I recently participated in a mini quilt swap with a small group of quilting friends. I occasionally get to travel to visit with my husband’s family, and while I am there, I have been fortunate enough to get together with this group of friends for dinner. It is only once every 3 or 4 months, but the joy of sitting down and talking quilt talk with friends is wonderful and something pretty rare for me. When they suggested that we pitch in to buy some fabric to split and use in a quilt swap, I was eager to participate! We chose an Ombre Fat Quarter Bundle from V & Co. for Moda Fabrics. Once each fat quarter was divided, we each had about a 4.5-inch wide by 22-inch long strip of 20 ombre fabrics to work with. The “rules” for the swap were:
- 12-20″ finished quilt.
- Quilt top can have 1 additional fabric.
- Backing and binding can be any fabric.
- Swap date of June 3rd.
Since there were only 4 of us in the swap, we signed up and used Elfster to generate the swap assignments, and I was assigned to make for Renee @Quilts of a Feather. I stalked her on Pinterest and was specifically drawn to her Spiral Quilts selection. Based on that information, I chose to use the Double Goosed paper pieced pattern by Jeli Quilts.
Ombre Mini Quilt
The hardest part of the process was determining just how far I could stretch one piece of 4.5-inch by 22-inch ombre fabric. I am really glad I chose to put my extra fabric for the top where I did, as I think it gives a nice transition and place to rest between all the ombre.
Each quadrant used one ombre strip for the flying geese. In the center it goes from very light to medium, and the outer ring takes it from the medium tone to dark.
Ombre Mini Quilt – Quilting Detail
I really wanted the quilting to add something special to the quilt, and I carefully selected matching 50wt Aurifil thread to use in each section. For the center I chose 5003 (wine), in the middle over the Cloud9 Cirrus Solid (Shadow) I used 6736 (jedi), and in the outer edges I used 5005 (bright turquoise). I bound the quilt in Kona Pepper, which has a blue undertone. I think the color of the binding really blends with the outer ombre color of each quadrant, and I used 2692 (black) to stitch the binding down by machine.
Ombre Mini Quilt – Detail
I had fun putting my own spin on motifs that I see Renee use in her own amazing detailed quilting work. I am especially fond of the paisley leaflets around the outer edge of the gray center.
Ombre Mini Quilt – Backing
The back of the quilt is another Cloud9 Cirrus Solid (Turquoise). I matched my bobbin spool thread to the thread I used on the quilt top, and I really like how the solid fabric allows the quilting and pattern to pop. The mini quilt finished at 14.5-inches square.
Ombre Mini Quilt Swap – Photo Courtesy of Renee @Quilts of a Feather
And here are all of the awesome mini quilts made for the Ombre Mini Quilt Swap!
From L to R:
- Made by Renee @Quilts of a Feather and Gifted to Afton @Quilting Mod
- Made by Sara @Blue Quail Studio and Gifted to Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
- Made by Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl and Gifted to Renee @Quilts of a Feather
- Made by Afton @Quilting Mod and Gifted to Sara @Blue Quail Studio
I love the mini quilt I received from Sara and am so pleased with this swap. These quilts are all amazing!!
Linking up with TGIFF, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, and Finish It Friday.
Those little mini quilts are AMAZING. I think all 4 of you did an excellent job. I like how you used the same thread on the back. One day I will be talented enough to make a block so sophisticated looking as all of these. Thank you for sharing with us and hopefully you will be able to get together with the ladies a few more times this year.
Oh wow! Love them all. I appreciate all of your work in the double geese … lots of piecing in there!
Wow! Really amazing job all around. Lots of fun takes on the challenge.
Beautiful finishes, all four of them. And so versatile given the specific requirements of the swap.
Gorgeous mini!!! I find it so interesting you all chose to add grey…. 😀
How wonderful are all those little quilts. Such tiny detail! I have always been a bit wary of ombré fabric – never knowing what to do with it.
What a great swap. Love the minis.
Your mini quilt is beautiful and I know Renee loved it. The quilting is outstanding. I want to be able to quilt like you when I grow up. You are amazing and took the time to research your recipients likes before deciding on a pattern for the mini and the quilting. Great work Yvonne.
Love this design! Your mini quilt is so well thought out with the colors, which had to be difficult having a set amount of fabric to work with! All four of the quilts are amazing and such great friends and wonderful swap! Oh and…kudos on the quilting…perfection!
How fun to buy and share fabric for a swap! Nice design and love the quilting!
Those minis are all jaw-dropping! Each of them is just an amazing representation of design. I am really drawn to the tumbling blocks that you received. Of course, my mind wad blown with your paper-pieced double geese! Awesome! Thank you for sharing these with us!!! It’s like attending a mini quilt show.
What a wonderful example of quilting community! The four of you created stunning minis, and my bet is that each of you was delighted with the results of the swap – both the mini you made and the one you received. Thanks for the inspiration!
Good Morning Yvonne! This quilt swap was another special quilt swap! Each of these blocks turned out so beautifully! I was just awing over all of your special details and then when you showed the other three it was like owww let me see those also they are also so detailed and so pretty. You ladies did a fabulous job in creating these treasured quilts. I hope that you can continue to have get togethers and make items for one another! Thank you for sharing these special beautiful quilts with us and have a wonderful fantastic creative day!
Beautiful minis. Your colour selection and quilting are outstanding.
This is a great idea for a small group swap! All of the quilts are amazing! I really like your incorporating the “one additional fabric” into the design instead of just using it as the background.
Beautiful work – popped by from Finish It Up Friday.
Thank you for sharing the details of this swap. It’s amazing what beauty we can make with so little fabric. All of those quilts were lovely. Even more special is the friendships developed through the quilt blogging community that allow like-minded people to share wonderful ideas.
This post makes me smile and shows one of my favorite things about quilting. You can give a group of quilters the same amount and colors of fabric to start with and you will end up with completely unique pieces. All of them are beautiful finishes.
Great quilting.
Oh wow! That last pic!! You all did such an amazing job. I love that you snuck all over Renee’s pinterest and really, truly Quilted it to Life!
I peeked into my Feedly to find this post and was greeted with over 100 unread posts…where did the week go? Why haven’t I been keeping up? Ugh I am beginning to wonder if there is something else going on beyond lack of sewjo (though this week it is partially due to running and unexpected fatigue). ANYWAY. I love all the details you included in this quilt! The more I see this quilt the more I like it! The spiral board on my pinterest is a social experiment, but I do like spiral quilts and am glad it inspired you! I’m really looking forward to our next swap, and already have a plan for the next mini I will make for you!
This is crazy gorgeous!! So much amazing detail and color! You definitely have a patience that I know I don’t possess. 😉 Beautiful work as always!
This is fantastic Yvonne! Double Goosed seems like it was destined for ombre fabric. I love your grey center and the quilting is so beautiful! It really does remind me of motifs Renee uses. How fun that your quilting buddies are also all bloggers!
This is so gorgeous!!
Well it is gorgeous, and I bet the hardest part was giving it away. Although, you DID get a super cool one in return..
Wow! All four of these mini’s are so cool. Great design and colors Yvonne.
I love it! You inspired me to get the pattern and I’m looking forward to playing around with color selection this weekend. So many possibilities!
What a lovely little quilt! I love the colors with the gray, and I’m insanely jealous of the great quilting!
Wow! Amazing quilting! It’s stunning.
Such a fun swap! All of the quilts are beautiful and it’s interesting to see how each person used the ombre effect to enhance their design.
Oh wow that is awesome!! What a fantastic way to use the ombré strips to their full potential:)
Your mini-quilts are very beautiful!
These are awesome mini quilts. You all did a great job. I like all the ombre transitions in your quilt.
I think it’s wonderful you have an opportunity to meet with these ladies and talk all things quilting. I know how much I enjoy talking with my sister about our craft, even though we are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to quilting style. Splitting fabric was a great idea, and all of the mini’s look fabulous. The ombre fabric really brings those geese to life!
Each of these minis are just spectacular! I love all of the different directions you each took with the same fabric. The quilting on your mini is stunning!
You know I love Ombre. It is amazing seeing how it looks as a background spiraling around, awesome quilting too.
What a great swap and amazing quilt that you made! You really did a great job of using the ombre! I especially love that you shared the back of your mini. Your quilting is awesome, but even more awesome to see it all so clearly on the back. All four quilts are beautiful and I love seeing how the four of you took the same fabric to make such different quilts. Thanks for linking up with me for TGIFF. 🙂
What an impressive collection of minis, and all so different. Yours is stunning and I especially like how your quilting shows up on some of those acqua pieces.