New Pattern: Sonesta

So there are designs I have stashed away from my first days of designing quilts that just wait for the perfect opportunity or fabric to showcase them. This is kinda one of those...

 I say kinda because these weren't the fabrics I had in mind when I designed this quilt. I really didn't have any fabrics in mind specifically, but I can tell you these were nowhere in my mind at the time. I'm actually heading to Cottonpickers, my LQS, later today and I'll get a picture of the batik wall that seems to grow every time you look at it. You'll see why I gravitated towards these fabrics, maybe...

When I look at this quilt I see all of the colors from our trip to the Caribbean. I'm hoping that when we have a blizzard this winter I can wrap up in it and feel almost as warm as I did on the beaches we visited... A girl can dream, right?!

 This quilt is so much brighter than most that I've made. It almost scares me a little because of how bright it is. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but this is one of those situations where you didn't know yourself.

The above picture I took at the park by Lake Erie down the street from my house. The lake was the most beautiful color of blue that it is capable of achieving, but the fall leaves weren't having the same feel for me, so these pictures didn't make it on the cover.

 So, my next resort for photos was my backyard fence. Well, really my neighbor's fence, but alas, my fence. It's so hard to make the photos seem appropriate to the fabrics at times when Christmas fabrics come out in Summer and Spring/Summer fabrics come out in Fall/Winter.

This quilt is the medium size with the borders attached. There are three sizes in the pattern ranging from Small to Large. Basically they work from Lap to Full-ish sizes, but is easily made bigger or smaller. The blocks finish at 12" square so with simple piecing and large blocks, this quilt goes together quickly no matter which size you'll make.

I normally use a thread that blends with the quilt top for the quilting, and there really wasn't one color that would work with this blend of gorgeous. Soooo, I used a tie-dye thread that had every color in it. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you can probably see the quilting better.

I also made a flannel version. This is the small size without the borders. Same quilt - completely different feel. Don't ya love it?! If you chose fabrics like this one it'll be great for a guy!

I quilted this one the same way as the other, but the fabrics make it look completely different. These were samples of the Moda Flannel Basics from one of the Moda Salesmen I work with. This quilt will be traveling with him, Mr. Joseph Galza, to the Clare, MI MAAFRA show for quilt shops next week if you're there. The flannels in this quilt felt like butter. It's so soft and I actually curled up in it the one day of the Shipshewana Show I was just at because once the sun went down it got cold, fast! The second morning of the show when we woke up it was only about 22 degrees outside. It's days like that that I appreciate making quilts that much more. If you get cold you have samples to curl up in! It's a win win!

 

So Sonesta is now available to ship and is ready for purchase in my shop. What fabrics would you make this out of? Which version do you like the best? I'm curious to know! I'll be back with more updates later!