"Life is a Rainbow" for the ROYGBIV Challenge

The classic 9-patch served as inspiration for October's "A Focus Through the Prism" challenge.  Yellow and red remained from my Cherrywood ROYGBIV bundle.  I explored a few different design ideas, but none captured my enthusiasm.  With less than 72 hours until the deadline (and a larger quilt due 24 hours later!!!), I was sitting at my sewing machine and trying to figure out how to proceed and not totally go into panic mode.  I looked away in desperation and inspiration finally struck in the form of 4 curved strip sets made as part of a Curved Strip Piecing workshop with Sonya Lee Barrington, back in January 2012!  I had made these 4 yellow curved strip sets, with the original plan of making a sun rise/starry scene, which fizzled once the workshop was over.  But I never threw them away and there they hung...waiting for the perfect project!

Yellow Curved Piecing Strip Sets

"Nine X Frame"

A quick search of EQ7 for 9-patch designs yielded the "Nine X Frame" block that drew my attention, provided the perfect setting to combine yellow rays of sunshine with blue triangles representing rain, creating the perfect rainbow!    

I enlarged the block onto a 20" square piece of brown paper so I could work out the scale, dimensions, and framing using the yellow Cherrywood fabric.  

Brown Paper Mock Up

Using the curved strip sets made the process fairly simple.  The only glitch was that three of the strip sets had a darker yellow fabric, making the 4th a bit of an outcast.  Some water soluable coloring pencils helped to remedy that issue (you can see the before and after practice piece laying on top of the original in the top left arm of the X below).  The only remaining decisions was what section to use for the rainbow and which fabric to represent rain for the background triangles.  Both were fairly easy now that I had a clear vision.  With only a few seams to sew, the construction was super fast, as was the quilting and binding (done by machine due to time constraints)!

Auditioning Fabrics & Testing Recoloring Yellow Strips

Detail of Quilting Motifs Used

More Rainbow Fun for the Quilt Back

"Life is Like a Rainbow:  You Need Both the Sun and the Rain to Make Its Colors Appear", finished 20"x20"

November will be the final month, and my red Cherrywood fabric awaits!  Can't wait to see the final block reveal!!  But first, I had better get busy with the other quilt challenge that is due November 1st!!  Wish me luck!