Gallery Quilt – Finished

I was able to finish my gallery quilt this week.

Just in time for my sister’s birthday. She commented to me one day that she really loved this quilt (she saw me post it on Instagram… kind of forgot she was on Instagram!) and I had to try really hard to keep it in that it was for her for a birthday/housewarming present.

I knew I wanted to make  a quilt using the Heather Ross fish in bags print. Sister kind of has a thing about fish, and keeping them alive… anyway… I thought for a really long time about how to use them, since I only had a little scrap, not even a fat quarter.

Initially, I had planned on framing them out in a little white, then doing a log cabin something, kind of like Brooke did. Then I saw Kati’s gallery quilt and knew it was perfect for my sister. Clean lines, really accenting some bold focus fabrics, and I could frame out one of each goldfish so they really stood out.

(Bjorn is my favorite fishie. Don’t tell the others.)

Kati was kind enough to let me use her layout. (She’s thinking of turning it into a pattern, which I fully support). I love how the whole thing turned out. It was a lot of fun to make, and perfect for special fabrics you want to feature without cutting them up too much.

I love how the graphic prints of Echo (Lotta Jansdotter) combine with the Impressions (Ty Pennington) to give it  a completely modern feel, and bring out the colors of the fish.

I hope sister really loves it now that it’s all done, and it’s hers. She doesn’t actually know it’s hers yet, since she went out of town for her birthday, but it’s waiting at her house to surprise her when she gets home tonight. I’m pretty sure she won’t be checking the blog before then. I hope.