Quilt #135 :: Hidden Gems of Menlo

In 2018, I was part of an online quilting bee hosted by Blossom Heart Quilts.  My month to be queen was December, which is always dangerous because quilters run out of steam at the end of the year. This was the second year in a row that I participated in a bee using the blocks on Blossom Heart Quilt's page. The first year, I made my Purple Abacus Quilt. 

This year I chose a more difficult, paper-pieced block called Hidden Gems. 

By the time all my blocks came in, I was busy with other projects, both quilts and our big move to the Lake House. The blocks were placed together in a project bin as I awaited inspiration to finish. 

That spark came in November when a volunteer from D's new school asked if I might have a quilt to contribute for the winter benefit auction. I didn't have a completed quilt because I usually give them away as soon as I finish one so I looked through my UFOs (unfinished objects). I knew it wouldn't take long to piece the blocks and finish it, and I was excited to see it completed. I had actually thought I might keep this one to myself, but my son's school is a good cause.

As expected, it didn't take long to finish piecing. I didn't need any sashing or borders because the blocks make a cool secondary pattern I didn't want to disrupt. 

The main challenge I had was that my thumb was still bandaged from slicing it on a mandolin at Thanksgiving. It was tricky to pin the quilt, but Niels helped me out. 

For the backing, I used two fun metallic prints I had been saving for a special occasion. I like the back as much as the front!

For the label, I used an element of the school logo. 

I'm happy to report that the quilt had more than one bidder--my big fear! And the winner also won quilting lessons from me. I'm looking forward to creating another quilter to the craft. 

To see more pictures of this quilt in progress, check out #hiddengemsofMenlo on Instagram. To see what I'm currently working on, please follow me at deJongDreamHouse. 

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