Back in 2012, yellow and gray took the quilting world by storm. Weak-willed and utterly clueless about my quilting style, I dove headfirst into the trend, scooping up bargain yellow and gray fabrics for an upcoming HST BOM (half square triangle block of the month). If my memory serves me right, these prints are all Walmart fabrics, while the white-on-white background came from Joann's.
By month five of the BOM, I realized I got hooked on the yellow and gray trend because I adore yellow, but gray? Not so much. No offense if gray is your jam! For me, colors radiate a vibe, an energy. Sure, we could dive into what the experts say about how colors influence people, but honestly, I think they sometimes miss the mark. If they were right, this gray and yellow fabric wouldn’t make some of you feel all cheerful while leaving me feeling, well, bleh.
I may not be head over heels for this quilt, but she does have her redeeming qualities. That bold, dark gray star block in the center, steals the show and mercifully distracts from the chaotic floral explosion in the background. Honestly, the floral print was a "let's get rid of this because I can't stand it" kind of deal.
The other blocks seem to vanish into the floral background, but honestly, I think it’s more like they’re playing a fun game of hide-and-seek!
The big scraps of fabric became the perfect quilt backing, because scrappy backings are just the best, aren't they? In the last few years, I've leaned towards wide backing fabrics. Sure, they save time, but wow, talk about being as exciting as plain toast!
When it came time to make the label, I knew I wanted it to stand out against the backing, this quilt needed a cheerful little touch of sunshine. I remembered using the yellow print in my Bow Tie quilt but couldn’t recall if I had any left. A quick dive into the fabric scraps and YIPPEE a bright pop of color for the label!
The label was kept simple. At the time, I just wanted this "ugly duckling" done so I could move on to something more appealing. Naming her didn’t seem important, but now I regret that decision. Every quilt is beautiful in its own way. She has her charm and will surely be cherished by someone. As I write this post, a few cheerful names come to mind. Maybe I should handwrite a name? What do you think?
The dark gray binding was the perfect finishing touch for this quilt. My usual choice for bindings is a stripe, gingham, or plaid, but any of those would have created total chaos on this quilt. The dark binding provides a spot for the eye to rest, slows down the design, and makes it feel less busy.
Usually, fabric scraps go straight into my scrap bins, but not this time. I'll keep the dark gray used for the binding, but the rest are set aside to create a small donation quilt. Another positive for fabrics I don't love!
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