“Chandelier” Quilt Finished!

If you need a quick and easy project, may I recommend “Chandelier?” It may be quick and easy, but it packs a lot of visual punch. The light, medium and dark fabrics form scintillating vertical chains reminding me of a chandelier’s hanging crystals shimmering in the light.

I was inspired to make this quilt by the numerous images of it on Pinterest. A little research led me to Vanessa Goertzen’s book, Charm School-18 Quilts from 5″ Squares: a Beginner’s Guide. Her quilt measures 60″ x 60″ and calls for two identical packages of 5″ charm squares (42 per pack). I purchased, instead, a layer cake of 10″ squares and had plenty of fabric to make a 72″ square quilt.

The fabric motifs are so pretty:  feathers, bird nests with eggs, blooming branches, and butterflies. “Nature Study” was designed by Nancy Mink for Wilmington Prints. Click here to see swatches of this lovely fabric line.

For quilting, I chose the “Spring Beauty” pantograph design printed and distributed by Willow Leaf Studio. The panto includes both butterflies and five-petaled flowers with leaves. When my daughter, Trinity, asked what color thread I planned to use, I said, “light green or light blue.” But as I basted the quilt top on the batting and backing, I almost chickened out because the blue was so noticeable on the ecru background. But then I reasoned that the pantograph design would be unnoticeable if I used ecru or tan thread. So I held my breath and used the light blue thread. And I am so glad I did! The design shows up very nicely, adding another dimension of interest.

I bound the quilt with solid navy, but I think an ecru binding would lend a contemporary air.

I am scheduled to teach “Chandelier” at my local quilt shop, Sew There! Quilts and More in Angier, NC. The dates are Saturdays, Nov. 9 and 23 from 12:30 to 3:30. If you live locally, I’d love to have you join our class. Phone Bonnie to register:  919-331-2499.