pattern. The same goes for the wonky cross quilt. I had not worked with such a limited palette or quantity of fabric and that led to a very sparse looking quilt. The fat quarter bundle of Hometown by Sweetwater reminded me of Old Glory and that led to the Variable Star Quilt.

Along the same lines, I recently acquired a jelly roll of AMH's True Colors and that led to the making of this quilt. The monochromatic nature of True Colors fabric line appealed to me. When I looked at the fabric for the first time I was taken up by its bohemian appeal. I was reminded of this beauty  by Jolene from Blue Elephant Stitches. I am a huge fan.

While I put the blocks together I was surprised how well it matched with some of Joel Dewberry's older fabric lines. 

For the backing I picked an equally bohemian looking fabric from his collection, a color that was certainly out of my comfort zone.

I also decided to hand quilt with variegated Perle cotton as it would complement the hand crafted look of the fabric. This quilt truly reminds me of something that would be paraphernalia in a gypsy wagon. It would also be the first quilt I name - calling it Bohemian Rhapsody.

For the binding I used a combination of the lighter prints from AMH's True Colors line and the low volume fabrics.

After a quick spin in the washer the quilt has a real soft feel to it and probably this will be the one I keep for myself.

Linking upto: Fabric Tuesday, WIP Wednesday, Finished Friday, TGIFF