Log Cabins Askew: A Paint Chip Challenge Mini Quilt

Being a member of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild has many benefits. One of my favorites is that there is always something new going on. In addition to the monthly meetings and sew-ins, new opportunities to participate constantly present themselves: swaps, challenges, retreats, epic meet-ups, and so on and so on. This quilt is the result of the Paint Chip Challenge. Participants were given a paint chip to match, and told to make an 18” square quilt. These mini quilts will be shown together as a larger metaquilt at Drygoods Design in Pioneer Square this June.

This challenge was a lot harder than I anticipated. Even though I have a healthy stash, not a single piece of fabric I owned matched the paint chip I was given. I had planned on shopping for fabric while at QuiltCon, but forgot my paint chip at home. Trying to match it by memory proved disastrous. In the end, I used my Kona color card and ordered half a yard each of Bluebell, Cloud and Dresden Blue from Fat Quarter Shop. You can’t go wrong with solids.

By the time my fabric arrived, there was approximately a month left to complete the challenge. I scrapped my original inspiration in the interest of time, and decided to go with wonky log cabins. I have an affinity for log cabin blocks, since I used the pattern for my first ever quilt, but I wanted to do something decidedly modern with these, hence the wonkiness. After I trimmed the blocks, I discovered a surprising amount of movement in them and decided to echo that movement in the quilting. Most of the quilting was done in one sitting, during an uncharacteristic bout of insomnia. It was just what I needed to sooth my restless mind and get back to sleep.

The color palette and time constraint of this challenge definitely pushed me, but I’m glad I did it. I’ve enjoyed following along with others in the guild on Instagram (#seamqgpaintchipchallenge) and can’t wait to see everyone’s quilts displayed together.