Look at all those vibrant batiks in Paula's quilt! As an admitted batik addict, this quilt just makes me smile. :)

Paula made this quilt from the "Once Around the Block" pattern featured in an issue of Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts. The bright colors paired with all the rectangles makes this quilt eye catching. After looking at it for a while it starts to feel like an optical illusion. Some of the colors feel like they're rising above their neighbors, giving it a Penrose stairs feel.

Paula chose the Pipeline pantograph. It has a lot of movement and shape without being girly. We agreed on a rusty brown thread from Glide called Mahogany. It blends so nicely with the rich warmer tones, then stands out a little more, but not too much, from the cooler colors. The curvy lines from Pipeline create a nice contrast to the stricter rectangle piecing.

This quilt was made for Paula's grandson as a high school graduation gift. She said she promised all of her grandchildren a quilt when they graduated high school, but didn't account for how close together some of the graduations are. She gets a break between this grandchild and the next and I think she's looking forward to making something for herself next!