Snowy weather and completed project

Finally the ridiculous freeze broke a bit to bring in the clouds and the snow. There has been a lot of wind out here with this storm so the snow isn't accumulating so much as blowing around.

Just prior to losing power last night I also finally completed the largest quilt I have done yet. :) The design is "Winter Garden" by Nancy Rink, Quilter's Newsletter Magazine Jan/Feb 2004/No 359. This design utilizes the Shoo-Fly block but also had a fun border. There was actually even another border of triangles but I wasn't as crazy about it and given how large this quilt got, I am glad I omitted it.


I don't usually get to say that I love quilting my quilts; but this time I actually did. I am not sure if it was the challenge of it or the fact that I am simply getting better control and smarter about planning the quilting out. This quilt has a really nice mix of straight quilting lines and free motion. The size of it was intimidating though (especially when I realized I needed a queen sized batting) and it was a real workout to move around.

The backing is this really cute crow flannel that I got at Taylor Creek Quilt Studio in Maple Valley (really great little shop). I also got some great advice there when we realized I wasn't going to make this work with the amount of fabric left on the bolt. It turns out that is preferable to create a backing of three panels anyway rather than one seam down the middle. This is more for the extreme stretch that happens on commercial quilting machines; but basically it distributes the stretching stress a little more rather than putting it all on one seam. And. I loved the look...

You may note the little kitty feet in the above photo. There was plenty of fighting going on to keep the cats and the quilting doberman OFF the quilt while I was trying to take photos of it. And this is why I have to wash all my projects before I give them away.