With a cute name like "The Crafty Capuchin" I couldn't resist applying to test their Crystallized Quilt Pattern. If you never met a Capuchin monkey, then you don't know how clever they can be. You can't get mad at them, because they are so cute. I spent two summers in the rainforests of Ecuador in college and have found memories of the Capuchin monkeys that would steal food from my backpack.
I was also drawn to the faceted crystal like design of the Crystallized quilt pattern. I saw so many possibilities. The thing about crystals is that they reflect light and their surroundings on their faceted surfaces. When I think of crystals and how they shine, I think of how you see the various shades of the crystal itself, and also lots of white and the sky over head.
When selecting my fabrics and colors, I decided to go with some more muted tones. I looked on my shelves of some of my favorite specimens and was drawn to a fluorite crystal on a substrate. The fluorite is bicolor and is a tealish blue with some lavender jutting out of an otherwise ordinary greyish brown rock.
I looked through my fabric stash to see what fabrics I had that gave me that same "feeling". I used a solid white, a white with lavender floral print, An Opal print from Spoonflower, a teal rose design that I made from Spoonflower, and a large scale floral print with all the colors I needed. I absolutely love how my quilt turned out. I didn't quite get it completely finished when I took photos. I forgot to add the border to the quilt. It has been added and I used the white print with lavender flowers. I ordered more of my teal rose design to use for the backing and plan to use the large scale floral for the binding.
This pattern is beginner friendly and goes together quickly. I was very grateful for the ease in which I was able to complete this project. Right after I started, I learned I would need to have my gall bladder removed. I really couldn't put it off and scheduled surgery as soon as I could. That said, I did my best to get my top completed before I had surgery. And I did - minus the border that I somehow forgot.
This pattern requires the use of half square triangles (HSTs). The instructions were very clear. Once you make all the HSTs needed, it is just a matter of following the diagrams to make the blocks, then joining those blocks together. The finished design looks more complicated than it is to complete.
The pattern includes a lap size that is 52" by 52" and a twin size that is 72" by 82". I made the lap size and really love this size for a beginner. It takes less fabric, finished quickly, and can be backed with a 58" wide fabric so that it can be done without piecing or buying more expensive extra-wide backing fabric.
Just like a capuchin monkey, the Crystallized Quilt pattern is very clever and looks so cute.
