Fruit Bowl Bullseye

"And the first shall be the last"....at least when it comes to quilt magazine publications! I'm happy to finally share this quilt with you - especially since this was the first quilt I ever submitted to a magazine. I've learned a few things during the past two years about publishing. One thing I know for sure: nothing is for sure, until you actually see it in print!

This is Fruit Bowl Bullseye and it is currently featured in Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting March/April 2014 issue. The lovely quilting on this one was done by my good friend, Tracey Fisher. (It should also be noted that Tracey graciously listened to my hysterical squealing on the phone when I got my first magazine acceptance - and she even told me she was happy for me :)

Fruit Bowl Bullseye

Adding the binding

F&P's Love of Quilting March/April 2014

This pattern was a jumping off point for me because it was the first quilt that was inspired by something completely non-quilty and I just dove in without a pattern or a plan. It started with a string of beads....

I was working on a lanyard with these beads and was really taken with the design and the colors. Starting to see it as a quilt design, I found this fabric line called "Fruit Slices" by Anthology Fabrics (good luck finding it now, two years later - sorry!) and then it slowly came together. How do I turn that bead into a block? What about the seed beads in between? I originally had a different layout in mind but once I got the blocks up on the design wall other ideas won out.

Follow your quilt inspirations, wherever they may lead you!

Happy Spring stitching,

Tonya