Adding to the Stash

The last couple weeks have been utterly busy at work, until I can hardly keep up with anything. Instead of concentrating on a greater project - a challenge when my time is so limited - my major project of the week was to free up some of my few bobbins from their leftovers.

The easiest way to do that at the moment was to work on enlarging one of the patchwork projects I'm using to get ahead of the baby curve that's coming in the next few months. I called this top quits when I ran out of fabric to continue the patchwork pattern in any direction, but I think the size (about 35" square) isn't too bad. While the thread on the backside is very colorful, I don't think it is noticeable from the front. 

Fortunately, I was able to empty a bobbin of a creamy color for the quick turn and quilting when I attached the finished top to some scrappy, textured backing. I'm thrilled to have finally found a use for these two long, skinny scraps, and the texture makes a wonderful backing material. 

Quilting a quick turn quilt (which will not need binding) is always a little more challenging than quilting a sandwiched quilt (one that will later be bound), but it can be done with care. I think the most important step is to keep the top and back of the quick turn quilt as close to the same size as possible. I used to think I could do that just by cutting them to the same size and pinning around the outside before sewing along the majority of the outside. In practice, that hasn't worked quite so well. Instead, I've started also pinning through the middle (much like basting, but the two outer faces of the quilt are touching and the central pins will be removed prior to quilting, just as the quilt is turned right side out). This hasn't perfected the process, but it has helped a great deal. 

After stitching around the outside edge (to close the small area where it was turned), I went on to stitch around every other block. 

I had certainly hoped to get some better photos before the washing, but it seems between long hours at work and occasional downpours, that wasn't to be. It does look good against the flooring, which I am still in love with, and of course Momo laid claim to it almost the moment he could touch it. Fortunately, it needed washed anyway - so I don't mind a little more cat hair at the moment. After the wash, I won't be quite so pleased to have his precious help! 

On my last minky backing, I had some shrinkage that made things fit oddly, so I'm hopeful that this much quilting will put a stop to any unwanted shrinkage.