I know I thought I’d blog more frequently after I got Baby Bubbles done, but — well, the summer was hot and glorious and somehow blogging just went on the back burner.

But piecing didn’t. When I first saw it, I was immediately attracted by the Valse Brillante quilt in Millefiori Quilts by Willyne Hammerstein.

I made this one block a year ago and knew that I wanted to make a version of the quilt.

After Baby Bubbles was finished, I finally got started on it and last week my version of the quilt was finished. I’m calling it Ribbon Dance, because my focus was on the ribbons of pink and yellow batiks running through the top. While this shot isn’t the best of the top, it does show, I think, the ribbons floating into the border. There is a much prettier shot of the quilt towards the end. So keep scrolling!

Because I wanted it to appear as though the ribbons ran into the border, I ended up using three different Inklingo collections to print the shapes I used to make Ribbon Dance – the Valse Brillante, .75″ hexagon and 3″ hexagon collections.

The main blocks were made with the Valse Brillante collection. But it was when I was making the blocks at the corners, sides, top and bottom of the quilt top as well as the pieced border that I used the other collections.

But before I get to the corner and side, top and bottom blocks, I have to show a few of the main blocks.  I used lots and lots of my favourite fabrics for this quilt along with the batiks I used for the ribbons and the centres of each block. Every block has a different print.

Like this one.

And this one.

And this one.

And this one, which may be my favourite.

And this one.

And this one.

And this one. Hmm – this one may be my favourite.

They pressed like a dream.

The top and bottom blocks were made using the same batik as that used to piece the border.

The side blocks were made using a print along with the border batik and the ribbon batiks. I wanted to try to keep the effect of the ribbons floating into the border so used half .75″ hexagons for the centre hexagon – half in the border batik and half in the batik used for the centre hexagons in the blocks in the body of the top.

The top and bottom blocks pressed easily, even with the pieced centre hexagon.

The four corner blocks were all made using a print along with the ribbon and border batiks. This shot shows a corner block as well as one of the top and bottom blocks which became part of the pieced border. The other part of the pieced borders were made using the house half and other half 3″ hexagons. I’m thrilled I was able to try for this effect by using the three Inklingo collections.

This shot shows the first two rows along with the two corner blocks and the pieced border. It was taken when I began piecing the quilt. I was adding the rows as I made them so that when I finished the last row all I had to do was sew it and the half 3″ hexagons to the top and the top was finished.

And this is the better, prettier shot of the top. We had to wait for a nice day out on the roof garden when it wasn’t too windy as Ribbon Dance might have danced right off the roof garden.

And what’s next? First I’m going to finish a small top with the Cleopatra’s Fan blocks I made, but after that it’s definitely going to be something involving curved piecing. Ribbon Dance was a lot of straight piecing for me! It will either be my Joseph’s Coat project or a clamshell project or – and this may take precedence over everything – something for a baby. Good friends just told us they’re going to be grandparents in April, so I’m now thinking about a baby quilt. That baby quilt has to involve curved piecing so maybe it will be a clamshell quilt. I’m playing with ideas for it now.

The cats enjoyed lots and lots of time in the kitty tree this summer. This shot of Baxter absolutely cracks me up.

Jake was more restrained.

Ribbon Dance ‘toon by Mr. Q.O.