de Jong Dream House: Blogger's Quilt Festival #1: Fireworks for Ingrid

Amy's Creative Side is hosting a Bloggers Quilt Festival as a fun way to share our work and meet other blogging quilters. Since this has been my year of social quilting, I can't help but join the fun. And, because this has been my year of social quilting, I have lots of quilts in progress, but not as many finishes...yet.

My last finish was completed in July, just before our trip to the Netherlands. This quilt, which I made for my sister-in-love, Ingrid, is my first original paper pieced design. I love how the blocks seem to float on top of each other.

I've been doing a fair amount of paper piecing this year as part of Blossom Heart Quilt's Milky Way quilt along, so I started playing with designs on EQ7. Each of these designs uses the same block. I decided on the bottom right, which I'm calling Floating Fireworks, with Ingrid's version called Fireworks for Ingrid.

It was the first time I made a paper pieced pattern on EQ7. I'd like to figure out how to adjust the shading because the dark sections could discolor light prints.

I fold freezer paper when I paper piece so I can my templates over and over. Here's a great tutorial if you are new to paper piecing.

Each of the prints I used reminded me of fireworks.

The blocks came together quickly. The hardest part is that my design wall in our narrow laundry room, which makes taking photos difficult.

I have to step up on the counter most of the time, and even then, I can't get a full picture of anything over a full quilt. Does anyone else find that patterns appear better in a photo than real life?

Once my quilts are pieced, I get a chance to find any errors, though it takes a little more time to fix them at this point.

I continued the spiral theme in the prints with my quilting.

Of course, the best part of quilting is delivery day!

It's always fun to surprise someone! And I figured if she didn't like it, I love it and would have taken it right back home! But alas, she wanted to keep it!