Blogger's Quilt Festival: Fruit Tingle

When I first saw the post that the Blogger’s Quilt Festival was approaching again, I was very disappointed as I didn’t think I would have anything to submit and I had so much fun last time round. (If that's where you've popped over from, Hi!! Have a look around).

But then I remembered that in my attempt to get some WIPs out of the pile I had set myself the challenge of finishing my Sweet Tooth Mini from the Fresh Mini Quilt Club as my ALYoF Goal for October. How fortuitous! I am entering this quilt in the small quilt category. Go and check out all the fabulous creations for some quilty eye candy.

I signed up to the FMQC back in 2013 when I had just started quilting. I thought it would be a fun way to get some quick makes done. After all, a mini should be pretty quick to finish. Out of the six months in the subscription I finished two and started one more – the Sweet Tooth.  Let me introduce to you my version: I am calling it the Fruit Tingle (not sure if you can get these lollies everywhere, but Aussies should get the reference – something about this mini just reminded me of them).

A finish!

When I started making this mini, I grabbed myself a junior jelly roll of V&Co ombre fabrics (the old ones, not the new ones) and got chopping. I really wanted the graduation within each block of light to dark. The only challenge that I had was that I didn’t have any of the same fabric in pieces big enough for the centre, so I just got my problem solving hat on and pieced them together. I made all of my HSTs and got trimming.

Colour graduation

In order to break up the tedium (each block has 12 x 2” HSTs) I trimmed enough for a block and then pieced it, trim, piece, trim, piece. I have blogged before about my love / hate relationship with the HST and these teeny tiny ones just were too much for me. Defeated I whacked the completed blocks and pieces into a sandwich bag and there they languished until now.

My photo assistant. Does not take direction well....check that belly button

A few things have changed since November 2013 (!!) when I started making this mini: 1) I have loads more sewing paraphernalia and there is no room for unfinished WIPs (watch this space – I am going to be finishing / retiring a whole stack of WIPs in the new year); 2) I bought a Bloc Loc (world changed is all I can say there); and 3) I am just a much better at sewing than I was two years ago. It is embarrassing that finishing off the blocks and piecing / quilting / binding only took perhaps two evenings and I can’t think why I put it off for so long. 

For those of you who have seen this pattern before, the original configuration was a 4 x 4. There was also some grey fabric in the jelly roll, but in order to make all 16 blocks I needed 4 grey ones and I didn’t have enough fabric so I pieced the centres with the little leftover bits for a rainbow pop. When it came time to piecing it all together though, I just didn’t like it, so I just made my mini a bit more....mini.

My helper insisted on a photo for Olaf

Unlike most things I make I am keeping this for myself. I don’t have a wall where I can hang my mini’s at the moment, but I am hoping for a new sewing space one day and it will be nice to have something me made on the wall.

I really love this mini and am so please to have it finished. Here are the stats:

Name: Fruit Tingle Mini

Pattern: Sweet Tooth by Megan Bohr at Canoe Ridge Creations, part of the Fresh Mini Quilt Club

Dimensions: 18” x 24”

Fabric: V&Co Ombre

Quilting: Straight line in Aurifil white