More Quilty Goodness

Here are some photos of my latest quilting project. OK, it was over a month ago, but better late than never, right?

I designed this pattern myself (drawing inspiration from many quilting bloggers.) I enjoy the process of sketching everything out on paper. It’s sort of like a puzzle because you’re trying to make the dimensions of the quilt work with the dimensions of the fabric, backing, and batting that you have on hand. Of course, when you work that way you never quite know how things will look when you’re done, but that’s part of the fun.

I improvised each of the twelve squares and then framed each one using several different white fabrics. You probably can’t tell from the picture but some of the white borders are gingham, some are subtle polka-dots, and some are adorned with cherries. If you click on the photo, you can see a little more detail.

I used Warm and Natural needled cotton batting for the first time, and I LOVE it! The needled cotton feels so much nicer than polyester and is also easier to work with. Rather than machine-quilting, this time I hand-tied at the four corners of each of the twelve squares.

Front:

Back:

Of course, as with nearly any finished project, I think I would do a few things differently next time. I keep meaning to make my own binding and hand-sew it, but never seem to leave myself enough time to do it. That would really give things a more finished look, I think. I also want to try this method of putting the whole thing together next time, as this is my least favorite part of the process and is usually the point where things start to get wonky. One of these days, when I finish a project and feel that I wouldn’t change a thing (if that ever happens!) I’d like to create a PDF pattern and make it available here.