One down....Eleven to go!

So far so good on my plan to complete at least 12 UFO projects this year...number one was crossed off on the last day of January!

This quilt is Northern Lights.  It is made from 10 fat quarters - 9 of them were from McKenna Ryan's Glacier Lights line, 1 was a grey tone on tone that went fairly well with the rest and yardage for the borders.  It was made using a free-form Bargello style of piecing.  The original quilt flowed better than this one, but I am pleased with the results, and it is a finished quilt as opposed to a collection of fabric in my drawer now.

I had a good sized piece of the border fabric left, but not enough for the back.  I also had a nice batik that I felt really went well, but it wasn't nearly large enough, either, so I decided to make a pieced backing.  In order to keep it simple I cut strips that were 12 1/2 inches tall and pieced the border fabric and batik along with some other pieces that were left from the top, and some prints that I thought really looked like they went well with the border fabric.  I really like the subtle colors and shading in the finished back!

The finished quilt - the colors really reflect our current weather - very gray and drippy! I quilted the color waves in green variegated and blue variegated threads.  The batting is 100% cotton, and once this is washed it will be so lovely and soft and have wonderful texture!  It measures 61 inches wide and 64 inches tall, and is available for purchase in my Etsy shop - Northern Lights.

This is the project I drew for my February project!  So excited - all it needs is quilting and it will be finished!  I purchased the backing this week, so plan on having this one done early in the month.  I'm thinking of some type of a feather in the red triangles, but what to do on the rest?  It's pretty busy, so the quilting won't make a huge impact, but it would be nice to do something a little more interesting as long as it doesn't take me forever to finish.  I'll gladly take any suggestions you can offer (hint, hint!)  

Bargello Quilt, Second Thoughts

Well, maybe I was being a little too mean about the table runner last night. Or maybe it's the walking foot's way of catching on the batting and making it hard to get the whole thing out from underneath the foot every time. Or just maybe I'm in a little better mood today, and am almost done with the project so it's more fun? Who knows. But I finished up the last dozen strips and it went so much easier today!

I just used my regular foot today because I forgot that I had taken the walking foot off to hem some drapes last night. But it sewed just as well, and was much easier to use with the exposed batting. I didn't notice any distortion, but did have to watch the seam allowances, which wanted to flip. But it was still much easier!

So after I finished up the strips I trimmed the edges and put the binding on. And it looked terrific! Now if this way my design, I probably just would have left it as is. I'm a Less is More kind of gal and don't always like to add a lot of embellishment and extras to my projects. But the pattern called for some decoration.

But instead of the ones in the pattern, I chose to add some fairies cut out of the fabric I used for the backing. They look so cute on the runner! So now, I just have to edgestitch the cut-outs and just maybe look through my stash of pretties to find some beads, crystals or other fancy stuff to add to the cuteness. I guess even "plain Jane" likes to go a little over the top from time to time!

Happy Quilting

B is for Bargello

No, this is not a traditional Bargello quilt. This is what I call my free-form Bargello. I was inspired by a set of fat quarters, and this is what I did with them. I had a vision of the Northern lights dancing across the sky, and this was the best way I could think of to express that. I love it, and had a lot of fun making it!

Today I was working on a table runner that I am supposed to be teaching a class for in a month. It is made with a traditional, quilt as you go, Bargello technique. It's going to be really pretty when it's done, but I don't think it is nearly as fun as my quilt is. For one thing, sewing those strips down to the backing and batting and keeping them straight is not that easy. I keep having to adjust slightly, even though I am using a walking foot. Plus, I think all those perfectly matched corners are a little boring. And even though the quilting will be complete when I am done with the table runner, I really was able to add a lot of character with the quilting in my free-form quilt.

I am glad I tried this Bargello project, and even though I don't really like the technique so much, it's always a good thing to learn something new! Plus, the pattern is really well written and I haven't had any trouble following it at all. So, if you want to make a really pretty table runner for Christmas, I have a pattern I can recommend.

Happy Quilting!