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 tame the visual energy with a couple clever tricks.

First of all, she chose gentle curves of teacup quilting to draw the focus away from the angular patchwork itself.

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

On the back is a patriotic print with the phrase "E pluribus unum" or "Out of many, one."  

Barb originally made the quilt for her dear friend, Mary Borst.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 good quilt friends. Thanks, Barb. You bet I will! XO

 

Instructions for the Midwinter Blues quilt are still available on Lori's Humble Quilts blog: 

Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Finale.