This is a quilt I started 2.5 years ago for my best friend. I have more hours in this quilt than probably my next top 3 combined. The center is all scraps - 252 rectangles and 252 black squares. It took forever to a) sew the black squares onto the rectangles (trim and iron) and b) sew the rows together, since I had to pin like crazy to get the points to line up.
For the outside, I did fusible applique and used a blanket stitch to secure them down. I can't draw so I gave a friend the symbols and she drew them on cardstock so I could copy them onto the fusible. The symbols are all relevant to him - top left, his Chinese zodiac is an ox. Top right, he's a libra, which is an air sign (top center). His moon and rising signs at Sagittarius (lower left) and Aquarius (lower right). He loves turtles. He wants to start a theatre company and the logo is the mask on the left.
Then one of his favorite shows is Psych. In the show, they hide a pineapple in every episode, so it's a game type thing for the viewer. After I had finished the quilt top, I found pineapple fabric, so I needle turn appliqued one of the pineapples in the bottom right of the quilt without telling him. About 4 hours after he got the quilt, I received a text saying he found the pineapple
