Quilt #84 Fireworks for Ingrid

When I first started quilting in March of 2013, I made a goal to make a quilt for every immediate family member. I have a bit of a family bush on my side with multiple divorces and siblings. Niels' family is much more simple.

The only person I had left was his sister, Ingrid, who told me years ago that her favorite colors were black, pink, and white. I've played with many, many patterns over the years but never found the one that inspired me. When I mentioned that I wanted to make her a quilt a few months ago, before our trip to visit her in the Netherlands, she asked if I would make a quilt for friend instead. That's how I ended up making Celtic Midnight.

I finished it with a few weeks to spare, so I decided to try to get Ingrid's quilt done as well. I've been doing a fair amount of paper piecing this year as part of Blossom Heart Quilt's Milky Way quilt along, so I started playing with designs on EQ7. Each of these designs uses the same block. I decided on the bottom right, which I'm calling Floating Fireworks, with Ingrid's version called Fireworks for Ingrid.

It was the first time I made a paper pieced pattern on EQ7. I'd like to figure out how to adjust the shading because the dark sections could discolor light prints.

I fold freezer paper when I paper piece so I can my templates over and over. Here's a great tutorial if you are new to paper piecing.

I had to do a little scrambling with my fabric choices because I initially pulled fabric 3 years ago and all three prints were out of print when I learned I needed more of each. 

The blocks came together quickly. The hardest part is that my design wall in our narrow laundry room, which makes taking photos difficult.

I have to step up on the counter most of the time, and even then, I can't get a full picture of anything over a full quilt. Does anyone else find that patterns appear better in a photo than real life. 

Once my quilts are pieced, I get a chance to find any errors, though it takes a little more time to fix them at this point.

I continued the spiral theme in the prints with my quilting. 

Of course, the best part of quilting is delivery day! 

It's always fun to surprise someone! And I figured if she didn't like it, I love it and would have taken it right back home! But alas, she wanted to keep it!

To see more pictures of this quilt in progress, look for #FireworksForIngrid on Instagram.  If you'd like to see what I'm currently working on, follow me at de Jong Dream House. 

Linked to:
Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts
Let's Bee Social #190 @ Sew Fresh Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
Midweek Makers #85 @ Quilt Fabrication
Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Moving It Forward @ Em's Scrapbag
NTT @ My Quilt Infatuation
Off the Wall Friday @ Nina Marie
Oh Scrap! @ Quilting is More Fun than Housework
TGIFF @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge
Wednesday Wait Loss 28 @ Inquiring Quilter
Whoop Whoop Friday @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
WIP on Wednesday @ Esther's Blog