We wrapped up the Negative Space Challenge in my local chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild, the Tampa Modern Quilt Guild, over the weekend, and it was a lot of fun to see the different projects that everyone put together. The focus of the challenge was to use negative space as a main design element of your quilt, and that the quilt could be anywhere from the finished top stage to a completely finished quilt. We had five entries in total, but unfortunately, I didn't bring my good camera with me, so I only have my phone camera pictures to share. You can check them out on Instagram, I'm @dontcallmebetsy.

I brought in my entry, which I finished late Friday night after starting on it last week. Nothing like squeaking by! I finished up my pixelated teal quilt for this challenge, and I really love how it came together. I think it's quite possible that teal has replaced pink as my favorite color...

Because this quilt was straight up patchwork, I really wanted to do some quilting that would take advantage of the built-in grid from the patchwork seams, so I went with simple orange peel quilting. I happened to have a limited supply of teal thread, three different small spools of Aurifil, so there's three different shades of teal quilting throughout the quilt, which I think enhances the pixelated feel of the patchwork. I love quilting those orange peel shapes, they're really quite relaxing and enjoyable!

When it came to binding, my fabric was pretty much all packed up, so I had to dig in my scraps to find some strips of teal solids to use. I found two different Kona solid ones and alternated the piecing of them in the binding. I like the final look that the variation in color brings.

Quilt Stats
name: Starlight Express
size: 42" x 45"
pattern: none, just simple wonky stars with patchwork
fabrics: assorted low volume prints and assorted aqua, teal, and turquoise solids, including Moda Bella Solids in Aqua, Kona Cotton in Lagoon, Cotton Couture in Ocean, Kona Cotton in Peacock, Bella in Seafoam, and Pure Elements in Emerald
quilting: orange peel FMQ in three different shades of 50 wt Aurifil - colors #1148, 4093, and 5006
binding: Kona Cotton in Glacier and Kona Cotton in Cyan