Roll with the Rips

Remember my last post, where I reflected on the fact that quilting isn’t always a walk in the park… well, my latest little quilt definitely reiterated that point.

You see, I started out with just the diamonds– and had no intention of adding any other motifs. But as I was basting, I came across the tiniest of holes in the quilt top. I’m sure you can imagine how cool, calm, and collected I remained. But my frustration was quickly abated when I reasoned that I’ve been craving hand stitching lately anyway… and some multicolor applique circles would be a rather whimsical and unexpected touch.

So there you go. And while the dots do make the quilt a bit busier, I like the combination of motifs and overall, I’m very fond of it. My husband even declared it ‘his favorite,’ though I think he’s like a goldfish when it comes to my quilts and each new design is kind of like the first.

I couldn’t resist circular quilting this one– I’m slowly getting the hang of this approach so it’s a tad easier, and I always love the final look. The stitches are actually one giant curly cue which begins in the center of the largest diamond.

The moral of this story? The next time you think you’ve ruined a quilt top, take a deep breath and have a little faith (OK, yes, a glass of wine too). You never know when  an apparent mishap will lead you in a wonderful new direction.