#36 Prism of 100 Squares

#36: Prism of 100 Squares
Finished: 9/8/12
Techniques: Triple stitch quilting
Size: 20" x 20"

Description:
This mini-quilt came about because, as I was looking through my stash, I noticed I had a lot of solid fabrics. I have yards of some colors, but with other colors I only have small pieces. I wondered how many different colors I actually have. So I decided to cut a 2 1/2" square from each one. Some of the colors are very similar, but if I could discern even the slightest difference in shade, hue, or texture, I cut a square of it. When I counted them up, I had a whopping 96!

Now 96 is a good number. There are many ways to divide 96: 1x96, 2x48, 3x32, 4x24, 6x16, and the one best suited for a mini-quilt - 8x12. However, looking at all the colors and knowing how I wanted to arrange them, I needed a big square. 96 is so close to 100, I wondered if I could find just four more solid colors. After all, I was just using 2 1/2" squares. So I began digging through my buckets of scraps, and I was successful! Had I kept looking, I may have found more, but I didn't want to press my luck. I would have had to find 21 additional colors in order to make an 11x11 mini-quilt, and I didn't think that was going to happen.

I wanted the arrangement to start with very light and pale colors together and a little off-center, and then radiate out to the darker colors. By starting off-center, I could give the blues and reds and pinks more space because I had more of them. I had less space for the greens, yellows, and oranges, but I had less of those colors anyway. So it all worked out. The gradation from lights to darks is not even throughout, but I think the piece is more interesting that way.

This is another instance where having a design wall would have come in handy. Hmmm. I wonder how I might accomplish that on a budget. I'll have to come up with something.

Quilting was simple: A machine triple stitch (forward, backward, forward) through the diagonals in an off-white thread. I could have quilted each square with an X but thought that might be too busy.