I’m not sure if I like this quilt or not, but it doesn’t matter as it’s not mine! I quite like green/purple colour combinations, but I’m not sure that they worked too well in this arrangement, especially with the scrappy centres.
How to quilt it? Stitch in the ditch of course around each block, in matching lime green and purple threads. But what to do with that big expanse of dark green background fabric? I was tempted just to do a simple meandering stipple, but eventually decided on an echoed leaf motif, filled with pebbles in the empty spaces between the leaves. It was the first time I’d tried this motif and I liked how it fills the empty spaces really well. It was also very easy to do. But it did use a lot of thread — I think I went through about three 230-yd bobbins just doing the background.
(Click on a photo to view it larger)
Threads used:
- Top: Robison-Anton ‘Ming’ (40 wt, rayon, colour 2322); Robison-Anton (40 wt, rayon, purple of some sort); Fil-Tec Affinity ‘Forest’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 60293 [variegated deep greens])
- Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (black)
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 
Echoing leaves – good choice!
Love the echo quilting – can you tell me where that pattern came from?
No particular pattern, Mary Ed. However, it’s sort of based on some designs I’ve seen Angela Walters and Karlee Porter do. Perhaps Leah Day as well. In essence, it’s a big leaf shape, with a small S-curve center to represent the vein, then echoed 3 to 4 times around the outside of the big leaf. Repeat.
I like the quilt. Makes me think of the beach inside the squares. Love the leaves you quilted on it.