Tequila Sunrise Sunset

Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise detail

 This is the finished Hoffman challenge quilt for this year. I wasn't going to do it, then less than two months ago, after finding a fat quarter of the fabric in my local quilt shop Seminole Sampler I had to try it. I fussy cut out as many beige hexagons as possible and bias strip cut the colored sections to be leaf veins.

I drew it out on my sketch pad, and loved it instantly. Then drew it out to scale, designed the fan leaves on paper as well as the curved flying geese. I had some silk hexagons left from a miniature (picture later) and knew if they were sewn together in an organic strip they would add texture to a leaf. I am currently in love with coral, moving from fuchsia to turquoise to oranges. I used to dislike beige and tan, but in doing the patio along the bottom of the leaves, using 5 different fabrics I grew to love that color too.

 I gathered oranges, coral, pink, purple and golds. Gathered shades of lime to turquoise and avacado greens. I had a spree sewing the fan leaves which took 3 hours each.  I said yum after each color added.

After piecing each leaf, I faced them with shirt tailor, turned them, stuffed them, and quilted them.

When the time came to join them I devised a novel method to piece curves without worrying about seam allowances. Thrilling!

 I layered the whole thing on another background but never liked how pastel it was. Finally I gave in to the orange thing, chose the batik and loved how it turned out.
I quilted the background with long graceful leaves in blue 30 weight thread.
The whole time I was making it I planned to put on a facing. After it was quilted I decided it needed a binding, and used one of my hand dyes done on a striped B&W fabric. I love how it tied the colors together and framed the whole. 

I have made several palm tree quilts. After all was done, there is an unused fan leaf left over to start another palm quilt.

Like a starter bread quilt.

Lee Anna