Layers of Charm with FQS!

All rolled up on the docks. 

Late last year I was contacted by the Fat Quarter Shop to participate in the release of one of their shortcut quilt patterns. It's called Layers of Charm, and is layer cake and charm pack friendly (see what they did there?) To make things even easier, they've got a video tutorial!

This was actually my first time using precuts. Can you believe it? I've just always bought yardage. I ended up getting August by Sarah Watts for Cotton and Steel, and I cut up a bunch of 5" squares from coordinating solids (lost the details on those). I chose August because after a quick look at the pattern I saw that each block was going to be large and fairly simple, so I wanted to highlight a larger-scale print that might otherwise get chopped up. I felt like this collection had a lot of great focus fabrics.

Fabric selection. I was suckered in by those lions!

The top came together super fast, for me. I think I had it done in about 2 hours, and that included arranging the fabrics; sewing, trimming, and pressing; sewing rows together; realizing I didn't like the arrangement; and tearing out some blocks to better obtain the look I was going for.

Quilt top. 

I was aiming for a colorwash effect with the larger squares, and a faceted look on the interior 'diamonds'. It kind of worked, but there's still a few things I would change. Since it's so quick to whip one up, maybe I'll actually try again!

Quilt back. 

I used more Cotton and Steel for the back, and the left over HSTs that I trimmed off from the front. I made them at the same time, just took one extra pass through the machine. 

Binding. And lions!

I bound the quit in Forest Trail by Sarah Watson. I liked how it played with the colors in August, and acted as a nice border.

Quilting detail. 

My favorite part is the quilting. It's kind of hard to see in these pictures, since there wasn't much contrast that day, and the fabric was rather busy. I did diagonal lines that radiated out from the center in a couple of ways. This is the first time I marked every single line (with painters tape), and I used gardening gloves for grip. I think it really helped with my stitch regulation, and my desire for straighter lines. Double win!

Just another day at the Ikea park. 

This was also my first time following a pattern for an entire quilt. Lots of firsts here, apparently! Usually I like to sketch and then play around with proportions and maths. Then I choose fabrics, and inevitably have too much or too little of something, which I like because it adds in another challenge. Following along with this pattern was a nice change. No surprises! All in all, I'd highly recommend it. Super straightforward, and really allows you to play with your fabric choices. If you don't feel like arranging fabrics, it also makes for a great scrappy quilt. Check out the other talented quilter's versions at the FQS's Jolly Jabber! 

p.s. I'm also checking it off my list for my 2015 Q1 Finish Along.