I recently finished my latest large scale paper piecing project, the Caged Quilt. These blocks are BIG–nearly 3 feet long. It made for tricky piecing but the paper piecing technique allowed for great precision which is what I was going for. The finished quilt measures 50″ x 64″ and is made using five different Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Elements Solids, carefully chosen and placed to create a sense of depth and dimension.
I created this design based on something I doodled in my sketchbook months ago. After playing around with the design, I arrived at this layout and configuration. I think it has a strong Art Deco feel to it with the precise geometric design and bold colors.
I kind of didn’t want to quilt this piece at all because I loved the crisp, clean lines. I wanted to quilt it in a way that didn’t detract from that at all so I went with 1/2″ spaced lines using Aurifil 50 weight thread (their finer thread so it blended more than the 40 weight would have). I wanted the piecing to be more prominent than the quilting. I chose a light grey thread.
In this detail shot, you can see a bit of the backing fabric–it was just perfect for the angularity of the pieced design! It’s one of Pat Bravo’s Essentials II prints.
I am really pleased with the execution of this design. You just never know for sure until you try it, right? I am happy that it turned out the way I had hoped.