The Graduate

I've been keeping this one under wraps so it would be a surprise.  Another family friend graduated from high school this year.  Unlike my last graduation gift I actually finished this one in time for her to take it off to college in the fall.

I chose this Helix pattern by the Tulip Patch as a nod to the STEM curriculum at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).  Another fan of purple I went back to my stash.  I think this design needs two high contrast colors to really work.  I decided to go with yellow, another color that I don't have a lot of.  Scrappy quilts aren't really thing so I think using two colors I had in small supply made me push past my usual matchy-matchy tendencies.

With my squares cut I got to work making my HSTs...  all 144 of them.

The great thing about this quilt is that while it looks complicated it's actually quite simple to construct.  Once all the HSTs are made it's just a matter of putting them together into these star blocks.

I debated how I was going to quilt this for awhile.  My first impulse was to schedule an appointment at Burlington Electric Quilters but I didn't think I could find a chevron pantograph and my ruler work isn't that good.  In the end I cleared my living room to baste this and quilted it at home.  I used a Hera marker to mark my quilting lines.  It's amazing how easy they are to follow and yet they totally disappear with a fluff in the dryer.

I used the last of my bolt of Fog Cotton Couture to make bias binding to finish this.

I'm so happy with how this turned out...

And the back.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 70" x 95"
Pattern: Helix by the Tulip Patch.
Fabrics: Assorted purple and yellow fabrics from stash.  Michael Miller Cotton Couture Fog.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Grey (2605).