Thursday, April 23, 2015

Yay! I Finally Finished a Quilt! Can I Get a Parade, Please?

Drumroll, please...
Amish Baby 54-40 Or Fight, 50" x 50", with Minky Backing and Satin Blanket Binding

IT IS FINISHED!!!  Arm slings, thumb splints, frozen shoulder, surgery, and uncooperative satin blanket binding could not defeat me.  My Amish Baby 54-40 Or Fight quilt is finished, and I like it!  I even ended up loving the double row of zigzagging on the satin binding (a functional necessity since I did not manage to perfectly align the inner edge of the binding in a couple of places on the first pass).  I think it looks decorative, almost like another skinny border coming off the edge of the quilt.  Yeah, on second thought, I MEANT to do that.

Detail of Free-Motion Quilting and Double Zigzagged Satin Binding
Freshly washed upon completion to remove quilt markings, water soluble basting thread, starch etc., the quilt is everything I hoped it would be.  With 80/20 cotton/poly batting and Minky plush backing, it has a terrific weight, body and drape that are perfect for a comforting baby blanket to drag around, hide under, and love.  The cotton fabrics of the quilt top have a pleasing soft, bumpy texture from extensive quilting that shrunk up slightly in the wash.  The back of the quilt is unbelievably soft, furry Minky fleece.  And the satin binding is silky smooth, ready to rub a brand-new little nose with.

Snuggly, Cuddly, Baby Friendly Textures Ready for Gifting
This is why, even though I grumble and gripe about it every time, I keep coming back to the Minky and the satin binding when I make baby quilts.

So, to recap:  This is the first quilt I've made that I designed in my EQ7 software from start to finish, and I absolutely love it.  Here's the computer design I created back in late December of last year:

My EQ7 Design for Amish Baby 54-40 Or Fight
From conception to completion, this baby quilt took me four months to complete.  The intended recipient waited so long past his due date, it was almost like he was refusing to be born until his quilt was finished!  (He was expected near the end of March, but was finally born on April 19th).  It's not like I worked on the quilt nonstop on a daily basis, but still -- this is why, when my husband asks whether I'm going to make a baby quilt for some work colleague's wife whose wedding we went to several years ago, the answer is NO


I'm especially pleased with how I did the quilting on this one, pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and trying out some new things for the first time on a "real quilt."  And you know what?  I didn't ruin it!  I'll have to remember that the next time I'm afraid to "ruin" a quilt top by trying a new quilting design!

And now, back to my paper pieced pineapple log cabin blocks.  I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts, Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and TGIFF (Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday).

24 comments:

Tammy Hutchinson said...

So beautiful and colorful - the baby will love these bright colors and great definition!

SJSM said...

The band is warming up and the confetti is ready to fall.! Strut your stuff a parade for such a beautiful and textural baby quilt.!

hilary said...

I was in your boots 2 summers ago so I have great respect for what you have accomplished. It looks fabulous. That quilt is so full of love it will surely bless the little one wrapped in it. Remember THE most important part of your recovery is PT. Squeeze silly putty while your sitting and reading. It's scarey how fast lethargy sets in. Good luck

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

it turned out great! - I never work on a deadline it makes the project turn into work instead of fun!

Raewyn said...

It's beautiful! I love the satin binding, I haven't really seen that much on a quilt. Congratulations on the finish - how good that the baby waited for the quilt!

Laura said...

Great quilt! I'm happy dancing with you!

Karen @runsewfun said...

Fabulous finish. I love the satin binding.

Barbara Sindlinger said...

Congratulations. What an accomplishment considering all your set backs.

Mary Marcotte said...

Of course you're proud! It's a beautiful quilt and it's all you! Now shake off the setbacks and start designing another. You know you want to! (Oh, I'm marching in your parade, too.)

Julie said...

YEAH!! You're a trooper, girl. I like your colors here with the deep contrasts. I've never done satin binding, but all my kiddos loved their 'commercially made' blankies with it, and a few did that under the nose rub with it, too. Gotta love babies, but glad that season is behind me now.

Julie

Teresa Rawson said...

Yay! I will come to your parade! Very nice finish and it sounds so totally cuddly and soft!

Rebecca Grace said...

Someone asked me (I think I accidentally deleted this comment when I attempted to reply to it -- oops!) how I got the satin binding to look "ruffled." If you go back to the earlier post about this project, you can see that the binding was smooth and flat when I sewed it on. Although I did prewash and preshrink my cotton fabrics prior to cutting them for the quilt top, there was some additional shrinkage as usual when I laundered the finished quilt. The cotton fabrics in the quilt top shrank slightly but the polyester satin binding (which started out stiff) does not shrink at all -- it just softens up and crinkles a little, creating that gentle ruffled effect that you see in the final photo.

Rebecca Grace said...

Thanks, Hilary! Physical therapy for my frozen shoulder is scheduled to start on May 4th, that was the soonest I could get in. And my husband won’t let the lethargy happen – he dragged me out to the greenway and we walked 5 miles together with my arm in the sling. It felt great. :-)

Amanda said...

I love the double zigzag stitch...I'll have to keep it in mind for the future!

I love minky and sateen binding too! The feel is so nice.

Sarah Goer Quilts said...

Congratulations on your finish. It looks great. What a wonderful baby gift! I love that you used the zebra print on the back because it's so unexpected. Thank you for linking up with me for TGIFF. :-)

greg @ grey dogwood studio said...

Yay! You must be SO happy that you've finished this, and you got to learn all kinds of new stuff in the process. And now I can't wait to see how your pineapple will "grow".

Lane said...

Whoo-hoo! You gotta love a finish. Even with all the obstacles. All my best. Lane

Liz said...

There's so much to love about this quilt! I've never seen a satin binding on a quilt before and I'm kind of in love! That extra textural element is amazing (and I never would have guessed that the double zigzag was anything but an intentional design element!) Congrats on the beautiful design too!

O'Quilts said...

I really feel that I would know this quilt anywhere and it is just lovely and I am so happy you have come out from undercover!

Cathy said...

It is absolutely gorgeous! I'm sure it will be very well loved.

Anonymous said...

I love your Amish baby quilt!

Adventurous Quilter said...

That's a spectacular design and the colors are perfect!

Val's Quilting Studio said...

I'm so inspired with how you used the EQ to create your design! I love the cross cross behind the stars "look" . Big applause from the "parade" spectator!!

Quilting Tangent said...

This quilt taught you so many lessons, amazing that you finished it. All the problems it gave you and what your body went through. Congratulations!