Breanna, a beyond talented longarmer, tech editor and pattern tester, made this incredible Ruby Star Society version of the Crystal Creek Quilt! She kept track of her thoughts as she made the quilt, and I'm excited to share her process (and pretty pictures) here!
Handing it over to you, Breanna!
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Hi there, my name is Breanna Gaudaur and I am an avid quilter, pattern tester, tech editor and long arm quilter based in Ontario, Canada. I’ve been quilting since I was six years old, and it is still one of my favorite ways to spend time. When I’m not quilting you’ll find me busy at my day job or going on adventures to get photos of quilts in the wild.
I had two goals when it came to choosing fabric for my version of Crystal Creek: I wanted to use lots of fun bright prints, and I wanted to stick with fabric I already had on my shelf. I ended up pulling what felt like half of my fat quarter collection off my shelf and worked through several fabric pulls that were ‘close’ but not quite right. Eventually I settled on this assortment of Ruby Star Society Basics including prints from Starry, Add it Up, Speckled and Hole Punch.
I also had just enough Black Speckled fabric left over from another project to use as the background.
Once I had my fabric, the quilt top came together like a dream. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who really enjoys trimming HRT’s!)
Trimming aside, the scale of the pieces means they come together quickly, and it was so rewarding to see how all the fabrics looked together in the completed blocks.
Sometimes I have no idea how I’m going to quilt a quilt until it’s loaded on the frame and waiting for a decision. But with this Crystal Creek quilt I knew right away that I wanted to use a new-to-me pantograph called Lantern Lights. I love how the shape of the quilting design mimics the quilt blocks while adding movement and dimension. I went with a light blue thread so it would pop against the dark background while blending in with some of the brighter colours. I had to stop and take a picture in the middle of taking the quilt off the frame because I was too excited about how it all came together.
I decided to use leftovers to create a scrappy binding because I love using fabric efficiently. I knew my scraps were all about 21 inches long, so I doubled the number of binding strips listed in the cutting instructions, and added an extra strip or two to allow for the extra seam allowances. (So instead of seven WOF strips I cut sixteen 21 inch strips.) When sewing my strips together I tried to group them by colour to create movement around the edge of the quilt.
From there it was some quick hand binding (my favourite part of the whole process!) and then off to get some photos of my Crystal Creek in the wild!
The Details
Quilt Top Fabric:
Ruby Star Society Add It Up: Wine Time, Polar, & Chambray
Ruby Star Society Starry: Plum, Papaya, Citron, Pistachio & Turquoise
Ruby Star Society Hole Punch: Honey
Ruby Star Society Speckled: Sorbet, Pale Pink, Cayenne, Sunlight, Polar, & Black
Backing: Ruby Star Society Speckled Wideback in Berry
Pantograph: Lantern Lights Edge-to-Edge by Christy Dillon
Pieced and Quilted by: Breanna Gaudaur of Rose Ivy Quilts