Friday 14 March 2014

Radiant Explosion


This quilt has stolen all my spare time over the last six weeks or so, and I've loved {nearly} every minute of it.  It is entirely improv pieced.  If you are interested in how I constructed the quilt, I will be documenting it in another post have documented it here.

A crazy pieced explosion


My inspiration for the quilt came from Quilting Modern - I read the following phrase regarding their Supernova quilt and an idea popped into my head:  "Supernova dazzles with its explosive design and vibrant color palette.  Random fragments spin off ..." (p105, Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts).  Photos taken in the shade show the quilt more to its true colours, the purple is very, very close to the Pantone swatch for Radiant Orchid.

Its natural habitat - the couch

It is quilted with straight lines radiating out from the centre of the explosion, with "ghost shards" quilted randomly across the negative space.  Within the coloured explosion the lines are spaced every 15 degrees around the centre of the explosion, outside of this they are spaced every 5 degrees.  I had initially quilted it using variegated thread, but didn't like it so unpicked it all and quilted it again.  I'm really pleased I unpicked it.  I haven't washed it yet, so some of the original quilting-stitch holes are still visible in the epicentre, but they'll wash out I'm sure.


Example of ghost shard

The negative space is not all one fabric, mostly it is Kona snow and some other close matches from my stash, but with rays of Moda Bella Ivory set in it.  The rays are not easy to see in the photos - there are 5 of them and most are about 12 inches long.

Look closely and you'll spot one of the ivory rays

It is backed with a vintage sheet.



Quilt Stats:
Pattern: my own design - Radiant Explosion
Finished Size: 50" x 60" approximately
Backing: Vintage sheet (fairly certain it's 100% cotton)
Binding: Kaffe Fassett Spot  
Pieced and quilted: by me, on my domestic sewing machine

I will be linking up to the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge, hosted by Anne and Adrianne - I definitely recommend checking out some of the other entries and the FlickR pool.

This is my first time entering a quilt challenge, and this quilt was most definitely a challenge.  I identified some key areas where I would like to develop my skills over the next couple of months, in particular I'd like to do a dresden plate, one where the centre is not appliqued; and I need more practice with Y seams.  Considering it has been mere months since I finished my first quilt, I'm really pleased with how this quilt turned out.

It's my birthday in a few weeks, so this is an early birthday present to myself, it's a perfect size for keeping me warm while I read a book on the couch. 


Also linking up to:
TGIFF - hosted this week at Quilt Matters
Can I get a Whoop Whoop?
SewJo at My Go-go Life 

41 comments:

  1. Wow!
    This is fabulous - I love it!

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  2. Oh yes, Radiant Explosion, you've nailed it! I shall be buying this pattern when you've released it!

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  3. Love, love, love your entry! The off colors in the background and little specks are great and I love that you got your inspiration from my favorite book, Quilting Modern.

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  4. Your quilt looks amazing.... I'd love to know how you pieced it together!!!

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  5. The quilting is perfect for the design. And the orange works so well with the orchid.I like the variation of shapes as well as the color texture in your design.

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  6. This is stunning. I love the combination of purple and orange - just gorgeous

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  7. Your quilt is lovely - original and unique. It seems that you are I are the only ones who've used orange to complement our radiant orchid so far. This is my first quilting challenge too - it's stressful working to a deadline isn't it?

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  8. I absolutely love this one! Beautiful quilting, and the colours you've chosen work so well.

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  9. Love it!!! That quilt is fabulous!

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  10. Stunning design. And well played using the orange with the purple. Nice touch adding the shards to the negative space also. And the quilting is just right! Great job, Sarah!

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  11. Beautiful quilt. Love the colors and the design is fabulous. I will definitely come back to see your tutorial

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  12. Stunning. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  13. Wow I seriously LOVE this quilt. Can't wait to get more of the specifics on how it was constructed.

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  14. Wow! This is fabulous and I love the design!

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  15. Gorgeous! I'd like to see a pattern for this too.

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  16. This is gorgeous! Love it! :)

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  17. Gorgeous! I am so in love with this! Inspiring!

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  18. Hi! Your quilt is fantastic! Great design and the orange with purple is beautiful! x Teje

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  19. Wow Sarah - this is seriously stunning! I love all the improv piecing, the orange with the radiant orchid, and how you've taken the improve piecing and made it into something (kinda) orderly. The quilting is beautiful too! Great work :-D

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  20. Beautiful quilt! I never would think of mixing purple with orange, but you did it beautifully! And the placement of the pieces is great, like it has dropped and shattered.

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  21. Wow, Sarah, is this fantastic! Congrats on a fabulous quilt and happy early birthday! So glad you linked up to TGIFF!

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  22. This is amazing! It's so vibrant! And you have so perfectly captured the "shattered" effect. Seriously, amazing.
    E

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  23. Wow!! Your quilt looks fantastic. I love the purple and the orange together. A very happy early birthday to you!!

    -Soma

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  24. Beautiful! I think I would have to stare at this one for days to figure out how to quilt it. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  25. Looks cool! I like the adddition of orange in it.

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  26. HOLY SMOKE! I have seen some the best quilts come out of this challenge! Love it! Thank you so much for linking up to SEWjo Saturday!!!

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  27. That is so cool, Sarah! I absolutely love your design and your color choices! Whoop whoop!!

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  28. Unique!!! So beautiful! Maravilloso

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  29. Your quilt is absolutely beautiful - I love the combo of purple and orange!

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  30. This quilt is fantastic! You did a great job! I love the colour combination.

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  31. This is really cool. Good job.

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  32. This is such a beautiful design! I love the ghost shards that you quilted as well as the ivory rays. They both add subtle beauty to your design. :) Great use of radiant orchid, as well!

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  33. Congratulations! Looks like your first time in quilt challenge was good :-)!

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  34. I really like this quilt! And the ghost shards in the quilting are great!

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  35. Congratulations on the the win for this awesome quilt!

    -Soma

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  36. Congratulations! Your quilt is a dazzling beauty. So lovely!

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  37. Congratulations!! I love your quilt - well done!

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  38. This is SOOO fantastic! (I also love it in the WIP stages you blogged about earlier!) I love this quilt and I've pinned it to my "Quilty Goodness" board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!). Feel free to follow me if you'd like: http://pinterest.com/lipglass/quilty-goodness/

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  39. This is AMAZING! I am now a follower.

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