Finished: Christmas Race
I started this quilt in November 2013 with my guild. A bunch of us got together on a Saturday with the strips already sewn end-to-end, and we raced to see who could get the top sewn together the fastest. After that, I folded up the top and left it languishing in a drawer so that I could focus on other quilts that were higher priorities.
I have to admit, after I put the top away, I gradually lost interest in it. When my guild issued their annual UFO challenge in February, it was just what I needed to get going again. UFO stands for UnFinished Object. At the February guild meeting, people declare UFOs. Then at the June meeting, they either present the completed item, or pay the guild five dollars. I have a bit of a competitive streak, so I knew that if I declared this quilt, I would get it done. And I did--I finished it the night before the big meeting.
This quilt is made with the Cherry Christmas line by Aneela Hoey for Moda. I wanted the quilt to be bigger, so I added some borders. Since I'm not usually a big fan of borders, I used the red bits in the center border to spice it up a bit. I like the little touch of whimsy that it adds. With the addition of the borders, and after washing and drying, the quilt finishes at 62.5 inches by 79.25 inches.
My favorite print in the Cherry Christmas line is the clotheslines. Since I like that print so much, I got it in blue, green, and grey for the back. I cut the fabric into rectangles and created a bit of a zigzag pattern. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I almost think I like the back more than the front.
I free motion quilted this on my home machine. I did feathers in the grey parts of center border, wishbones in the little red bits of the center border, and wavy lines in the inner and outer borders. In the body of the quilt, I did straight lines in the blue stripes, and concentric circles and pebbles everywhere else. The quilting is pretty dense, so it took a long time to complete. It was definitely worth it, though. I love the texture in this quilt.
I always label my quilts. For this one, I used my go-to labeling method. Two sides of the triangle are stitched down with the binding, so I only have to attach one side by hand. I use a bit of extra binding on that third side to frame it. Now that the quilt is done, I just need to wait for Christmas to roll around. Nothing beats reading a good book curled up with a quilt and cup of tea at Christmas.