Quilty magazine feature: Blinky's Revenge
It's been said that solids make a statement, and if that's true, this graphic baby quilt says, "Hello, World! Let's have some fun!"
The January-February 2019 issue of Quilty magazine features Blinky's Revenge, a baby quilt using our Painter's Palette Solids that was designed by Lisa Swenson Ruble and quilted by Diane Oakes.
Photo credit: Quilty magazine
Q. How did you choose which Painter's Palette Solids to use?
LR: It was really hard to choose! I knew Quilty wanted to feature this as a baby quilt, so I wanted a bright palette that didn't scream "girl" or "boy." I love the turquoise, orange and lime combination, so I started with those and filled in around them. It was fun to use my color card to choose the exact fabrics. The colors are (from top): 121-089 Island, 121-111 Patriot, 121-149 Violet, 121-005 Pencil, 121-164 Jolly, 121-031 Turquoise, and 121-124 Carrot.
Q. Where did the idea for this design come from?
LR: I was playing around with the idea of puzzle pieces that interlocked (using squares and rectangles rather than the rounded pieces actual puzzles have) and this quilt just grew out of that concept. It was fun to play with color placement in my digital design.
Q. Tell us about making this quilt.
LR: It goes together from the center out, and assembles Courthouse Steps style. You add pieced rows alternating with solid strips. It's an easy quilt to make, and perfect for a gift, for babies or otherwise. You could even make it larger for a really fantastic bed quilt.
Q. Why did you decide to use solids?
LR: The design itself is really graphic, and solids enhance all the ins and outs. Plus, I knew the quilting would pop really well. I loved working with such rich, saturated colors. Painter's Palette Solids are hands down my favorite.
Q. What can you tell us about the machine quilting?
LR: Diane Oakes did a fantastic job! She used two different designs for the majority of the quilt--wishbone sections alternating with swirls. This helps to set the different colors apart. The middle is done with pebbles. She picked a matching thread for each section, so the back is really fun as well. 
Q. Tell us about the name of the quilt.
LR: In my head, I've been calling it the 'cog quilt,' because the shapes reminded me of cogs in a wheel that fit together. The Quilty editors thought the design reminded them of retro arcade games, thus the name "Blinky's Revenge." I kind of want to make this in Pac-Man colors now!
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Read more about this quilt here.