A Reveal!

Sorry I've been away from blogging for awhile. I hosted 2 women's events this week, and we got called to Columbus for an unexpected day of babysitting for our granddaughter, consequently tending to details here at JQR sorta' fell way down on my to-do list.

With that all behind me, let's get back to talking quilts.

I've been slow to restart my quilting gears this year what with that 3-month snowbird getaway. Finally, now in mid-May, I’m getting back into the groove and at last, I’ve got some projects and finishes to share! 

First, let's focus on the quilt that waited all those long 3 months strung out on the long-arm frame - Floral Explosion. I put it on the frame before Christmas with the hopes that I'd be able to quilt it and take it with me to Florida. The tension on my machine had other ideas, though, and I could foresee problems, so I left it. Just walked away all through the holidays and then all through those snowbird months.

 

I didn't even really try to address the tension issues for a good long while after we returned to Ohio. Troubleshooting tension requires tremendous focus which I was sorely lacking.

There comes a point in time, however, that one has to engage the 'mind over matter' mentality. I had so many quilts to get done! Baby quilts especially. I needed that machine to work properly. 

Yes, it was as aggravating as I expected. It actually took me a couple of sessions before I finished the quilt. I am not entirely happy with the results, but done is better than nothing, and a finish is something to celebrate.

I admit to having some ambivalence toward this quilt. There are definitely so many things to love. I love all the happy florals. I love the simplicity of the big 9-patches. I love that I shopped the stash for borders and backing. I love that I used a layer cake (below) with very little waste.

But for the poorly-managed tension, the quilt would be perfect. Alas, I will use it here for my own purposes, and ignore how dreadful the back of the quilt looks.

Details on the quilt: I bought the layer cake in 2022 at Mae-Lynne Makers while on retreat. Last year, at the '23 retreat, I made the 9-patch blocks and constructed the quilt center. (In re-reading that post, I mention that I wasn't planning to add borders; I am glad I had a change of heart on this!) This post focuses on border issues. The borders, backing and binding are all from existing stash, and are similar to the happy, spring-like flowers represented in the layer cake. The backing is pieced, and the binding is hand-stitched. The size is 67"x75". Nice for draping over the back of the couch.

I am happy to report that since correcting the long-arm tension, I have successfully finished 2 more quilts. I love how the quilting looks - both top and bottom threads appear to be perfect! It sure is satisfying to complete the quilting process when all systems are working properly. 

And, yes, I will definitely be sharing both finishes in upcoming posts! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne