Over the past month and a half, I have been working on this quilt that I am naming Briar. My daughter came up with the name and I liked it.

I really enjoyed pulling my palette together. I went with some of my favorite shades of Art Gallery Pure Solids. I used Cotton Candy, Plum Preserves, Dried Roses, Blossomed, Terracotta Tile, and Moonstone. I love using Pure Solids for my paper piecing projects because of their tight weave and the way that they press so nicely. Plus, the colors are lovely!

My initial block was designed using my improv paper piecing method. If you are interested in learning more, I encourage you to read my book by the same name. I decided to use an onpoint layout, which is definitely a favorite of mine in recent years. I enjoyed playing with the blocks until I settled on this particular layout with negative space running diagonally through the design. I love how some of the blocks are oriented to create closed designs and others are open. It’s unexpected!

I quilted with a 1/2″ diagonal grid. It was time consuming but so worth it. I love the texture that a grid creates. I used a soft pink Aurifil 40 weight thread on the top. I used a slightly darker peach Aurifil 50 weight thread in the bobbin to match my backing fabric.

Speaking of backing fabrics, I used this gorgeous floral from Kismet, a collection by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery. It was just perfect.

My quilt finished at about 58″ x 63.”

I love this picture because I think it shows the colors most accurately and really shows how beautiful they are.