Finished Quilt/Floating Nine Patches/Sewing Studio Trial

Well.......I gave the new sewing room setup a good trial run, and I'm pretty happy with it.  I make small changes as I need them, but I'm a happy camper !

Here's the story, (long).

Somehow, without making a really conscious decision, I have embarked on a quest to make each of my brothers a generous-sized couch/recliner quilt.......I think of them as nappers.

I have given the first two brothers a quilt (links to blog post following).

John's quilt blog post--- https://dollyshome.blogspot.com/2014/05/diamonds-in-dirt.html

Jim's quilt blog post --- https://dollyshome.blogspot.com/2016/12/star-trails-finished-quilt.html

Now, the top for this third brother's quilt was pieced sometime last year, and I just got the tug to get it quilted last week, when I realized that his birthday was coming up quickly !

  To back the quilt, I tried a backing fabric that was extra wide, but was too 'pretty'.  Then I remembered that I had a few blocks from this top that were left over and waiting on my design board.
 

 

   I started auditioning them on pieces of fabric, but either wasn't happy with the look, or didn't have enough yardage to make it work.  I searched our meager Walmart inventory, and had no success, but stumbled across just the right yardage at a small local fabric/flower shop.
 Having pieced the back together, I moved furniture around and set up the basting frame on Friday of last week.  I spent 7 HOURS altogether, making sure that I hand-thread-basted this quilt closely enough that I didn't think it could 'run' from the foot and make tucks.  I was wrong.

But, still, I quilted on it a little bit on Saturday evening, and then again on Monday and Tuesday.  Binding followed.  Now that's another story.  I had a few leftover strips of the fabric that made the two vertical sashes in the quilt top.  There wasn't enough of it to make the binding all the way around, but there was enough for me to make the two SIDE bindings wide enough to really carry out the vertical sashing look.  Then I bound the top and bottom edges with the same fabric as the bigger backing fabric.

 I was IN LOVE with the flat look of the quilt when I finished.  With those vertical quilting lines one inch apart, it looked SO GOOD and CRISP.

BUT

I didn't want Jeff to be upset if he washed it and it crinkled up, thinking that he had messed up somehow.  So...........I washed it.    AND MAN DID IT CRINKLE UP !

 Now, this is usually my favorite part, but this time I had my heart set on flatter look.  I even turned the dryer heat down on LOW , but.....it is what it is.

  I found this piece of labeling fabric that I have saved for who knows how many years ! It reminded me that he currently drives a BLUE car........so it was perfect for his label.  PLUS, this backing fabric looks very much like grape leaves, and he works in the woods gathering grapevines from which wreathes are made !   SCORE !

So, tomorrow is his 64th birthday, and I hope that the weather is decent enough for me to get out and surprise him with it.

Three down, two more to go !