Crescent II - The Modern Ombre One

The Crescent II pattern is now available in the shop!

I am so excited to share this second of sample of the Crescent II quilt pattern! I love creating color progressions, or ombre designs, on my quilts so whenever I have an opportunity to do so, I go for it. Back for the original Crescent release I made a sample with an ombre design, so I knew I wanted to do it again, but this layout wasn't an option included in the original pattern.

Ombre Quilt

So, when I sat down to work on this re-release, first on my list was making sure it worked with the Modern Curves templates and therefore was precut friendly. Second on the list was adding the modern ombre design option.

As I mentioned above, for the release of the original pattern I made an ombre sample, even though this wasn't included in the pattern at the time. The original Crescent pattern only included the option for using fat quarters, and it just so happened that the throw size could be made in an ombre design with FQs. However, how to do this was never spelled out in the pattern, and this only worked with the throw size, and I wanted to include this design option for all sizes, 

Adding the modern ombre option to the pattern meant I had to adjust some of the blocks so that each row has the same number of blocks, while still balancing the white space I added in the design. That said, I'm so glad I took the extra time to do this though, because I love having the ombre option included in the pattern!

Once I knew that it would for sure be in the pattern, I had to decide on a color palette. I played around Illustrator for a bit and came up with three options I loved -

The first option, with the yellows and pinks, felt the freshest out of the three but I wasn't sure I loved it when I looked at the fabric. Something about the yellows just didn't feel quite right.

The third option, with the yellows, purples, and blues, felt too close to how the Moonchild Layer Cake sample looked. I wanted something that coordinated with the Moonchild fabrics but wasn't an exact replica, if that makes sense.

So I went with option two – pinks and blues. This is honestly my favorite color combination in general so it felt perfect for this re-release. 

Straight Line Quilting 

I finished sewing the quilt top right before leaving for QuiltCon – two or three before hopping on the place. I thought about sending it off to a long arm quilter so they could quilt while I was at QuiltCon, but the timeline just wasn't lining up.

So, after I got back from my trip (and after resting for a couple of days), I basted and quilted this one myself. I opted for my trusty straight-line quilting every 3/4". I find this distance between the lines is the perfect balance in texture – not too much, not too little – for a quilt of this size.

Striped Binding

When it came to the backing and binding, I also kept it pretty simple... ish. The backing is a Riley Blake Designs basic – Dainty Daisy in the grey/white combo. I Looked at a lot of different options, but opted for one because it has just the right amount of whimsy, without being overpowering. And I didn't want a dark or bright backing showing through the white space in the quilt.

I debated for quite a long time on the binding. I looked at every single color in the quilt top as an option and considered using a solid grey matching the details on the backing. And I sort of went that way, but not really. The grey felt too over powering and took away from the quilt top design. But I found the perfect solution in my stash – a striped binding in white and grey. I was a little nervous using it for some reason, but as soon as I started attaching it to the quilt, I knew I had made the right decision.

Overall, I am so happy with how this quilt turned out! It feels so perfectly balanced and the colors are very me.

Quilt Information

Quilt Pattern: Crescent II by Cotton and Joy
Quilt Top Fabric: Confetti Cottons Solids in Cranberry, Tickled Me Pink, Rose, Baby Pink, Frosting, Putty, Boy Blue, Medium Blue, Deep Water, Denim, Navy and White [Purchase quilt kit here!]
Backing: Dainty Daisy Gray on Cloud
Binding: Riley Blake 1/8" Grey Stripe
Pieced and Quilted on my Janome M7 

Purchase the Pattern