Quilt Finish – Molli Sparkles Lava Lamp

I was born in 1981, way too late to experience the original version of the lava lamp. Thankfully, they had somewhat of a renaissance in the nineties. It may have been the influence of Austin Powers, or simply spending too much time at Spencer’s Gifts, but one year of that decade I knew I had to have one. After much deliberation, a lamp of yellow lava, clear liquid and black base flowed right on home with me to illuminate my teenage bedroom. I was mesmerised by it’s amoebic gesticulation and I would leave it on at night falling asleep with its yellow glow casting shadows around my room. This was all pre-Internet so I had no reference point to the cultural significance or history of the original lava lamp. All I knew was that I liked it.

The original lava lamp was called an Astro Lamp and was developed in 1948 by Englishman, Edward Craven Walker at the age of 30. His company, Mathmos, begin production and distribution in 1963, and this nostalgic item is now part of the cultural canon. Imagine that being your claim to fame! Someone asks you what you did with your life: “I invented the lava lamp.” Now that’s a life well lived! Well, I think I just took it up a notch, because I invented the lava lamp quilt. Okay–I can’t verify that, so feel free to pin a tail on the donkey and call me a liar!

Download Pattern Here

I started developing this quilt seventy years after the original in May 2018 in my sketchbook as most of my designs originate. This quilt is a combination of foundation paper piecing, appliqué, and traditional piecing techniques. It was the first time I’d really explored appliqué, and it has certainly opened my eyes to the additional options I have when making a quilt. I used the raw edge appliqué technique, and while I haven’t put the quilt through the wash yet, after many snuggling uses the raw edges aren’t fraying at all.

If you want to go back, you can read about my quilt top finish here.

I tried to go as wild as possible with the fabric selection. I pulled out all of those loud, large scale prints that really needed the space to shine. These served as the background wallpaper for each tableau, and then I built the foregrounds and lava colourations around them. When I was making these blocks, I also discovered that I had numerous fabrics that already had designs reminiscent of floating lava. This is why some of the blocks are constructed without appliqué. I kept imagining the type of person that would own each of these lava lamps and it really influenced the overall aesthetic.

Download Pattern Here

For the long arm quilting, I requested that Leanne of Mount Vincent Quilts echo each of the squircles, and then do some light custom work around the various motifs surrounding each of the lava lamps. I wanted to keep the quilting to a minimum as not to overshadow the lava lamps as they’re already so riotous with colour and patterns. I know y’all are gonna ask me about how to do the squircles, but that’s my trade secret! However, feel free to get inspired and squircle your lava lamp blocks, too!

• 

• 

The backing fabric is from Project Runway Season One winner, Jay McCarroll’s Habitat fabric range. I didn’t even know he had got into fabric design until I found a bunch of his fabrics in a sale bin and it was a major score! These organic, circular shapes reminded me of floating lava blobs, so it was an obvious choice.

Download Pattern Here

This finish really represents everything I love about the art of quilting. I got to play with bold fabrics, design my own block, find nostalgia in the subject matter, learn new techniques, and wind up with a piece of art that I can wrap myself up in every morning while drinking my coffee, or every evening sipping my cocktail. It really is groovy, baby.

Title: Molli Sparkles Lava Lamp Quilt
Size: 52″ x 68″
Pattern: Molli Sparkles Lava Lamp
Fabric: Molli Sparkles curated collection
Piecing: Machine stitched on Juki TL-98P with various Aurifil
Quilting: Long arm quilting by Mount Vincent Quilts
Binding: Hand stitched with Aurifil 40wt, Black
Backing: Jay McCarroll Habitat pollen
Timing: October 2020 – November 2021
Favourite Part: Fulfilling my design intention to create something truly original.

I’ll leave you with just a little flashback photo of a seventeen year old me — the exact moment I sent my first email. My yellow lava lamp had a pride of place on my bedroom desk, but I think my shirt was the real star of this show!