Playful Pandas Whole Cloth Quilt

I don’t know about you but I am really lazy about getting my sewing machines serviced.  I procrastinate, put it off longer and longer with my usual excuse being ‘I clean out the bobbin housing all the time so it must be fine’. But oh my gosh, think about how often I use these machines of mine.  The poor things need to be taken care of!

When my smaller Janome refused to stitch more than two inches without giving me grief, I realized it was time.  I took it to a woman in town who is a whiz with machine repair and maintenance.  She kept it for a few days and worked her magic. Some $80 later, my machine is purring along. What a huge difference!!  When I picked the machine up, Debbie had a sandwich size Zip Lok bag filled with lint and gunk. I can’t imagine how she got it all out of there but she did. The machine is like new!

I decided to take advantage of this amazing transformation and practice some free motion quilting. I have not been doing too much quilting at home because the machines were not cooperating (now I know why!)  To have a nice big canvas to play with, I chose to do a simple whole cloth quilt.  Have you seen Art Gallery’s line of fabric called Pandalicious? Of course it  features adorable panda bears. Designed by the very talented Katarina Roccella, these prints are really sweet and just filled with the personality of spunky pandas. I have a few pieces of the line in my shop and decided to play with the feature fabric.

Panda Garden Recess is a large scale print which tells the story of panda families frolicking in a garden of pastel blues and greens. I cut  a 40″ piece of this fabric and a 44″ piece of Hidden Panda for the backing. After trimming the top to a 40″ square and quickly pin basting the layers together, I started quilting loops. My machine was entirely cooperative and the tension was perfect. It is much more fun to quilt when my equipment is properly taken care of.  🙂

 

The quilting took no time at all.  After squaring it up, I decided it needed something more than just the binding.  I had a large scrap of a jade green solid in my stash and cut some 1 1/2″ strips to make a flange.  I am always, always a fan of a flanged binding!

As I mentioned earlier, the adorable backing is called Hidden Panda.  It is another of my favorite prints. The loopy quilting I did (which doesn’t really show up in the pictures) works well with the curve of the print.  Looking back, it would also have worked to quilt the piece from the back, by quilting along or tracing the curves. Another project for another day!

There you have it.  My machine is back to its amazing self and I have a sweet quilt as a result.  Next weekend is the quilt show for the Pioneer Quilter’s Guild where I will be a vendor.  It is going to be held in Roseville so if you are a local, come out, say hi, and enjoy the show!  I will use the quilt to show off this fun fabric in the booth.  After that, maybe it is destined for Project Linus or a spot in my Etsy shop.  I haven’t yet decided.

We are supposed to have a wet, rainy weekend and I am prepared!!  I have two projects currently vying for my time so I am very much looking forward to a quiet weekend in the sewing room.  There is also a tiny quilt show scheduled for the weekend and I may hop over there to take a look at the quilts.  We shall see!  Hope you have something fun planned as well!  Enjoy the weekend.

Linking to my usual favorites as well as one new to me;  Finished or Not Friday over at Busy Hands Quilts.  Check them out at the top of the page, under Link Ups.

18 thoughts on “Playful Pandas Whole Cloth Quilt

  1. Kristie Cook

    Such cute fabric! I like the idea of making a whole cloth quilt – something I’ve never done! It really shows off a wonderful print. 🙂 I’ve never serviced any of my machines but I do take apart the bobbin area and clean it regularly. There’s no one that services machines in my are, so I hope things stay working smoothly!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      I hope so too Kristie. I take the whole bobbin area apart as well but there was gunk in the upper working of the machine.
      Try a whole cloth quilt. I really think it is a fun way to practice my quilting.

      Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thank you! Now it is time to bring my bigger Janome in for servicing. Her throat is much bigger and it will be nice to have her purring along again!

      Reply
  2. Kate

    Who doesn’t love pandas? The fabric is lovely. and you made a great job of the quilt. You make me blush, my original Bernina, Berni, is desperate for a service, in fact I haven’t used her for a while because the needle keeps stoping in the up position instead of the down, so I’m continuing my love affair with Baby just now. It would help if the shop was closer but it’s time I did something about it. 🙁

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      No blushing needed. I waited a ridiculously long time and the shop is right in town. It is funny how I will procrastinate on some of the simplest tasks!

      Reply
  3. JanineMarie

    Oh, I know what you mean about not getting service. I always say I’ll do it after “the next project,” but it never gets done. Your quilt is adorable. With that huge motif, it’s perfect for whole cloth. And I love the soft colors.

    Reply
  4. Mari

    This is just darling, Bernie! That piece was perfect for a wholecloth quilt. I vote that you keep it as a part of a “grandma stash.” You wouldn’t want to be without baby quilts at your house, just in case a grandbaby stops over or something. 🙂 Have a good weekend!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Oh my goodness…. we are not lacking for baby quilts around here. That is why I thought I should gift this one so it gets used. My kids aren’t having babies enough to warrant the number of quilts!!

      Reply
  5. Kaholly

    Guilty as charged! My sewing machine repair man is over an hour away, in a direction I very seldom travel. That’s my excuse, lol! Loving your Panda quilt!

    Reply

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