The Shop Challenge

Before Christmas, the shop where I work decided to do a quilt challenge.  The owner chose this Amy Butler fabric which was not selling very well.

 All of the women who work there, made tens  6 1/2 inch blocks using this fabric. Then we traded with each other so each of us had a block made by everyone else.  Our challenge was to make something out of all of the blocks and have it finished by April 1.  Since I don't like the fabric at all, this was a big challenge for me.  My first thought was to make a giant scrap quilt and hide the blocks in it. But I didn't have enough time to make something complicated since I have two graduation quilts to make by May.  So I decided to put these blocks on the back of a quilt I had already made.

The challenge for me was to make a back that would be attractive to enough to hang in the shop and to have it relate  in size and color to one of my finish tops.  I chose this batik fish quilt for the top.  This is the quilt that convinced me I do not like hand applique.  All of the fish and bubbles were sewn on by hand.  The quilt is made mostly from scraps given to me by my friend Holly, and I think I finished it about 9 years ago.  This quilt is 62"x50".

The back with the challenge blocks was inspired by a Swirly Girls pattern, Viola.

The blank block will be filled in after it is quilted with Cathy's dimensional pinwheel block. 

 I will applique it into the space after it is longarmed.

Stash Report:
Used this week:  5.5 yards (fish quilt top and back)
Used year to date: 23.625 yards 
Added this week: 4.5 yards (batiks to finish quilt)
Added year to date: 36.25 yards
Net Added:  12.625 yards