Prairie Quilt Complete

As I was putting this quilt together, I came to think of it as my Prairie Quilt! The fabrics are from Basic Gray's Persimmon collection for Moda. When this collection came out, I was drawn to the variety of prints, many traditional but sprinkled with a modern flair. And it reminded me of a Little House on the Prairie theme.

So I got my AccuQuilt cutter out and started making six-inch blocks. To come up with the design layout, I simply placed all the squares in a paper bag, closed my eyes, reached in, and drew out a square, one at a time. That was such a fun way to layout the blocks.

Of course, I made some rules for myself. If I drew out two of the same squares, one right after the other, I'd throw back the second one and select again.  I also tried to have some semblance of balance with the lights and darks. So I did  do some rearranging before the final layout was complete.

For the quilting, I wanted something different than straight line quilting, which seems to be the standard for simple patchwork patterns. I also needed something different because my Gammill doesn't like to straight line stitch from right to left. The thread breaks. Often. Even when I adjust the needle position, and fiddle with the tension, and slow down, I still get thread breakage. So I avoid straight line quilting. I think, overall, it's good to know either the limitations of the machine, or my limitations and not fight it, lol!

So what I chose to do was use a curved ruler for a simple jumping curve on each side of the blocks. I thought of them as 'jumping' as I quilted it because I bounced from one side to the other to the other. It was actually a fun method to quilt, it went quickly, and I sure enjoyed the process!

I actually have enough fabric blocks left over to make another quilt like this one day. Hmmmm......

Getting this quilt quilted and bound was my OMG goal for March, and also a quarterly goal for the 2018 Finish-A-Long. I sure am glad to have finished it. I think I'm almost ready to start on a king-sized quilt for my son. Maybe. Yes, one day soon. I should. Yep, yep. For heaven's sakes, Barb, just do it! You've been putting that one off w-a-y too long!

Quilting with a smile,
Barb

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