I want to wish you all a very happy, healthy and wonderful 2021. Medallion 2020 is my December 2020 Island Batik challenge.
The fabric for this quilt was provided by Island Batik, the batting was provided by Hobbs Batting and thread was provided by Aurifil as part of the Island Batik Ambassador program.
For this challenge, I used the Island Batik Tropicana Twist. I still had some fabric left after this Morning Glory Pool quilt and two giveaways. I wanted this to be a baby quilt and the bright colors of Tropicana twist are just perfect for a cheerful baby quilt.
The challenge was to make a medallion quilt. A medallion quilt usually has a large, showy center block surrounded by multiple borders of various sizes. However, I used a single block – the Kaleidoscope block – but used different colors to create the illusion of a medallion quilt. In particular, the use of white and grey as background for different sides of the block separates adjacent blocks.
As you see, I am several days late with this project. Like the year 2020, this project had issues all along the way. I usually press seams open for this block because a lot of seams come together at the center. Midway through the project, I decided to press seams to the side. This caused a lot of problems when I started joining the blocks. As you can see, several blocks don’t match perfectly. I was tempted to abandon and make something else. But I decided to simply finish it. If I gift this to a baby, I’ve sure he/she will not notice the mismatched seams or wonky blocks.
I will not be returning as an Island Batik ambassador in 2021. I want to take time to publish patterns for a few of my projects from last year and also work on my huge number of unfinished projects. IB will announce their ambassadors for 2021 on the blog shortly and you will find a very talented bunch including a number of returning ambassadors as well as fresh new faces.
Hi Vasudha! What a beautiful quilt and a great way to highlight those beautiful fabrics. No one but you will ever be as critical and see any errors. Most people just appreciate the overall beauty! What a great finish to your IBA run. ~smile~ Roseanne
P.S. Thanks for linking up today!
This is beautiful!! I agree that your placement and background fabrics give it a medallion look even with using the same block–brilliant! Good luck with all your pursuits in 2021!
It’s beautiful. Well done. Happy New Year. Good luck with your pattern writing.
Something I sure didn’t notice was the mismatched seams, and I think you’re probably too picky, as we tend to be, on our own quilts! It’s beautiful, and I love the twist you put on a traditional quilt!
Vasudha! We are our own worst critic! This quilt is beautiful and I’m sure the baby that gets it will love it!
And all the best in 2021! I look forward to seeing your future quilts and designs!
Happy Quilting! 🙂
Wow I love your quilt, what a beautiful use of very pretty fabrics! 🤩
I’m certain you are far more aware of mismatched seams than anyone else is. It’s a beautiful quilt!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
I love this quilt! Good luck with your upcoming year….you have made some beauties and getting those patterns out there is a chore!
the grey and white really makes the batiks shine. Congratulations on a great finish.
Tropicana Twist is a lovely fabric line but not everyone knows how to squeeze the maximum juice out of their citrusy goodness. A yummy quilt. That is the upside of making quilts for babies. They get burped on, puked on and maybe even peed on that after multiple washes all that is left is soft colors and cuddly goodness.
What a beautiful ending quilt. I love the fabric line and those diamond shapes look challenging to sew. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Hi, Vasudha! What an original way to use the kaleidoscope block. I love it! Absolutely no one is looking at pictures of your quilt and seeing whatever problems you struggled with in making it. FWIW, I’ve had better luck with blocks like this if I spiral the seam allowances and (so they are all pressed to one side going clockwise or else all going counter-clockwise when you look at the back of the block) and, this part is key, not stitching into the seam allowances where all those seams come together. That way you can press that bulky bit in the center open and flat from the back side after sewing the final seam, so it looks like a tiny flower in the center of the block. Here’s a tutorial with pictures that explain better: https://www.apqs.com/piecing-trick-to-reduce-bulk-seams/. The only thing I do differently from her is that she sews all the way to the raw edges and then removes a few stitches. I prefer to sew only as far as necessary and then take a backstitch or two, to prevent the rest of the seam from unraveling. Anyway, I think your medallion came out great and I’m sure Island Batik is sorry to lose you as an Ambassador this year. Good luck with your adventures exploring pattern making and your own personal projects!
Worth waiting for, as it’s perfectly lovely! I like the distribution of colors.
This is so pretty and such a clever design. I love it. I wish you all the best with your plans for 2021, so many of your projects deserve to be written up into patterns.