Quilt Finish – Shimmer

I don’t wanna be overly-dramatic, but I saw some friends for the first time on Sunday as Sydney finally came out of lockdown after 106 days! It made my heart sing being able to sit in someone else’s living room and drink champagne. I mean, champagne is always nice, but it just tastes sweeter when shared with friends. That’s not to say that we’ve had it the worst (::tips hat at Melbourne::), but a lil dab’ll do ya! I will also say that it was worth it, as Sydney’s case numbers are low, and our vaccination rates are already hitting 80%+ highs. So, for now, let’s get on with the quilts!

This is my take on Cluck Cluck Sew’s Shimmer quilt pattern. Y’all know I like it bright and tight, so what works better than a complimentary colour palette?! Violet / yellow and blue / orange are across from each other on the colour wheel, so they immediately intensify each other when paired. That’s why I mainly used a plethora of blue-violet fabrics (rather than a red-violet) to really pump up the jam against that Alison Glass Sun Print 2018 in Peach and the myriad of yellow-gold fabrics. Even in my scrappy mind, there’s a method to the madness!

These fabrics all came from a stash-pull I did way back at the beginning of 2020. I think I just wanted to make something with purple as the feature. Then as I was rummaging through my solids, I discovered that the Alison Glass Sun Print 2018 in Peach vibed so well with all the randoms I had pulled out of the cupboard of love. Except, I ran into a problem: I only had a half yard! That is the danger of buying smaller cuts when fabric shopping. But listen, that also creates some really creative opportunities!

No need to freak out, or even get the credit card out. I just kept digging through my neatly organised stash (ahem), and discovered I had a yard of Cotton Supreme in Tropicana. If you look closely, you’ll see a slight variation, but it’s nearly spot on the same colour as the Sun Print. I just threw that into the mix, and used them interchangeably. Winning–or could I even say–twinning!

While we’re here, check out that amazing, long arm quilting pattern by Mount Vincent Quilts! It’s like an on point diamond, square-in-a-square moment, and I’m living! Leanne used a golden Glide thread, that gave the quilt the most delicious tiny pockets of texture you could ever want. Word to the wise though! Small quilting patterns make hand-stitching binding a bit more challenging due to the tighter compression of layers. I’m constantly looking at the front to make sure my thread hasn’t slip-stitched to the front.

More importantly, check out that smiling face of my friend, Cath! She celebrated a milestone birthday this week, hence the need for champagne and gifted quilts. I made her and her husband, Steve, (who makes his own smoked bacon, drool) be my quilt holders. Small price to pay for receiving a Molli Sparkles original. It’s my goal to ensure all of my friends wind up with one of my quilts at some point! Spread quilty love around the world!

After I was pumped full of champagne and festivities, I grabbed the quilt and headed for the beach. I wanted to ensure I got a few shots of this Shimmer quilt really shimmering in the afternoon sun. It’s the perfect size for a picnic, or snuggling up on the couch. Just like a bottle of champagne, I feel like I’m now bursting to enjoy the sunshine, with friends and quilts alike.

Title: Shimmer
Size: 56″ x 70″
Pattern: Shimmer by Cluck Cluck Sew
Fabric: Molli Sparkles curated stash bundle with Alison Glass Sun Print 2018 Peach and Supreme Cotton Tropicana
Piecing: Machine stitched on Juki TL-98P with Aurifil 50wt, White 2024
Quilting: Long arm quilting by Mount Vincent Quilts
Binding: Hand stitched with Aurifil 40wt, Linen 50wt 2325
Backing: Dear Stella Reptile Print
Timing: May 2020 – September 2021
Favourite Part: Gifting a Molli Sparkles original to a deserving friend!