This quilt is a first for me. I have never backed a quilt with fleece. As I was making this little Halloween quilt, it seemed like a fun thing to try. I was hoping for a soft, cuddly quilt and wow – backing it with fleece did the trick. Early in the summer, I browsed an estate sale of a quilter. I restrained myself and bought only some Halloween fabric plus a few books. The fabric was from an older line designed by Debbie Mumm.
Using fleece made the quilt feel substantial enough that I decided not to put batting between the quilt top and the fleece. I had read of some issues with quilting fleece backed projects so I pinned the heck out of it before quilting. It was interesting – for some reason, the straight line quilting was more difficult than the free motion. (I tried both out.) I suspect this is because I still haven’t bought a walking foot for my new machine.
A few posts back, I shared the pumpkins I made with strips of fabric. Using a tutorial by Jayne over at Twiggy and Opal, I framed the pumpkins and then cut them so they would be a little bit wonky. I like the whimsical effect of having them slant to the right and left.
To make things a bit more interesting, I placed the panel off to the side so that the quilt isn’t symmetrical. When I quilted it, I did straight lines for most of the borders and then echoed around the tree and the cats on the panel. Very simple quilting was the ticket.
The binding was made with fabric I had on the shelf; machine stitched to the front and hand stitched to the back.
It isn’t feeling like fall outside just yet but while out walking, I have seen some leaves that are turning color already. It won’t be too long before autumn is here. We are spending Saturday afternoon with my son and his family. We haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks so we are looking forward to it.
My son and his wife took the girls on a long camping trip last week. They shared so many great pictures of their adventures. But this was my favorite. These two sisters have an awesome bond.
Hope you are finding ways to celebrate the end of summer! Kids are going back to school and fall is on the way. Enjoy!
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I love it! I haven’t tried fleece but was thinking flannel would make my next quilt more snuggly. Bring on Halloween 🎃 ❤️!
Thanks Pam. I have used flannel a few times and it is super soft and snuggly. The fleece backing is super soft too. I like how it drapes – really cozy!
It’s so fun to see you making quilts and enjoying yourself! I love the panel, the pumpkins, and you found the perfect fleece for the backing! That is a neat photo of the girls, too!
I am totally enjoying myself – love being back in the routine of sewing and quilting. Ahh, back to normal!
Great minds think alike — I started a pumpkin quilt and wondered about backing it with fleece instead of minky. Your quilt is so fun! I imagine a couple cute girls might want to snuggle up with Grandma. Have a fun weekend!
I have heard minky is more slippery than fleece? I haven’t tried it yet though. The quilt is a gift for someone so the girls won’t get to use this one. Oddly enough, we have lots of others around the house!
The fleece backed quilt looks like it is going to be the perfect lap companion for the fall as the temperatures start to cool off. The whimsical pumpkins and off-center panel were really fun and great design choices!
Thank you Yvonne. It was a fun quick project and will be sent out this week as a gift. Hope you get some cooler temps soon. It has been so darn hot in CA lately.
That last photo–ahhh, my heart got a hug. 🙂 I’ve used fleece with and without batting, and it does make for a lovely cuddly quilt. A walking foot will solve any issues, guaranteed! I like the dancing pumpkins – great idea!
Happy to give your heart a hug! I just ordered a print of that picture. I just love it. I really need to order a walking foot. I am so frugal and Bernina parts are super expensive! But I do need it…
Love this quilt and it gives me an idea of what to do with my current project! Huge hugs and thanks!
Carol
Happy to hear it Carol! Have fun sewing. 🙂
I haven’t tried fleece as a backing but I can imagine that it is very soft and cozy. Great job with your Halloween quilt!
Love the quilt. I did use fleece for a backing and liked it. I think I used a batting too – it was a child’s quilt so I thought all the weight would be good. The sisters are just adorable.
I have a sister but we are not close. The picture of your granddaughters hugging each other makes me smile and breaks my heart at the same time. So absolutely perfect!!! Thank you for sharing, Bernie.
I love the picture of binding and fleece backing – it screams (albeit softly) of fall and acorns, cinnamon cakes and buttery scones, and a roaring fireplace. Must be time to give Thanks!
Hi Preeti – I love this picture and hope it is indicative of a long happy sibling relationship. So far they are quite close which is really heartwarming. Fall is coming which is great – definitely my favorite season each year.