Bloggers Quilt Festival Hearts Infatuation

It is time again for the Bloggers Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side!  I think this is my 7th time participating.  It is so fun to see all the quilts and I even won some thread once.   This year we are to identify which category we want to be listed under.  This is both hand appliqued and hand quilted.  But since I like the prize better for the hand quilted category, please nominate me for that one if you are so inclined.

This quilt started way back in the spring of 2011.  I even created a tutorial on back basting applique while I was working on the first block, which is now the bottom left corner.

The pattern is by Esther Aliu and was a mystery quilt along called Heart's Desire.

Month 2 was supposed to have 4 circle wreaths that surrounded the motif above.  After the first 2, I decided to wait to see the rest of the quilt.  My "Desire" was starting to wane.  Eventually, I put them together in a completely different way.

What had intrigued me from the start was this particular flower.

So I started adding a whole lot of them.

And then some up the left side.

All the elements, leaves, hearts, even the triangle border are all part of the Heart's Desire quilt of Esther's.  I just put them together all wrong.

I created the green border from all the green batiks I'd gathered for the leaves.

I used a variation of trapunto for the center where an extra layer of lofty batting is attached and outlined by machine with wash away thread and the excess cut away.  I went back and hand quilted the design.

Then added rows of straightish lines for fill.

I outlined all the applique.

And added veining for the leaves and some curley q's in green thread.

I was stumped for a long time on the background fill.  I ended up with this sashiko inspired diamond, quilted in fuchsia.

Which I have to say was the right
choice.