Meet Cute

I am thrilled to present Meet Cute. This is my second project for Moda Bake Shop and I am very happy about it.

Meet Cute

Unlike Esmeralda which was not for the faint-hearted, Meet Cute is easygoing and very adaptable.

Simple Block - 17.5" square

Large and simple block finishes at 17.5" square. This means that you only need 4 blocks for a baby quilt (36" square).  This lap quilt uses 12 blocks and finishes at about 53" by 70".

There are no seams to match, which makes it a an easy beginner project. Or a speedy one for more experienced quilt makers.

Backing - Moda Grunge Hits the Spot (Pool)

You can make it from charm squares, or jelly rolls, or layer cakes, and scraps too.

Have I sold it enough?

Well then, go check out the complete tutorial here.  

Here are some more pictures.

Bright & Cheerful

Turquoise Binding

All done

Walking Foot Quilting

Does this look familiar? Of course, it does. It is the same pattern as Playing Footsie, but made with Moda (Grunge Hits the Spot) fabrics. 

Don't  think so

You are in

Of course, some fabrics did not make the cut. Fabrics that were too light were set aside, because they would make a poor contrast against the white background.

ooh Texture!!!

Labeled

I wanted to call it Playing Footsie, but that is too risqué a name for the gentlefolk at Moda, hence the change in name - Meet Cute.

Sweet Meet Cute

I even managed to borrow some super-cute models for the photoshoot.

Thank you, dear model!!!

Isn't she a natural?

When I showed this quilt to my quilt guild members, there were oohs and aahs but when I mentioned the name Meet-Cute, most ladies had a question mark on their face. I had to explain.


If you are wondering what is Meet Cute, here is Wikipedia to the rescue.

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This post won't be complete without an update on Axel.

Little Superhero Axel

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support. Your generous donations have put us over the goal, but you are still welcome to donate. The giveaway is updated (new prize added) and will close on Sunday, April 1, 2018.


Everyone who makes a $10 donation will be entered to win one the following prizes. If you make a $20 donation, you get two entries. Similarly, a $30 donation qualifies you for three entries, and so on. If you made an anonymous donation, I can still enter your name in the giveaway. Please forward the email (from GoFundMe) to sewpreetiquilts AT gmail.com. Here are the prizes - 21 total.

1. A pattern of your choice from Jeni Baker of In Color Order (1 prize)
2. A pattern of your choice from Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation (2 prizes)
3. A pattern of your choice from Erica Jackman of Kitchen Table Quilting (1 prize)
4. A copy of the Blue Skies/Sunny Days pattern from Sandra walker of MMMQuilts (1 prize)
5. A gift card for $20 from Bernie Kringle's Etsy shop - Needle and Foot (1 prize)
6. A pattern of your choice from Cynthia Brunz Designs of Quilting is More Fun than Housework (3 prizes)
7. A PDF pattern of your choice from Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts (1 prize)
 8. A charm pack (5 prizes - Four Lily & Loom, One Sunny Days)

5 charm packs

 9. A Moda Jelly Roll (2 prizes - Color Theory and Rustic Weave)

2 Jelly Rolls

10. Small Fat Quarter Bundle (2 prizes - 9 FQs in each bundle)

Moda Paradiso - 9 FQs

Magic - 9 FQs

11. Medium Fat Quarter Bundle by Michael Miller (1 prize - 14 FQs)

Michael Miller FQ Bundle - 14 FQs

12. Large Fat Quarter Bundle (1 prize - Assorted 24 FQs)

All the colors - 24 FQs

If you are quilter/blogger, you get an extra entry for sharing a link to Axel's GoFundMe page on your blog.  I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties, see sidebar.


Thank you once again to all of you who helped dispel the darkness.
The giveaway is closed and all winners have been notified.

Esmeralda

Have you met the princess, Esmeralda?

Here she is.

Esmeralda!!!

I am in love with her.

Esmeralda...aah

Shines & Shimmers

Me: Look, look, these point meet so perfectly.
Paul: Uh Huh.

Me: Love when that happens.
Paul: These points seem a teensy bit off

Me: Who told you to look at that one? In any case, that is a reject.
Paul: Hmmm. So not all points are perfect.

Stacked

Cut

Shuffle

Me: They are better than before.
Paul: Before? You have made this before?
Me: Yes, it is the same design as Mom' Quilt that I made last year.
Paul: Oh the pink/orange one.
Me: Yes

Match

Pinned

Pure Joy of meeting points

Paul: You had a very royal name for it.
Me: Raanihaar, meaning The Queen's Necklace

Staying Organized

Paul: What is this one called?
Me: Esmeralda.
Paul: That is a mouthful
Me: This quilt has been a handful and then some

Square to 8.5"

Cutting Corners :-D

The magic happens here

Squared again

Paul: Handful? How?
Me: It is queen-size, and has a thousand pieces.
Paul: Wow, that is a lot. But still fit for a queen?
Me: Yes, but the colors are softer - not a queen, may be a princess.
Paul: A Princesses' Necklace?
Me: Yes, but that does not have the sound effect. I chose to call this one Esmeralda.

100Blocks!!!

Paul: How did you come up with that name?
Me: I was just thinking of impressive sounding royal names - Desdemona, Esmeralda, Ophelia, Arabella - that are not too common. I like Esmeralda the best. Further, the quilt has shades of emerald green, so Esmeralda.

Design Wall - What would I do without you?

Press Seams Open

Paul: May be you should have spent more effort on matching the points than naming the quilt.
Me: You are banished from Esmeralda's court.
Paul: Is that so?
Me: Till the time you are summoned to fulfill your duties as the quilt holder-upper.

Finished Flimsy!

The fabrics are from Moda's new fabric line - Wild Nectar by Crystal Manning.

I wanted fabrics with a good contrast against the white background. Otherwise it would have been difficult to see the intersecting circles. Therefore, I did not use the two prints with beige background.

Turquoise Border

(But they are already in the next project. Details coming later. Watch this space.)

As much as I love the peach, emerald and gold together, I am convinced that it is the Bella Turquoise border that brings the whole quilt together.  What do you think?

Moda Grunge Pool

The backing is 108" wide Moda Grunge Pool. It is absolutely lovely.

Turquoise, Pool and Admiral Blue - One Happy Family

The quilting is super-simple.
Quilted two inches apart, using my walking foot and one of the decorative stitches on my Janome.

Trimmed & Labelled

Binding in process

The binding is Bella Admiral Blue and I believe it works beautifully.

A pop of binding

I was a bit concerned, that some of the light peach fabrics may not stand out enough from the background, but my fears were unfounded.

So gorgeous!!!

Everyone (I mean everyone) has loved this quilt - quilters and muggles alike. So obviously, I have been showing it off :-)

The illusion circles

The 99 blocks are arranged 9 by 11. The border is about 3.5" .
The finished quilt measures about 80" by 96".

Esmeralda on the Green

Feeling Shy?

With sunlight filtering through...

Although I took over 200 pictures by myself, I wanted just one picture showing the whole quilt - top to bottom - and that proved to be challenging. Even with Paul's help, on a nearby playground with a dozen clothes pegs, Esmeralda struggled to break free. Here are some pictures from our breezy attempt.

Thank you, Paul!!!

Aah the Breeze

Almost still

Taking it down

And Rekha, my buddy at work, is a fabulous quilt model. Look how she owns it.

Thank you Rekha

Beauty

Getting close

Paul: So who gets to snuggle with Esmeralda?
Me: Whoever is worthy.  We shall see.

Now that I have completed this humongous beauty of a quilt, admired here, shown her off and taken 300 pictures, there is nothing more left to do.

Just kidding :-D

I am going to play with the scraps. What I do with them is the stuff of my October OMG. 

Here is a glimpse.

October OMG

I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. I do look forward to your thoughts.

If you love Esmeralda, and want to make the quilt or a few blocks, please go to the Moda Bake Shop for the complete tutorial, fabric requirements and lots of process pictures.