Phantom Triangle Quilt

This was one of those quilts where it was just fun to make!  I needed to use some scraps that I had cut in various sizes (3" and 4"), they were bugging me...sitting all stacked neatly, but never being used.  Instead of my usual half square triangles, I thought go organic!

28 1/2" x 38 1/2"

I started with 3 1/2" grey squares.  The colored squares I would cut in half for the most part and eyeball where I wanted them to go.  I intended it to be 'rough', perfection wasn't in my mind at all. After I used the largest color squares, I grabbed the small ones hoping to make the triangles graduate in size from the bottom.  Larger...smaller.  After sewing the colors, I trimmed and squared the squares to 3 1/4".

You may notice that there are two different grey tones.  Totally intentional.  The grey with the triangles is Kona Ash and the opposite side is Kona Shadow.  

I thought about using the same square blocks (3 1/4") for the opposite side in Kona Shadow, but decided it would be much easier and faster to make strips.

The back never ceases to amaze me on a quilt top!  Do you ever get mesmerized by that?

Once the top was pieced, I knew right away that I would free motion quilt it.  First of all it was small, so I knew I could handle it.  When the idea of making phantom triangles came to me, I was both excited and scared to death!  It could go very wrong!

I started by marking random phantom triangles and began the long and rewarding (really) process of FMQ.  I had pebbles and colors in mind!  

I ended up using 25 colors throughout the quilting process.  That meant a lot of thread changes!  Yes, I didn't make perfect pebbles, but I sure had fun trying!  

Because I used the colors for one side, the other side with the triangles (the real triangles, not the phantom ones), I went with just grey thread.  This part went much quicker because there were no color changes!  Boy, what was I thinking?  And why so dense?!

Maybe it was meant to be?!  Because I love it!  I told my husband before I started quilting that I was going big!  And I'm so happy I did!

I'll tell ya, after all the bobbin and thread changes, I was so over it!  Changing colors is just 

not fun.  

But it was so worth it!  When I decided to stay with a neutral grey for the opposite side, everything went faster.  By the time I was done my shoulders were telling me I over did it!  I couldn't stop once I started.  I had to finish it all!!

What would I do differently if I were to make another one?  I think I would make the phantom triangles in colors, but use a neutral for the pebbles.  Maybe.  

I was really feeling this one!  The free motion quilting grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go! I want to do more...so much more...and not just pebbles!    

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