Midwinter Blues

Hello everyone! I had a birthday recently and with it came this marvelous quilt from Barb Vedder. You may recognize it as Midwinter Blues, a pattern designed by Lori DeJarnatt for her 2014 Humble Quilts sew-along. Double-click photos for more detail.

Aren't Barb's fabrics exquisite? I've never seen such deep, saturated blues or bold cheddar prints! All those patchwork points and angles could make for a "lively" quilt, especially when high contrast fabrics like these are used, but Barb managed to subdue some of that energy with a couple clever tricks.

First, her gentle curves of teacup quilting in an allover grid help draw the eye away from the angular patchwork itself.

Second, by swapping her standard cotton thread with silk in a neutral gold color, Barb managed to reduce the impact of her machine quilting in a "less is more" kind of way. Look closely and you'll see how the stitches practically melt into the background leaving just a hint of texture behind. 

Barb often puts surprises on the back of her quilts too, and this one's no exception. It's a patriotic print with the phrase "E pluribus unum" or "Out of many, one."  All I can say is, out of many pieces came one fantastic quilt!

You can tell by the label that Barb originally made this quilt for her dear friend, Mary Borst. After Mary passed away, Barb thought I might enjoy having it seeing as Mary and I were college classmates as well as quilting friends. Thanks, Barb. You bet I will! XO

 

You can still find instructions for the Midwinter Blues quilt on Lori DeJarnatt's Humble Quilts blog: 

Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Finale.