Rainbow Road

 

I finished a UFO! This little (30" x 30") quilt has been laying around for 15 years (at least!). I found the fabrics at Walmart many years ago. That was when Walmart actually had a fabric department. Or rather, before they eliminated their fabric department then brought back a much streamlined version. Yeah, I know - they aren't the best quality fabrics. But I couldn't resist the fact that they are all the same print in a rainbow of colors! I only bought a little bit of each - maybe a 1/4 yard? I don't recall exactly.

Back when Walmart had the fabric department, they sponsored a quilt block contest. To enter, you just had to make a 12" square block, any design, and you had to use fabrics purchased at Walmart. Since I had already purchased these prints, I decided to enter. I made a Road to Oklahoma block and made each of the steps a different color, arranged in rainbow order. So I called it Rainbow Road, and entered it at the local Walmart. To my surprise, it won a prize! It wasn't a grand prize, or even a first prize, but it was a prize for the best block at that store! And it came with a $25 gift card. Being a new quilter at the time, I was thrilled!

Now back to this quilt. I decided that I couldn't do anything with just one block, so I made three more. Then I surrounded them with a border of 2 inch finished squares, again in rainbow order. That's when progress ground to a halt. I don't recall exactly why I set it aside, but I suspect that I hit a creative roadblock. It wasn't big enough for a baby quilt, so I didn't know what to do with it.

When I found it in my UFO bin a few years ago, I realized that I didn't have ANY of the fabrics left. Whether I used them or donated them, I'm not sure, but there weren't any to be found in any of my bins. So it went back into the bin for my brain to stew over for awhile.

When Karen Montgomery announced a UFO finishing challenge on her Nine Patch a Day Facebook page,(https://www.facebook.com/groups/380546322967892)

I dug through my bins and, in the process of listing all my UFOs, I discovered it again. I also found many more UFOs, but that will be the subject a different post...

This time, however, I had an answer for how to finish it! I joined the Creative Quilters group that is part of the Quilt Company East Quilt Guild a few years ago. These wonderfully artistic ladies introduced me to the technique of using 'facing' on a quilt rather than binding. Facing a quilt isn't as durable as binding, so it isn't really suitable for quilts that will be used and abused. It is however, the perfect answer for a quilt that will be displayed. A traditional binding stops the eye at the edge, whereas a facing is invisible from the front, so the eye doesn't hit that hard stop. This makes it a great technique for art quilts and other wall-hangings.

If you are interested, APQS has a great video demonstrating the technique:

https://www.apqs.com/how-to-face-a-quilt-with-video/

I found a nice soft yellow print in my stash and used it for both the backing and the facing. I used my walking foot and stitched straight lines on either side of the 'steps', and did gentle curves in the central diamonds and the border. I plan to hang it in my sewing room, because it makes me happy just looking at it!