Violettes fini

 Hi everyone! By the time you read this, I should be happy dancing all around the house, because I should have finished all of the research papers I have to read and the worst semester ever will have come to an end. Yahoo! I don't know why spring was so much worse than the fall, but I think canceling Spring Break had a lot to do with it. Let's never do that again, okay?

Speaking of things never to do again. . .okay, that was meant to be funny, but maybe not too funny, because I have finally finished a quilt top from 2017. This particular top had approximately a billion pieces, (that's only a small exaggeration!) and for some reason I grew to dislike it intensely. The blocks have been hanging on the design wall since I put the design wall up, and I finally got so sick of them (with a little prodding from Preeti) that I finished the top. Here she is:

For some reason, the shade and light make this look blue, but I swear that it's purples and lavenders! Perceptive readers will notice that this looks familiar, like a pattern or something. That's because it began life as one of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilts, En Provence. (You can get the digital pattern for that quilt right HERE.) I started it with enthusiasm, but then lost interest around the 80 millionth piece. I guess I have no stamina. It's been waiting to be finished ever since.

 

 

In the interest of finishing this into something usable, and of using up as many of the pieces I had already made as possible, I finished half of the blocks, eliminated the alternate blocks, and pieced a sashing to bring it together into some kind of a design. I actually think it turned out okay! Of course, I have approximately 50 million pieces left over, but most of them are purple 4-patches, and I'm sure I'll think of something to do with those eventually.

 

 For those of you who have not made a "Bonnie" quilt, she is a genius at using all kinds of little pieces to make complicated designs. I also love complex blocks, but the plethora of scrap pieces required and the sheer anount of work involved with this quilt just overwhelmed me. Also, I don't have nearly a big enough stash to get a real variety, and I really dislike matching all of those seams! 

 

I've decided to call my version Violettes, French for violets, because the purples and greens certainly bring those pretty flowers to mind. Now that it's pieced, I am planning to quilt it up myself. I want to try using the walking foot to make Baptist fans, and I think this is the perfect quilt for it. It's so busy that the piecing will hide any mistakes. I need to find a nice plain neutral for the backing because the top itself is so busy. Pretty sure I have something like that around here somewhere. . .

 

 

Sighhh. I'm so relieved and happy that this is finished, that the semester is finished, and that we have some pretty spring flowers like those above (another azalea growing loose on the property) that I just might find a minute or two to relax. I'm not really sure I remember what that feels like!

 

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend! If anyone needs me, I'll be on the sofa, staring at the TV and letting my brain reboot. I think there's a few shows that should help with that. (Bridgerton, anyone?) Right after I finish this happy dance!

Updated to add that I'm sharing this at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday, and Michelle's Beauties Pageant. Thanks to all the hosts!