It's a Girl..... Quilt!

I just finished this quilt for a grand-niece who is 2 1/2 months old. Since my granddaughter didn't receive her baby quilt until she was 7... Let's just say, I am improving!

My nephew and his sweet wife were decorating the nursery in grey and pink, so that made my choices for the quilt easy. The pattern is Playing with Jacks by Bonnie K Hunter, and the quilting is my own freehand, free form, swirly, girly flowers and things.

 Here are some closeups showing the quilting.  It was fun to do! I even personalized it with the baby's name.

WARNING: The rest of this post may not be of interest if you are not really into quilting. It is going to be for my own benefit, including history and details I want to remember, so if you lose interest and wander off, I will not be offended!

There are many firsts in this quilt.

I realized this is the first quilt I have made with triangles in it even though I have done a lot of different kinds of quilts. I have made 3 or 4 of Kaye Woods' 6-Hour Quilts, one of Charlie's Less Than Traditional quilts, one Circle Jean quilt, one with appliqued hearts, and one with all rectangles. I have only done triangles in test blocks up to now.

This is also the first quilt I have finished on The Beast (my long-arm quilt machine--she has her own page!).  Since one of the first things I did to learn and practice when I got The Beast was to write the alphabet, it was easy to personalize this quilt by quilting the baby's name in with all the free-hand flowers, heart leaves, and swirlies.

Another first! Looking at all the practice batts I have done on The Beast, I realize this is the first time I have done separate border designs and not an edge-to-edge design.

And for the "last first", I used John Flynn's method and formula to make 45" wide fabric I wanted for the back wide enough to fit the 54" wide quilt top, plus extra on each side for loading on The Beast. I didn't want to piece the back, and I didn't want a lengthwise seam because it would stack on the roller of The Beast. And, thank you John Flynn, it worked beautifully!

I was pleased and relieved that the back of the quilt was something more than 90% good. No tension problems and only a few bobbles where a thread loop somehow got pulled and stitched over, making a little blob. None of it seemed bad enough to remove and redo as I intend this quilt will be used and washed and used some more. As long as those stitches all hold, I am happy!

We are becoming a team, The Beast and I. Beauty and The Beast, dancing along that 12 foot table. There are no bells and no whistles, but it is fun, and I am going to finish more quilts with her.

I have partially quilted two other tops on The Beast before this one. I had loaded them side by side as practice pieces but had to remove them about halfway through when I needed my living/dining room back and had to take machine off the table. That 12 foot quilting frame makes an excellent banquet table for holiday dinners!!

I want to acknowledge a couple people who were instramental in getting this quilt done.

The pattern, Playing with Jacks, is by my friend, Bonnie (that's for you, Gail--grin). Bonnie K Hunter has really been a big inspiration to get me actually quilting more lately instead of just planning to quilt. You can learn from her and be inspired by her seemingly boundless energy and ideas at her blog, Quiltville's Quips and Snips. At the top of her blog is a tab for Free Patterns! where you will find many great patterns, including Playing with Jacks.

Bonnie played another part in this finish as I learned about the LAQ machine on sale in a thrift shop while having dinner with Bonnie and classmates following a Bonnie Hunter class in January 2013. 

I also need to thank Sherry of The Other Quilt Shop in Phoenix, AZ. I had struggled with the fabric choice for the border and finally knew I would have to go buy fabric. I walked into the store where I was greeted by Sherry and her husband and started describing the quilt. Before I even had the quilt top out of the bag to show her, Sherry pulled out the perfect fabric. It was just the soft grey I wanted and the wrong side looked as good as the right side so I had options. If you are in the area, please stop into The Other Quilt Shop. It is a small local store, and Sherry has done everything possible to make it not only a fun place to shop, but a good resource and hangout for quilters with lots of classes, demos and sales events. It is a favorite shop of mine.

Okay, now it is time for me to get on with my life, too!!

Valerie