FINISH--3rd possible commission quilt--Fat-Quarter Squares on Point

 Finishing at approximately 47 inches by 60 inches, this one was pieced mainly from my fat-quarter collection.

For a batting I used a polyester queen-sized batt that I cut in half.  Before basting this quilt, I threw the batting into the dryer, on the lowest heat setting, to hopefully get the fold/wrinkles out of it.  

I left it longer than I meant to (FORGOT IT !), and it actually melted a couple of globs along one of the outside edges of the batting.  Never had that happen before !  This  was one of the polyester battings that Missouri Star Quilt Company occasionally offers in their 'daily deals'.

I minimally quilted this one, as I did the original quilt that I made in this design, in order to maximize the fluffiness of it. 

 I  used a dark red and black flannel check for the backing, and I don't think that I had pre-washed that fabric because it was such a big piece (found at a local yard-sale).  Well, at the end of my quilting it on my Jazz 2 machine, I noticed pink stains in the crevices and on the surface of the machine's base.  I hope I can get the stains off.........and I'll be watching for color release in the washing of this quilt.  I will probably throw several color-catchers into the wash even though I tried some of the fabric in a sink of cold water and saw no color release.

I wasn't crazy about this quilt when I finished with the quilting, but that striped binding really brought up my appreciation for the finished quilt.  Love that !

ANOTHER FINISH???????????????? Purple, anyone?

 Squeezing in one more finish before year's end !

 Sashed Disappearing 9-patch blocks with binding made from same fabric as I used for back of quilt.  Final measurement is approximately 40 inches square.  Polyester batting, machine-quilted and machine-bound, front and back.

EDIT:  I offered this one, on Facebook, for sale for $45.  Cindy Mayle, James's (and my) niece, (Jean's daughter) responded that she loved it and wanted to buy it.  So I told her that I'd like to gift it to her.  I mailed it off to her address in Nashville the next day, and she received it the day after that, Dec. 29th.  She snuggled with it on the couch on her day off !  Happy there, happy here !

 

Goldie's quilt is finished.......

...washed, dried, and awaiting a label. 













 I took the finished top and my basting frame to the senior center on Tuesday for the regular monthly get-together.  But somebody forgot to tell me that they weren't coming !  So I had the entire big room to myself, and got the top basted in 2 hours.  So glad to have the use of the room, if not the good company to go with it.

Finished top awaiting basting.

 

 

I like to wait until the quilt has shrunk all that it is going to before I apply the label, since it doesn't get quilted.  That way, the quilt doesn't shrink AWAY from the label, causing the label to look buckled and poofy.

Finished size of the quilt is 48 x 72 inches.   After photographing the nearly complete quilt top, I realized that I would like for it to be a little bit wider........but it didn't need any additional length.  So, rather than piece an additional row of blocks, or border it all the way around, I just added borders to the two sides of the quilt.  And, I must say, I like the look ! 

I struggled with a quilting design, trying several ideas and removing a LOT of tiny quilting stitches.  Finally, I settled on using the walking foot to quilt across the blocks, and then using the darning foot to freemotion-quilt feathers in the outside borders.  They don't show, but they filled up the space.

Have I mentioned before how much I like it when a machine-applied binding goes smoothly?   I use a SLEW of pins to make sure that the stitching doesn't slip off of the fold, and it takes a bit of extra time, but nothing like as long as hand-stitching.  

I like the addition of the black and white fabrics to the multi-colors of the blocks. 




















I used the cow print for the binding and for the backing and a white tiger print for the borders.  The quilt has a batting comprised of 20 % polyester/ 80% cotton. 

 
I spoke to Goldie yesterday and she sounded great.  I haven't told her that I was making her a quilt.  I don't know about you guys, but nothing stops me in my tracks like promising something before it is made, or coming up on a deadline.  So, I hope to take the quilt over to her tomorrow and surprise her.  It'll be nice to see her.....she's been missed.

And on a cloudy, rainy day........

.......we get 'er done !

                                                                     The quilting, that is !

I did a little practice on a few scraps and a small piece of batting, just to get my tension right. 

Then I decided that I'd just meander-quilt the border.......if I didn't like the looks of it, or the process, I'd do some straight-line quilting in the middle of the quilt. 

Well, that went alright, so I moved on to the blocks, quilting one vertical row at a time.  Wonderful,........except for the CONSTANT breaking of this cotton-polyester thread, the quilt progressed quickly, and I was done before you know it ! 

I guess it was around 11 a.m. when I began, and I stopped to fix lunch, and to run and get another spool of said HATEFUL THREAD (wasn't gonna change horses in the middle of the stream, mind you !), and I finished around 4:30 p.m.  Not bad for an afternoon. 

After doing the entire border, and 1 vertical row of blocks, I found that I had created a pleat on the back !   There was just too much quilting over it at that point to take the stitching out, so my flaw will remain.   I blame it on too little basting........pin OR thread, and I think it's just fine for a 'using' quilt..  I mean, I regret it, but I'm not pulling my hair out over it !

After trimming up the edges, 

I lay the quilt on the bed for photos in the last,waning light of day. 

  I love shadowed quilt photos ! 

Tomorrow, I'll figure out what I'm going to bind it in, and begin that little job........hopefully. 

 Actually, you never know what a day will bring, so I"ll just say,

 Praise God for a productive afternoon !

BLESSED SUNSHINE !

Hooray..........hooray.......what a beautiful DAY !  55 to 60 degrees, very little breeze, and pure clean sunshine..........what's that add up to?   Why, basting outside, of course !

I set the basting frame up in front of the trailer (this quilt was too big to use the front porch), and I combined pin-basting with thread-basting.  I used the pins as far as they would go, and then thread-basted down the center of each "T".  I also thread-basted around the perimeter of the quilt. 

        Gracie seems to be saying, "Are those jungle cats I see?"

I surely hope this holds it well while I try to machine-quilt.  Not sure what design I'll do yet.  I wish I had a little sample made up to practice on.  I do need to make up some of those quilted pads like they used in the bed in the nursing home, just to have on hand if hubby (or I) ever needed them.  I could practice on one of them, though it's still not like wrestling with a big quilt under the head of the machine.   That's why I usually just settle for straight-line quilting designs.

As I was reading through some of my favorite blogs, I ran across Janet talking about the spool blocks that so many people are making.  It spurred me to look up my little wall quilt that I made many years ago, and I was surprised to see that my blocks were so much bigger than hers.  

The second shot has Gracie giving you some idea of the size of this quilt.
I really love my spools, so I wanted to share the dimensions incase someone else wanted to do the larger ones. 

 Now that the quilt has shrunken, the individual blocks measure 4 5/8 inches, but I'm sure that I would have drafted it at 5 inches square.  The square in the middle started out to be 2 inches, finished, and the side pieces 1 1/2 inches , each, finished. 

I just love the way the plaids look all antique-ey.

Two sides to every story......

That's the name of Zoe's quilt.

......no, really, that's the new name of this quilt !

All bound, washed and dried !

Can you see how flat her binding lies? I took some tips from a quilting forum, since not one of you dear friends had any advice to offer when I asked ! I actually measured and cut the binding to the measurement of the center of the quilt, and then pinned it on before sewing, so that it didn't stretch, thereby drawing up the edge of the quilt.

Oops.............did I forget to tell you that I made it totally reversible?

I did ! Oh, my bad ! Yes, yes.........this is in homage to the wonderful quilters from these three blogs..... http://www.filminthefridge.com/ and http://www.redpepperquilts.com/
and fromthehandbasket.blogspot.com/2009/11/weekend-progress-r... (and bits and pieces from most all of you whose blogs I visit.......you know who you are, and if I need to mention you, give me a nudge.)
You all inspire me DAILY and I had to start machine-quilting, just so that I could try some of these wonderful pieced quilts and backs, like you make. Thanks, girls !

Yep, loving the brights one week........the next week, I'm a purple girl. Actually, the purple bigger blocks were pieced for the front, but I didn't like them there.......and the back just came together ! (yeh, dolly, after about 7 or 8 hours of hair-pulling, rearranging, cutting, piecing, ripping...........)

I love this........all ready for snuggling under........the next best thing to a hug from Nana !

And now, let's give THIS little girly a big hand ! A beautiful, useful quilt, totally made on her little surface. She's been with me for 31 years and has NEVER let me down. Of course, she's been around alot longer than that, and probably could tell tales of gorgeous quilts extraoidinaire............but she's very modest. She sits quietly in a corner, unnoticed, with a sweet little Mona Lisa smile playing around her bobbin case. We get together weekly, and like me, she tends to 'run on' a little bit, as my best gal, JoAnn, remembers, but she's left her mark on me and my quilts.......in the best possible way.

She deserves a name, but, alas, she's never told me what it is, and I would feel like I was imposing MY personality on her if I tried to give her one now. Maybe someday she'll share it with me during a quiet moment, but for now, we understand each other, and names aren't necessary.

Thank heavens........after all, I've changed mine so many times, she'd be thoroughly confused !

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Wait a doggone minute ! What's this??????????



I don't wanna talk about it..........I'm fine.......really! I'M FINE.......mean old quilting fairies !

I've been quilting today !

The quilting is done.

Now it's time to choose binding fabric/fabrics.

It's not quite as long as a twin-sized bed.....

I wish I had made it one row longer !

I can hardly wait to wash and dry it.

I wish I had done some prep work on another project, like I talked

about on someone else's blog comments !

Our doctor's appointment got moved up to this Tuesday,

and this is all I have to work on !

It'll take probably and hour and a half to

hand-stitch the binding, and then I need a good book !

Hey, there's an idea.....I can go to the library

after tomorrow morning's activities.

'Night all !

Here we go.....

.....all finished, just in time !

Although,...... I wouldn't mind finding a nice big red

tassel to hang off of the point of

this little banner.

And, this is what it all comes down to, huh?

I wish you ALL the happiest memories

from this Christmas season !

Alas.........the end !