Phases of the Moon

Phases of the Moon is my newest lap quilt, and I just love it. The fabric is really special, and the chain links highlighted them beautifully. This quilt was such a joy to piece and quilt. I drafted the pattern here, though the quilt I based it off of is by Amy Smart. My pieces are differently sized, but her quilt is the original inspiration.

I suffered a serious bout of Quilter's Paralysis with this one. I think I stared at the top for hours, wrestling with different design ideas. There are so many ways to do this, and different areas to highlight. I really liked the quilting done in Amy Smart's quilt, because when I first saw the quilt months ago, I didn't even know it was quilting, I thought her frame strips was sewn with a patterned fabric. Then when I realized it was quilting, for the first time I really saw the power of quilting. This was months ago, when I was really new, but it stuck with me.

So I really wanted to try quilting in a light colored thread on dark fabric, but it's a scary thing as everything will show, or in my case, every mistake will show. But when done right, it will also showcase beautifully, giving the effect that mesmerized me when I saw it on her quilt. In the end, of course, I decided to do it. I had a lot of doubts, and was even tempted to rip at first, but I'm glad I didn't. I didn't quilt nearly as densely as hers (that would have taken too long) but I think I did manage to pull off some of the effect.

I used a combination of swirls and paisleys on the background fabric, and did a different design for the focal squares to make them stand out. There are a lot of whimsical designs out there, but I can't get enough of the basic swirls and paisleys.

I adore this quilt, and I'm so glad I finally used the Spoonflower fabric. When I step back, I think it does look at first like the black fabric is patterned, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve.