Quilt 86: Robert Kaufman "Trieste" panel (in jewel tones) - DONE!

Last week I posted about the design for this quilt.  I love the Robert Kaufman "Trieste" panel - but finding fabrics to coordinate with it hasn't been easy.  I hunted for months for a blue that would match the vibrant blue in the center of the panel - but without success.  The edge of the panel has a teal strip that goes around it - so I found a teal that went well with that strip and used that, as you see below. 

43" x 61" - quilted on the longarm ("Blustery Breeze"
groovy boards) - polyester batting

The photo above makes the colours look less harmonious than they are "in person".  Oh well - I love my digital camera, but have to admit it frequently lets me down in terms of rendering colours.

I opted for my "Blustery Breeze" groovy boards for the stitching pattern and as you can see below, it turned out well, especially with Signature Threads' "Chamois" thread (which has a matt gold colour).  The stitching is very obvious over the solid teal border, somewhat obvious over the metallic gold border, but in the center of the panel it fades into the back ground - which is EXACTLY what I want it to do.

For the backing, I went with a solid matt gold homespun (muslin) which is very close to the thread colour.  I like the effect quite a bit.

So it's done - but now the story gets a little crazy.

My friend Janet saw the panel and wanted a quilt made with it.  As I mentioned last week, she wasn't crazy about the teal border, but I explained to her my frustration with finding something that matches - and also my regret that I hadn't bought the Robert Kaufman "Trieste Medallion" print which reflects some of the panel print (it doesn't seem to be available anymore...).

Well, I can hardly believe what happened.

After finishing this quilt, I decided on my next project and was rummaging around in my stash for the bits and pieces I need to complete it.  There, hidden at the bottom of one of my fabric boxes was 2 yards of the "Trieste Medallion" print!  I HAD bought some and just forgot about it.

The next day I made a trip to the fabric store looking for backing fabric - and what's THIS?!?!  They had a vibrant blue which exactly matches the panel center!  I grabbed a couple of meters of it, knowing Janet would prefer her quilt to be made with the blue instead of the teal.

So I contacted Janet and told her all this.  She's not in a hurry, and I've got several of these panels.  So I'm going back to the drawing board.  I'm sure I'll find a home for the one I finished today.  It really is gorgeous!