While not a lot of quilt work is happening in blooming poppy land these days, I did finally manage to finish a quilt!

Sing It Out Loud Quilt from afar

I originally began this quilt several months back as I revisited my What’s For Breakfast Quilt and remembered how very much I enjoyed the process as well as the outcome.

Sing It Out Loud Quilt- Finished!

As with all improv quilts I make, I so enjoy the creative freedom to design.  Using my design wall, I am able to manipulate blocks, strips, chunks, etc. over and over until I find a layout that suits my eye.

Sing It Out Loud- On the Design Wall

For me it is really liberating and relaxing.  I must admit, however, there are many moments of intensity with figuring out how to fill in and connect certain sections to pull it all together.  That is the other side that forces me to get all “left-brain”!  I embrace it however, as a necessary element in this design process.

Sing It Out Loud Quilt -close up

As some of you know, I am quite a sucker for neutrals and lots of negative space in my quilts.  Therefore, my scrap bin of neutrals/linen often begins to overflow.  One of my favorite ways to use all those subtle tones of whites, off whites, greys, tans, etc., is to begin peicing them together.  No measuring required!!!  I love it!

Sing It Out Loud Quilt with fold

For this quilt, I decided to add a very specific color palette to my neutrals and decided to go with some of my favorite lines/designers.  I would say, the front is a pretty equal mix of Lotta Jansdotter’s Bella and Denyse Schmidt’s Flea Market Fancy.  I used only those prints that fit my blue/green/ gray palette though.  I also added some of my favorite Mingle Dots and the colored solids are all Konas.

Sing It Out Loud Quilt detail

I love creating these concentric circles, a technique you can read about in my tutorial here.  It is time intensive but I always love the results and end up feeling glad I stuck with it.

Sing It Out Loud Quilt back

I decided to go with random neutrals and only Lotta on the back- I love those trees, along with a nice hearty chunk of linen.

Sing It Out Loud Quilt in the shadows

Sing It Out Loud is about a 57″ square, and was entered into the improvisation category in the Quilt Con Quilt Show on Friday night at exactly 2 minutes before the deadline!  I’m still waiting till the last minute, that much is the same since college!

As I took this last photo in the setting shade of the late fall sun (thanks to dear hubby for holding it), I realize how grateful I am to have found this love for fabric and the art of quilting.  I’m so happy with how this quilt turned out!  Thanks for reading!

~~~karen