Cosmic Octopus Crush quilt

I have had the pleasure of testing patterns for Morgan over at Modernly Morgan a few times now. Pattern testers make quilts from a pattern draft to give feedback on the ease of the pattern, the math, proofreading the copy, etc. And then of course, pattern writers would really love for you to take eye catching pics of the quilts that you make so that other quilters will definitely want to buy that pattern for themselves. I am not a skilled photographer. I know skilled photographers, and they are sometimes kind enough to help me take photos of my quilts (as my friend Katy was, in this case). But what I like very much (and am developing the skills for) is finding fun photo locations around my fine city (some might say the Finest City) that complement my quilts in some way.

Morgan’s latest pattern is called Cosmic Crush, because of the stars motif. Sorry not sorry, that all I saw in those “stars” were cute little stubby octopuses, with their eight nubbly tentacled arms. So I fussy cut some tentacular octopus fabric that I’d been saving, and matched it up with mauve, royal blue, neon and sea foam, and black fabrics (with some fun marine-themed prints throughout). This pattern is special because it has no flying geese and no half square triangles (which are two very ubiquitous pieces in many quilt patterns, both traditional and modern). So to mix things up, Morgan decided to make some stars without those elements.

You’ll never believe it, but I didn’t plan this quilt around this mural at all. I saw this mural when I was taking quilt pics nearby a few months ago (so maybe it was stuck in my subconscious after all). The colors are spot on, and even more so for the backing (pictured below).

I’ve been using neon fabric in nearly every quilt I have made recently. Neon is the new neutral; you heard it here first!

The quilt backing is a sateen from Tula Pink that looks like oil on water, or like an acrylic pour. With these colors, it is a near exact match for the scant coloring on this mural in Pacific Beach, and I am so dazzled by it.

This quilt is already spoken for, and has made its way to its new home where it is being properly used to keep a mermaid warm. But you can check out the Handmade shop to find something else to your liking, or request a similar quilt from the Custom shop.