Colour My World Blue

When my dad died nine years ago, a good friend gave me a card with the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." I've kept that card, usually on my office bulletin board, as a reminder that there is good -- beauty even -- in the midst of hardship. I cannot tell you how much I've leaned on that quote over the years.

For my Colour My World Blue challenge, I decided to do a quilty interpretation of that quote. This is Rough Seas. It may not look like it, but that little boat will make it. :)

Rough Seas

Quilting Detail

I started with a 16" square of medium blue solid for the background and added the batting and backing. I drew the boat and wave sections with a Clover White Marking Pen as my general guidelines.

For the quilting, I used eight yummy shades of Aurifil blue (#2612, 5008, 2770, 1320, 1125, 2740, 2783, 2785) in a variety of cotton weights -- 40, 50 and even 28 -- to see if I could get the thread to act as the light source. Then I just played with different water-like quilting motifs in each of the wave sections. Each section was pretty small so it was fun to try different motifs to depict a crazy ocean storm. Although the hubster did say that the wave sections might look like fish...in a certain light...hmm...

The dense quilting shrunk it half an inch and I trimmed it another inch so it measures 14.5" by 14.5" zig zag finish, like my other Colour My World challenges.

I'm so happy with how it turned out. Two years ago, I would never have been able to do this month's challenge so I'm definitely doing the Happy Dance today!

Quilting Detail

Emma How of Sampaguita Quilts's Cinqo de Mayo wholecloth quilt is on my bucket list of quilt styles I'd like to try someday. I'm thinking it may just be possible now. :D


Only one month left to go and our last colour is green! Fir trees, anyone? Hmmm?

Also linking up with TGIFF! over at Making Rebecca Lynne because I'm definitely celebrating this finish!