Secret Project of Awesome Unveiled.

Welcome to my stop on the Tessellated Leaves Quilt Blog Hop! 

When Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl first started posting photos of her Tessellated Leaves quilt, I about died of the awesome. The color transition! The painstaking attention to detail! The awesomeness of the block itself! And when I saw the finished quilt top, it was like angels came out and sang. (I really like this quilt, can you tell?) Yvonne has since finished the quilt and has even finished a Tessellated Leaves pattern. And when I found out she needed pattern testers, I very enthusiastically asked if I could contribute.

This is my version of Yvonne's Tessellated Leaves pattern. The pattern has multiple size options and instructions for piecing a two color or a four color version. (At the end, there are also tips for making your own TL quilt like Yvonne's.) I chose a two color baby sized version, and after spending over a day mulling my fabric options, I opted to go with shot cottons. Specifically, I used Kaffe Fassett shot cottons in Blue Jean and Jade, and the backing and binding are Aegean.

The piecing was easy using the diagrams from the pattern. After I completed my first block, I taped it to the wall in front of my machine and was able to refer to it when piecing the other blocks. When it came time to quilt it, I was a bit stumped. I thought about doing something flowy and loopy, but then there was the question of what thread color. I considered echo quilting the individual leaves. In the end, I went with a standby Audrey strategy and quilted straight lines on the diagonal. I used two different thread colors to match the fabric. To be honest, when I first started quilting, I felt like my idea was a sissy approach and was a little upset at myself for not finding a more creative solution. But when I finished, I remembered once again why I quilt so many quilts with straight diagonal lines--I really like the look of the finished product.

While I was working on the piecing, I remembered a gorgeous tree-themed batik I had used in a quilt for my sister some time ago. I pulled out a scrap and realized that it matched perfectly. I made a trip to my LQS where I had initially purchased the fabric, and lo and behold, they still had some!

I matched my bobbin thread to my top thread, which gives the back a fun look with the intersecting boxes.

This was such a fun quilt to make, and I'm thankful to Yvonne for the opportunity to test the quilt for her. The pattern is now available for purchase in her payhip store, and if you buy it this week, you can get it for only $6, which is a great price. This deal ends on the 31st.

Be sure to check out the other awesome Tessellated Leaves quilts unveiling this week:

Sunday, January 25th - Introduction by Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl
Monday, January 26th - Debra @ Quilting Makes My Heart Sing
Tuesday, January 27th - Audrey @ Hot Pink Quilts
Wednesday, January 28th - Laurel @ Drowning in Fabric
Thursday, January 29th - Shauna @ Shauna's World
Friday, January 30th - Pamela @ PBarrettHill Fashion
Saturday, January 31st - Wrap-up by Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl

Oh, and if that wasn't enough, this is also finish #2 from my Q1 FAL list. Woo!