Originally Posted by k3n

Hi all. This was a top I created using the Block Bender technique from the book by Margaret Miller. The half rectangle triangles are all individually cut using plastic templates I made myself. It was a very lengthy but very enjoyable process and I have another design in the pipeline of trailing ribbons using the same technique! It's a very good exercise in using light and tone and I love the optical illusion created. :-D

I wanted to be sure to not detract from this with the quilting and thought for a long time on what to do. Then I took it to an FMQ workshop I did with Ferret (an English award-winning machine quilter) and she suggested the feathers in the neutral triangles, keeping in scale with the size of the patch. She said I should do a whole feather complete with spine but I thought they would be too teeny weeny in those outer triangles so I went with doing a half feather, using the hypoteneuse as a spine. Then I pebbled the corner triangles in colours to tone with the fabric - a beauty called Outback by Jinny Beyer. I wish I'd got more of it as I think it would make a fabulous FMQ wholecloth which is something I want to do SOON!

I am VERY pleased with how this turned out and it will probably go into a competition the next time one with a suitable category comes along! Thanks for looking. :-D