Indigo and Lace

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

In January, I am doing a presentation to the Lafayette County Quilting Guild (those Sew 'n Sews!) on paper piecing.  Because I used that technique with the Four Winds quilt, I have not ripped off the paper on the back of that quilt yet. I want to use that quilt top in my demonstration. That means, it's not sandwiched, and not quilted and no binding on yet. But I can't work on it again until after my presentation!  Hmmm.  What's a girl to do???  Start another quilt, that's what!

And so, let me introduce you to Indigo and Lace:

 I saw this quilt at the Madison Expo in a shop selling quilting kits.   I was impressed with this quilt, and so I bought a kit, and now have time to do it.  Oh, did I mention this Quilt Expo was in Fall of 2012??  !!  Ha!  I have been one busy girl, cranking out quilts left and right!

It looks like a complicated quilt, but here's the beauty of it:  It's a panel quilt!  I have 5 panels to make this quilt. Each panel is cut in quarters and can be rearranged in several different ways.  I am making the large quilt shown above.  It'll be 104 x 104 when finished.  The quilting brings this quilt to life, sewing on those curved triangles makes them pop, and each one looks like it was sewn in individually!!!  I loved that look!  It looked pieced, but was just quilted that way!  Beautiful!  Right now I am working on those sashing strips. thin pieced strip sets.  Tedious.  The fun part of this quilt will be the quilting.  Can't wait to get that far!

One panel

Four Winds Finished Top

I have finished the Four Winds quilt top. It looks beautiful, but it seems a lot smaller than I was hoping.  It measures slightly larger than 80" x 80", and will gain a bit when I bind it, but only less than an inch.  I wish it was bigger.  Here it is on a queen sized bed.  It's wide enough, but I think it should be longer.  Squared quilts always leave me with that feeling.

I am very proud of my mitered corners.  I had to rip out 3 of them and redo them!  I didn't plan on matching the design, I didn't even think of it!  But when I did the tutorial on mitered corners for Dianne, and that corner had this beautifully matched symmetrical design, I HAD to have ALL of them match up!!  It was difficult, and took some fudging.  In theory, they should have ALL matched, like the first one.  But in actuality, some were wider or thinner.  I remeasured and fudged until they all matched.  They don't look like exactly each other, but they are all symmetrical, and I am pleased.

It still has the paper on the backside.  I have to tear that off, but not til after my Quilt Guild presentation in January on paper piecing.  I am using this quilt as an example.