Becky's Baby Blanket

Several weeks ago Becky sent me this quilt top. She had received it as a gift {several years ago} but it still needed to be quilted. She gave me complete freedom to do the quilting however I wanted. My original thought was to just do an all over meandering stitch across the whole thing.

Quilt top I received in the mail - needing to be quilted

But, two things happened that both inspired and challenged me to go above and beyond the simple. First was a visit to The Quilt Shoppe {Home of Tula Pink}, on display were Tula Pinks quilts that had been quilted in ways that gave them a depth and personality that made them amazing. The second was stumbling upon Green Fairy Quilts Show & Tell Blog. I am in awe, these quilts were absolutely stunning! The more I looked at those quilts I wanted to do something similar on this quilt.

To add a bit more interest I thought making each block a bit different would be the best way to highlight the piecing work.

Stippling done extremely closely

Lines meeting in the middle {Radiating up}

Pebbles

Angled lines {Top left to Bottom Right}

Outlined the dolphin and added wave-type loops

Angled Lines {Radiating top right to bottom left}

Swirls

Angled Lines meeting in the middle  {Radiating down}

Vine Tendrils

The Back

Especially like how the dolphin turned out on the back

When I showed the finished quilting to my hubby he was actually impressed, said it's the best I've done yet. What a sense of accomplishment that gave me! I'm ready to dive into my next quilt!


A final not especially to beginner quilters: When you are cutting and piecing your quilt, it is important to take the time to be precise. In some of the pictures you'll notice where some of the blocks have been pulled apart to make them fit on another piece. This only serves to weaken your quilt, make it more difficult for your quilter {or you if you're the one quilting it} and it detracts from the beauty of your final product.


I know it's more work and can be frustrating, but take the time to rip and restitch when you discover mistakes like this, that's the only way to fix it. In the end you'll be much more pleased with your finished product and it will have a  longer and happier life.


Merry Christmas All!
And Happy Stitching,
Marcia  ~ The Little Pink Rose