Project Quilting 8.4: Bright & Breezy Butterflies

This week's Project Quilting Challenge theme was Brighter is Better:  a challenge after my own heart!!

As if a one week deadline isn't enough of a challenge, I sprinkled in a few more personal challenges this week:

Personal Challenge #1:  I had a friend from Australia arriving on Thursday, so I needed to complete the bulk of my entry before Thursday morning.  This is a significant departure from my usual mode of operation of just starting my entry on Thursday or Friday!!  So as soon as the new challenge theme was announced, I got to work brainstorming ideas and pulling fabrics.  I had lots and lots of ideas but ultimately wanted to celebrate my love of bright fabrics.  I began by pulling out some of my most colorful fabrics and prints, including rainbow prints and this fun butterfly print designed by Laurel Burch.  To help the vivid colors pop, I had to make a quick run to my local quilt store to pick up some solid black fabric.  While there, I found this fabulous print featuring small silver dots on a black background.      

Bright Butterflies

Personal Challenge #2:  I checked out the definition of bright, which also means "giving out or reflecting a lot of light; shining."  And so I thought to myself...why not incorporate some silver lamé fabric?!? What could possibly go wrong?!?  A little Shape Flex interfacing to the rescue to help tame this sometimes tricky fabric!

Personal Challenge #3:  And while we're at it, why not incorporate improvisationally pieced curves into my quilt's design?!?  I free-formed cut each set of wavy curves and then went to work piecing them together.  Magically they went together beautifully without the need for pinning and each seam laid flat without any tucks or pleats forming!!  I just kept alternating the black dotted print with either a lamé or rainbow wavy strip until it was long enough for a table runner.

Waves of Color & Light

Personal Challenge #4:  Add more bling by quilting with metallic thread!  Metallic threads can be a bit persnickety...but I had a few tricks up my sleeve:  1.  A new metallic needled, 2.  Superior Brand Metallic thread and 3.  My new Juki machine that required very little tension adjusting and yielded beautiful stitches without a single thread break.  Thanks to this miraculous feat, I completed the quilting in just one evening on the eve of my friend's arrival!!!

Metallic Threads:  Bling It On!!

I especially love how the metallic zig zag meander totally transformed the butterfly print (see the unquilted section along the top of the first image above)

I chose a skinny black & white stripe for my binding and another bright rainbow print for the quilt back.

While I am totally in love with this finished table runner...I am equally proud of the extra risks I took and how they each elevated the overall design!!  In fact, I have already picked up some more lamé fabrics and can't wait to incorporate more curves into future quilt designs!!  So warning:  there are definitely curves ahead in my future!!

"Bright & Breezy Butterflies" 36" x 18"

Online voting will begin on Sunday, February 19th (should go live by 12 noon PST).  Be sure to check out all the fabulous quilts and vote for your favorites (hint-hint:  Bright & Breezy Butterflies is entry #78)!