Ring Cycles top complete!

This is one of my favorite types of quilt designs, one that gives the look of curves but is entirely pieced with straight lines. The pattern is Ring Cycles, a Jack's Chain Variation by Lessa Siegele. If you click on the name, you will be taken to Craftsy for the pattern, and there are photos of different versions to see too.

Ring Cycles quilt top, 62" x 78"

It seems like it has taken a long time for this quilt top to be completed. It started as a collection of nine-patch blocks that were being made in January of 2016 as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I decided early on to not do a full rainbow, but to limit my color choices to blues, teals/turquoises and purples. The blocks around the outer edges of the quilt have only four color squares instead of five. I made stacks and stacks of blocks, not knowing how many I would need. 

The biggest challenge came when the blocks were made and it was time to start joining them to the background hexagons and triangles. Every seam was 3" long and needed to be backstitched at both ends, stopping at the 1/4" intersections. I made a half-hearted attempt at assembly, then packed it all away into a box for over a year. It wasn't until last summer when I discovered Marti Michell's Perfect Patchwork Templates for 3" hexagons and other related shapes. The templates have holes at the corners that work great for marking the ends of seams. It was still a slow process to put everything together, but those templates were the exact tool I needed to get me back on track.

I finished the quilt top just after Thanksgiving, but didn't have a chance to get good photos at that time. We had snow in Atlanta in early December, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get some outdoor shots. I love this one with the snow-covered trees in the background.

This was not a quick and easy project by any means, but it was definitely worth the time and effort. There were times when I didn't believe this quilt top would ever be completed, but it's done and I love how it turned out!

Linking up to:

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Add

Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts

Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

             

Julie in GA