I finished the Court House Steps quilt.
It is 54"x81" - a long lap quilt (it did shrink about an inch and a half each way after machine washing and drying - gentle cycles). I used Hobbs Tuscany silk batting, and Bottom Line 60Wt thread for the free motion machine quilting (top and bobbin), with just a regular Organ #80 needle. The blocks are 9", I used the Judy Martin method of cutting and piecing the blocks (fabulous way to make log cabin blocks!!).
I quilted an all over meander on the quilt. I have mentioned it before, but here I go again - Meandering seems to have gotten a bad name recently, and I can't understand why.
I love stitching meandering - it is one of the easiest/relaxing designs to quilt on a domestic sewing machine. It gives the quilt a beautiful 'antique', crinkly look instantly. It also gives the quilt a wonderful 'drape-ability', especially with wool or silk batting - the quilt just fits around your body easily (I believe because the quilt is stitched in every direction).
I find that a simple quilting design is all I need when the quilt top has beautiful fabric and blocks.
I recently read on the Martingale Blog the Top 10 Trends from this years Quilt Market, and I was so pleased to have read that Machine Quilting - learning to finish your own quilts, was #8! When I teach machine quilting I tell my students that if all they learn is meandering (and its variations) they will be able to finish a lot of their quilts.
I used 'Minky' on the back of the quilt. It is the first time I have tried this. The quilt is so soft, but it was a bit harder to quilt - because of the nap, it was easier to move in certain directions. I did have to spray baste the layers (apparently that is the thing with knit backings). The other polyester knit backing I have used didn't have a nap, and was easier to quilt.
These next two projects are what are on my needles -
a reversible scarf using hand spun yarn,
and the cabled socks are still on the go.
You can tell that the mosquitoes are so bad now, that it is keeping me inside!
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| A lost looking baby Robin. |
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| A Mourning Dove, and another bird, at the bird bath. |
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!♥
P.S. Thanks so much to those who leave comments! If you have a question and are a 'No-Reply Blogger', please leave a way for me to email you back - sorry to those who might be waiting for a reply.