Quilt 19: Tutty Fruity "Throw"

Well, I admit it's a little mad, but I'm just so inspired by these tutty fruity charm squares. They are just so bright, stimulating and FUN!

So what am I going to do with the bulk of them?

As I explained in the last couple of weeks, I've pulled out the handlful of squares that just didn't marry well with the rest and have come up with other projects so the squares won't go to waste. But for the bulk, I really want a throw blanket.

And here we go!

First I organized the prints I liked best.  I found that I could make a kind of rainbow effect - purple/blue on the right, then (moving to the left) green, yellow, orange, red.  Then another band of red (a direct mirror image repeat) and back thru orange (and yellow/green/bluepurple):

 I spread my black calico on the floor and placed the squares.  I hand a handful left over, so I set them around the corners and sides:

 YEAH!  I really like this:

I want the black bits to be squares cut just like the fruit/veggie prints - so here I've used my photo editing software to draw in the seams - allowing me to easily count how many black squares I'll need (math not being my strong suit...):

 Voila!

It's been a while since Miss Laka (my macaw) has posed for shots on this blog, but she was ready for "bedtime" about the time I finished piecing the top, so hubby Stephen brought her in to pose:

 She's not impressed.  Laka is an avid fan of fresh fruit and veg - but she caught on fast that this is fake fruit.  Just as well - I don't really need her attacking my quilt and gnawing holes into it.

Now to sandwich this "puppy" and decide what pattern of stitching to use (and what colour thread?).