Penguin Tree

What a fun name, Penguin Tree. Of course the name is more than appropriate for yet another beautiful quilt designed by Margret Lewis.

One block wonder

The pattern of this quilt may be familiar to many of you. The one block wonder pattern can turn panels into some of the most interesting designs. The panels used for this quilt feature penguins; however, I did not realize that at first.

Thread color and quilting

It is always exciting to audition both thread color and quilting designs. Because Penguin Tree runs the gamut from dark to light, the thread decision was made more about the front than the back. (Note, I always recommend the same color thread front and back). The choice of Lilac was made so that the quilting would not obscure the fun colors and shapes of the Kaleidoscope-look blocks.

Of course, you never do know exactly what impact thread has on contrasting backgrounds. In this case, the choice was perfect. While the inside pieced portion of the quilt is not overtaken by the quilting, the borders absolutely came alive.

Before I talk about what occurred on the back of the quilt, I want to address the E2E pattern: Circle Meander

I have used this pattern before. You can see how it plays with my Paper Pieced Scrappy Quilt. It was this inspiration that helped make the decision.

Backing Effect

Not everyone wants the back of their quilt to make a statement. This is why so many are very busy florals or other patterns. In this case, the back is almost as much of a show stopper as the front! The pattern plays like underwater bubbles on the backing pattern.

Of course, each photo I post does not do the quilt justice when viewed in person. I think you can see by the next and final image a bit of the beauty and fun that this quilt provides.

NOTE: A little birdie told me that Margaret will be teaching this very technique at Cabbage Rose on May 11, 2019. Here is the link: ONE BLOCK WONDER