Summer Solstice

Today is the summer solstice and I just received a big box of sale batting from Connecting Threads.  I purchased one or 2 pieces of a few different types of batting to experiment with and see what I will be using as my "go-to" batting going forward.

I got several packages of these:

 Hobbs Heirloom Wool Batting
 Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Batting
 Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Fusible Batting

I've heard noting but great things about wool batting, so I got some during the sale - it's still kind of pricey but at a sale price is comparable to other battings when they're not on sale.

I am very interested in the 80/20 fusible. I only have a "domestic" machine, and  I have issues keeping all my layers flat while quilting anything larger than a placemat.  I used a fusible 100% poly batting on the cat quilt, and, while the actual quilting was manageable, I was not happy with the loft and the flatness of the poly batting, and I'm hoping it softens up decently after washing (I didn't have time to wash the quilt after finishing it) like the package said.

I'm hoping the Hobbs will be a better choice for me. I'm looking forward to experimenting.

Now I have to piece some more tops!

A lap Quilt For Two

This weekend was the wedding for one of my good friends, someone I've known for almost 30 years, and like a good quilter, I decided to make him a quilt for a wedding present. I was completely unsure about the color scheme in his residence, so I kept it to neutral colors. The Quilt was designed in EQ7, modifying one of their foundation-pieced block patterns, and doing a lot of redesigning on the fly, as I could not figure out how to get this particular layout to work properly in the program.

As you can see in the EQ7 design the borderd squares are composed of 4 blocks with a cross inside, instead of a square block with pieced sashing and a 9-patch keystone block - which is how I constructed it..

From start to finish took me 5 days of very concentrated effort. I paper pieced the cats.

Here is the finished quilt:

And some photos of the quilting detail.

I could have done more, but I had only a handful of evenings to get this quilted in time for the wedding. I used a fusible polyester batting, because it was fast. I'm OK with the results - I just wish I had more time to spend on it so I could have used a batting with a bit more loft and a bit softer.

I will be writing up this pattern, and showing some alternate design options - like this one:

Had I been confident the recipients would have liked a rainbow quilt, I would have made this for them. But the one I made is a more elegant presentation.

quilt for Joplin, Finished

It's a bit small for a grownup, but should work really nicely for a child between 5-12. I had a lot of fun quilting the solid borders - so much so that I may do some more solid color quilts in the future. Used 8 bobbins for this. The quilting took twice as long as the piecing, and the binding about as long as the quilting. I did stitch-in-the-ditch in the center. I hope whoever receives this in Joplin enjoys it. I still have to do a label but that can wait for tomorrow.

Quilt top

Quilted and bound

Back of Quilt

Quilting detail

Quilt for Joplin (WIP)

Quilt for Joplin, MO, and part of the 30 Days of Creativity challenge.

Still needs some wide borders to make it large enough for a teen/adult. I'm not sure who this is going to - our guild is collecting quilts on Monday to send/bring to Joplin.