The First of the Purple Ones!

Materials

Cotton fabrics, "Pure Velvet" and "Perfect Palette" by Fabric Fredom; cotton thread for piecing; polyester wadding and Isacord (polyester embroidery) thread for quilting.

What was your inspiration?

I saw this beautiful range of fabrics online, plus the free pattern published by Fabric Freedom and was totally blown away by the whole idea. The patterns include pctures of lilac, sweet peas, violets, hydrangeas and hyacinths in all sorts of colours, but mainly purple and pink, with black, white and pink backgrounds. If you're interested or inspired, the free pattern's available from www.fabric.freedom.co.uk. I love purple and, as a complementary therapist, my clinic is decorated in very pale lilac, which this range of fabrics would complement, so my quilt will look lovely on a sofa in there.

What are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of the fact that I got all the pointy-bits to be pointy and didn't snip their noses off when I pieced them. The quilt top was finished for quite a long time before the quilt was finished and lived in my UFO box. The original pattern is for a square quilt, but I thought I would much prefer a longer one to cover my sofa. Although I'd purchased the correct amount of fabric for the pattern, I then sent away via the Internet for some more, in order to make the 16-block pattern into a 20-block one plus the extra sashing, border and binding. There was quite a lot left over as I'd over-ordered, and I had enough to make "Jacqueline's Quillow" (picture on my projects page). There was still quite a lot left and I embarked on Amy Gibson's Free 2012 BOM course, meaning to just "dabble" and try a bit now and then. However, I got hooked and found that a theme was developing, which meant that I needed a little more "Pure Velvet" and "Perfect Palette" fabric, plus some to contrast from my stash. Once the BOM was finished, I found that I still had some more left, so I've started on a scrap quilt to use it up. There will still be a bit more of this range in my stash and I think I may use it for one other project (plus other fabrics from my stash, as I really shouldn't be buying more - it probably isn't available any more anyway) in one more quilt in the future. Although this was the first project I started with this range of fabrics, it was left for some time unfinished and, although I've never done so before, and as my sewing machine was in Sewing Machine Hospital - worn out, I think - I took it off to a long-arm machine quilter and had it quilted. The LA Quilter made a lovely job of it - far better than I could have done - with a pantograph pattern called "Floriana" and lovely magenta-coloured Isacord thread that she has imported from the USA and which we can't normally get here.

What advice would you give someone starting this project?

Decide on your range of fabrics and only buy what you need or you'll end up like me with three and probably four projects in the same colours - and being totally fed up with them!!!!