So around Christmas my Mom reminded me that I told her I would make two twin quilts for the "blue" room. I had actually bought this pattern a while back, but well, other things got bumped up in the "things I want to make list". When I got home from Christmas, I figured I better get cracking. So this is what I came up with:
This kit is Bernatex Pot Luck Key Lime. I got it from Pine Needles, and I actually bought two. I have plenty of fabric left, because the kit came with backing fabric. I am going to try to incorporate the leftovers into the second quilt, but most are green. In the store, I thought it looked blue dominant, but now I worry there is too much green. The pattern is available
here
The piecing went fairly quickly*, but then the wrist accident came, so I had to wait for another month to quilt it (quilting is strenous). I basted it Friday night**, quilted it yesterday***, and bound it today****.
*I think there is an error in the pattern. Or my reading comprehension sucks. Despite doing exactly what I was told, my pieces didn't turn out the way it said. I even re-did all the steps. So this is an interpretation of the pattern. Since I had to make extras, to turn it from 60" square to twin, I had to make sure to make "the same mistake" again- but I just followed the directions again and it turned out the same.
**Kevin tried to help me. Not to mock him, but I learned that pinning is a learned task. I thought it was just something that people did, but apparently there is some actual sewing knowledge in knowing how to put a pin into multiple layers, and have it come up without pinning into the carpet, puckering the quilt, or just getting the pin stuck in the layers and not coming back up. He only helped with about 2 pins, but I would like to thank him for helping me straighten the backing.
***Holy crap did that go quick. I cannot sing the praises of my machine enough. It is FAST. It is also a pleasure to quilt on. Last night at 9:00 I was so tired, but said I was going to go quilt for a few moments. Two hours later Kevin comes down and asks me if I want to go to bed. I thought like 15 minutes had passed. I had already put about 2 hours into it- and had less than a square foot of quilt left to do. So of course, my bobbin ran out. (It took just over 3 bobbins to do the quilt.)
I don't have an asterisk for this, but I used Isacord to do the quilting, rather than Connecting Threads Essential. My quilting idol, Leah Day, recommends Isacord. It is nice for quilting, however, for stippling like this, I don't care for it. It is just too thin. And the fact that I matched my thread really well, you can't see it at all. I like the heavier weight of essential. However, for the fillers she does- it is likely ideal- you can easily layer it without too much thread build up. I also tried her "quadrant" method and found it didn't work for me. I named my method "sphere of influence". I started at the middle side and quilted to the middle, and then back- then I went around it, gradually increasing the area my quilting took up. It isn't entirely "round", as I would square up areas, so as to not have a predictable pattern, but each time I went back around my pattern I picked up more area. It helps that I can fit the entire quilt into the harp of my machine so I don't have to keep turning it. Seriously- I love this machine. I was wondering if I would regret not getting the larger harp of the Janome, and so far, I'm good. (I also embroidered the label on the back- so I'm loving having embroidery.)
****I finally managed to mitre the beginnings and endings of the binding. Rather than the awful bump I get when I join them square, you can't even tell where the join is!
The other thing I did that was new- I put a label on it. So generations to come will know who made the quilt with the giant pucker in the backing :) I've never labeled a quilt before, often because I make them for babies who don't have names yet, and just signing mine seems silly.
It is in the washing machine right now. Say a little prayer it comes out in one piece!
