Granny Square Quilt

This quilt has been finished for awhile but sometimes it takes longer to get the photographs than it does to make the quilt. I used the Granny Square Quilt Tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop blog and followed the instructions pretty much to the letter. The strip piecing method was quick and enjoyable; each set of cut fabrics makes two blocks. I liked the rounded corners on the pattern and since I had never used this variation of quilt construction, I wanted to try it. I sewed a bias binding after reading several sets of instructions online and was happy with how it turned out. 

The fabrics are a variety of grays and blues with a little bit of bright green. I wanted a limited color palette with this project and wanted to keep the overall effect rather soft, despite the navy and the darker gray. The background and sashing is Kona Snow - it's not the brightest white so there is slightly less contrast with the colored blocks.

I stabilized the layers with a double row of straight line machine quilting through all of the blocks before I attached the binding. I prefer doing my hand stitching once all of the batting is tucked in; it isn't always possible but it worked out well this time.

The backing is a pretty Denyse Schmidt fabric called Complex Plaid in Willow from the Shelburne Falls line. It complements the colors of the front and, because the plaid is printed on point, it echoes the X shapes of the blocks. It only needed one seam on the back but I carefully matched the plaid for the fun of it. Hmm - wonder if anyone will care?

The finished quilt measures 57" x 68" before washing.