I am so happy with the finish of my Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt. I loved making the blocks along with the billions of other quilters that followed along with this QAL hosted earlier this year by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. I posted progress shots along the way as I made the blocks, but just in case you didn’t know, the QAL included 25 blocks but I stopped after making 20. This quilt is a comfortable size for a lap quilt and I felt like if I went for the full twenty-five blocks, this would just be set aside and not finished. The colors of the quilt are so pretty and I was anxious to finish it and use it.
After sashing the blocks and rows with Mesh Joy, a gorgeous low volume print from Sharon’s Gossamer line, I took the quilt over to the long arm shop where I rent a machine. For the backing, I used a piece of soft vintage gingham that I purchased at a thrift store over the summer. The light brown color is lovely and works well with the quilt top.
When I picked the binding, I was trying to choose between two fabrics, Terra Firma in deep yellow and Twinklestar Berry from the Garden Dreamer line by Maureen Cracknell. I couldn’t make up my mind so I asked Julia to choose between them and she immediately went to the Twinklestar fabric. It works well with the front and back.
I took it to the long arm shop a few weeks back and quilted it with a loose meander pattern. Because each block is different and the quilt is fairly busy, it made sense to keep the quilting simple. More importantly, I wanted to use this quilting time to practice my control on the long arm and by using such a basic quilt motif, I could focus on the speed and evenness of the stitches on the long arm. It was really helpful to practice like that. It amazed me how little time it took to quilt it!
I really like the loft the quilt has with the loose quilting. This quilt is so cozy.
The rich colors – cheddar yellow, the deep blues and the raspberry colors are my favorites. This was such a fun quilt to make. I know there are a lot of QAL’s popping up for the new year. I think I will look through them and choose one. I have two more quilts in process and I hope I can finish those up before starting another one. Tomorrow I plan to take my nephew’s jersey quilt to the long arm shop and quilt it. Hurray for finishing up some projects!!
Have a wonderful weekend all! Linking to some of my favorites. Please feel free to check them out at the top of the page, under Link Ups.
What a fun, pretty quilt, and you did a great job on the quilting! I love the Garden Dreamer fabrics, they are so pretty and have such a beautiful hand! The binding is perfect!
Thanks Wendy. I do love the feel of Art Gallery Fabrics – really different from other brands. Have a great weekend. 🙂
That quilt is so beautiful, Bernie. I love it!!
Thank you Anne!! I appreciate your kind comment. Have a wonderful weekend.
The backing is lovely and coordinated perfectly with the binding, too. The loose stipple was a great choice for the quilting and I’m guessing this quilt will get a lot of snuggling and use this winter!
Thanks so much Yvonne. I am going to keep this one on the couch and it is sure to be used. Looking forward to cooler weather. It is the end of October so c’mon fall weather!!
Oh this looks great! I saved all the instructions for that QAL but haven’t made the blocks yet. I do like how they have been looking from the various blogs I follow.
I agree — there are some gorgeous quilts from this QAL!! You will get around to it all in good time. 🙂
This looks like the perfect snuggly quilt for the autumn. Beautiful finish!
Thank you. Hopefully by next week the weather will cool down and it will feel more like fall!!
I can see how you were eager to finish this one, Bernie. It looks so cozy for this time of year. The gingham fits right in with the look of the front. And yea, Julia, for being a super quilt advisor. Btw, what batting did you use?
I used the batting sold by the yard at Jo-Ann’s and I can’t remember the name. It was less spendy so I wanted to give it a try. I think it was 100% cotton – so far it has nice loft and it washed well. We will see if there are any issues???
Beautiful Bernie! Nice job on the long arm! Each time you do it, it will get easier! 🙂 I will be curious to see which QAL you choose. I’ve done several BOM or QAL this year and have enjoyed each one!
Have you picked one out? I’d like to find something that starts in January so I can have some time to finish up a few more things. Let me know if you are going to do one. It would be fun to do the same.☺️
It looks great. I never found the time to play along.
I get that… there are so many great projects so it is not humanly possible to try them all!
Where can I start? I love lap size quilts, they are such a useful size I find, it’s a lovely sampler. I like how you quilted it, the loose meander will keep it soft and cuddly and you would have lost that custom quilting it. Gorgeous.
Thank you Kate. I love the look of custom quilting but I am certainly not there yet. Also, it seems to make the quilt stiffer and I don’t always want that feel. Anyway, I love this finish. 🙂
What a gorgeous sampler!!!
Bernie, your quilting looks terrific. Love the gentle meandering stitch.
Oh, my goodness, it’s so lovely! What a wonderful finish! The quilting is perfect!
Aw, Thank you Karen. You are such a source of positive energy! I really appreciate it (you).
Beautiful sampler, Bernie! I wish I could do a stipple as smooth and pretty as yours!
Thank you Paige. You are so sweet to say it — your work is stunning.