Project Quilting June Buggy Challenge: Dancing Dragonflies

This month's Project Quilting Off Season Challenge theme was June Buggy.  I raided my stash for bug themed fabrics and found prints containing lady bugs, butterflies and quite a few dragonflies including this lovely print featuring some metallic accents.  The print paired beautifully with a fat quarter of my hand dyed fabrics featuring cool colored pastels.

Fabric Pull

Unfortunately, I only had a fat quarter of this lovely hand dye, so this was definitely a make it work design!  I cut thin strips (just over 1") and paired it with a black solid to create spinning border blocks.  Luckily I had just enough for nine blocks, which were quickly assembled using partial seams.  Then it was time to audition fabrics for sashing strips.  I raided my stash of solids and tried a caribbean blue, cornflower blue and a purple.  There really was no wrong choice, but in the end I opted to go with the purple.

Auditioning Sashing Fabric Colors

The nine blocks were quickly pieced into a 3x3 grid and surrounded by more spinning borders using the purple sashing strips and any remaining yardage from the dragonfly print.

Pieced Quilt Top

And then it was time to add some quilted texture using several different designs from my Walking Foot WOW! workshop:

• Log Cabin Spirals in the center of each block
• Rays that spin around the center block
• Some Wavy Parallel Lines flowing along each spinning border
• One of my favorite free-motion fillers, Echoed C-Curves to complement the Rays

Quilting Details

Variegated Aurifil 50 Weight Threads add a lovely sparkle to the Quilt Top:  French Lilac (3840) and Creme de Menthe (4662).  Coordinating solid 50 Weight was used in the bobbin:  Medium Lavendar (2540) and  Light Jade (1148).

Quilt Back and Detail of Quilting

A cool black and teal paisley print with metallic accents was used for the quilt back.  While photographing the quilt back, I found a fun little surprise:  one little snowflake framed by the Log Cabin Spiral quilting!

Dancing Dragonflies, 45" x 45"

I am linking Dancing Dragonflies (#5) to Project Quilting for online voting.  Be sure to check out some of the fun and very creative interpretations of the June Buggy theme and vote for your favorites!

And check back to see what fun new challenge theme awaits us in July!