It doesn't happen often

but right from the start, I knew this quilt was for me.  Usually, I make quilts in response to a challenge, or as a donation quilt, or just because.  This time, while it was in response to a challenge, the VMQG Michael Miller Cotton Couture challenge, I knew that this one was destined for me.

A few years ago I had made a Seven Sisters quilt for a swap - this quilt

I always really liked this quilt and wanted to make one for myself, but never got a round to it.  When I got the challenge fabrics at a VMQG meeting, I had approximately a 1/6th of a meter of seven of the citrus-y coloured fabrics.  They were gorgeous colours, and gorgeous fabrics.  I knew I wanted to make 6 pointed stars, so I started cutting.

Initially, I laid them out in the typical 6 around the 7th layout  It was nice, but I decided to play.  I opened out the circle, and played some more, and this is the layout I decided on.  I needed to fill in a lot of space.

More cutting ensued, more stars were cut, and before you know it, my 7 little cuts of fabric had morphed into a much bigger quilt - no longer destined for the wall, but the bed.

From this point I had to make it square, and well, that had this baby grow to an 86" square quilt.  I knew I wouldn't get it finished in time for the challenge, so I switched gears and made this one in time for the challenge.

The last several weeks have been spent quilting this in darn near every spare minute I had, and tonight I finished the quilting!  Did you hear me cheer???

The quilting was not without its frustrations - between sorting out thread shredding, bobbin backlash and what do you call it when the top thread gets sucked in and makes an awful mess on the back? I did a lot more reverse stitching than I normally do!  

Now, to get it squared up and bound - that will be my evenings this week.

Happy quilting!