Blogger's Quilt Festival

It's time for another blogger quilt festival courtesy of Amy. This time around I thought I'd showcase my newly finished Wonderland quilt.  I just finished putting the binding on last week so this is the first time I've show this quilt finished.

This quilt started as a get together with my aunt and friend Lynn.

As I continued making this quilt and just wasn't in love with it.  I continued to put it aside because I just couldn't get motivated. Finally, I finished all of the rectangles and arranged them on my design wall.

It spent about 3 weeks on my design wall where I moved things around to get an arrangement that I was happy with and I pieced it together.

At this point I still didn't love the quilt until it is that I quilted it using some straight line quilting.  It's the quilting that really turned things around for me on how i felt about this quilt.  After quilting it I loved it.

I then found some of the red dot fabric online to bind the quilt.

And now I have a finished quilt.  After making this quilt I really learned to not judge a quilt until after it's quilted.  It really changed things for me.

Wonderland Honeybun Quilt is Quilted

Before I hurt my foot I managed to finish quilting my Wonderland Honeybun quilt!  I LOVE the way the quilting turned out on this.  I think it really made the quilt.  It was quilted using a variegated tan King Tut thread.  

Here's a closer picture of the quilting. 

Now to figure out the binding.  I think I'm leaning towards a red, but I'm not sure.  I would like to use something from my stash, but I haven't been able to find anything yet.  I might have to take this one with me to a store sometime soon to find something to match.

Basted and Ready to Go

A while back I posted a picture of a quilt I had up on my design wall to work on placement of the blocks.  I moved a few blocks around and pieced the top together.  This weekend I based the quilt and began quilting it this week.  Made using a Wonderland honeybun.

The lighting was terrible, so the colors aren't exactly accurate, but we've had rain for the past 4 days, so I haven't been able to take advantage of any good natural light.  

I began quilting it with some straight lines lengthwise about 1/4" apart.  I'm loving the quilting.  I wasn't too crazy about this quilt before hand, but now that I've began quilting it, it's really making the top.  It's amazing with quilting can do to a top.  I'll post more pictures of the quilted top soon.

Honeybun Layout and Figgy Pudding Quilt

Here's another layout of the honey bun quilt I mentioned last post.  I've moved a few things around, but I'm not sure I'm completely happy with it, so it will stay on the design wall for a little while longer.

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I'm also working on quilting the Figgy Pudding quilt I mentioned in the last post that I realized I haven't show pictures of.  I should have taken a picture when I had it all flat when I was basting it, but I spaced on that.  I'm doing an all over pebble quilting on it.  I'm using a silver metalic thread.  I was a little apprehensive to use it given my experience with that kind of thread in the past, but I've been liking the quality of Superior Threads over the past few years, so I thought I'd give theirs a try. 

 

 I'm actually impressed with how the thread is quilting.  I've gone through one bobbin so far and haven't had any breakage (knock on wood).  I switched to a 90/14 Needle like recommended on the thread packaging.  In my Bernina manual, it recommended going down to a 2 tension on the top thread while the packaging on the thread said to go down to a 1.  I did some test quilting, and I found the number 2 tension to be better.

 

 

And a closer look at the quilting.  

Scenic BOM w/Sashing

I finally finished adding the sashing to the Scenic BOM quilt.

The sashing finishes at 1 1/2" total, or 1/2" each stripe, so it's pretty small.  Now I just need to decide what to do next.  I kinda want to add a border, but I can't seem to figure out what I want to do.  I couldn't find anything in my stash that worked, so I'm not sure if I want to just leave it as is or try and find a border that works.  Thoughts?

Now that I got the scenic BOM off my design wall, I was able to put the blocks up that I made at our quiltathon a few weeks ago using a Wonderland honeybun.  I still need to play with the placement, as I can already see some groupings I don't like when looking at the picture.  I'll leave it up on my design wall for a week or so and will move things around until I'm happy with it.

I also finished the binding on my bento box quilt, finished quilting a secret quilt, and pieced the backing to my Figgy Pudding disappearing nine patch quilt, which come to think of it, I don't think I've posted here.  I'll have to get some pics and post those soon.

Gathering Pics

So right after Christmas, KK, Lynn, and I got together for a quiltathon.  We all used the Thimble Blossom's pattern, Pint Sized to make our quilts.  KK and I made the honeybun version and Lynn made the charm pack version.  Here are some pictures of our fun day...

Here's Lynn working on her teeny tiny pinwheels...

Here are some of those teeny tiny pinwheels made with a Spring Magic Charm Pack.

And one more shot of a lot more (both pics are before they're trimmed)

Here are KK's rectangles using an Aviary Honeybun.  Here's the first two.

And quite a few more...

And I only managed to get one pic of the first two rectangles I made using a Wonderland honeybun.  More pics of mine to follow.

I've been doing a lot of work lately on some machine quilting for a secret quilt that I can't post here.  I'm really enjoying my new machine.  The machine quilting on it is multitudes better than my old one.  It's amazing what kind of difference there is between machines.

Quilting Room Inhabited

So my quilting room is being inhabited right now by one of my sister-in-laws.  My in-laws are staying with us for the week, up from Georgia.  As a result, my sewing table and all my stuff has been pushed to the side, so I can't really do too much right now.  I did, however pull a few things out so that I can cut things on the dining room table. 

I'm cutting the fabric for a blooming nine-patch that I'm going to make for my cousin's wedding next May.   Here's the fabric that I'm using.  I've never been big into Asian fabric, but I fell in love with the top fabric and I know it's totally going to fit my cousin and his fiance. 

 

I also opened up a Swanky honey bun from Moda and began organizing the strips so that I can make an Irish Chain quilt that I saw using honey buns on the Moda Bake Shop blog.  

My 6 year old sister-in-law (my husband is the oldest of 6) was helping me pick the color combinations.  How cute.