Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Au Naturel

This is my first year participating in Gail's PHD: Projects Half Done. So far I am on track! Here is my UFO finish for June, a top that has languished in my finished tops pile (which actually only has two quilts, now just one, in it) for .... omg.... five years! Well languish no more, she's done!

Many thanks to my quilt model, Rufus.
This is a quilt I made in the Stepping Stones QAL, possibly one of my first, if not the first, QALs that I participated in online, with Jennifer of Inquiring Quilter. For the cream background I used yardage left over from a wedding quilt I had made for a very good friend, with some other yardage of a fabric I loved that I had bought, well, just because I loved it, and thought it was a good neutral. The greys and browns were purchased and also from stash.

I quilted it with one of my favourite allover designs, a flower and double loops meander.
Lines using my ruler, Slim, from Angela Walters, went in the zigzag sections.

This is one of the backings I picked up at Connecting Threads sale (affiliate link) a couple of weeks ago. I just loved the print, but didn't have a quilt in mind, until I thought I'd better get this done for my PHD goal, and this back might just work for it...

Oh, did it ever! It really made me fall in love with the quilt. It gives the quilt such a lift and pleasant surprise. Also a surprise was that this Ruby Star Society cotton is not quilting cotton, but cotton sateen, so it's got a sheen to it and feels a bit slippery, like satin. It was a bit tricky to quilt, tension-wise. I will definitely be letting CT know that they need to label it as cotton sateen.


A blue Shadow Blush from Benartex was the perfect binding, and here is the cloth label.


This quilt is going to a dear friend, Linda, who lives in Florida. She has admired my quilts for some time, and I've wanted to gift her one, but hadn't found the time or the quilt, until now. I think the cotton sateen will be great for a Florida home, and with Hobbs Tuscany Collection 100% polyester batting it will be perfect: lightweight but with warmth. Of course I had to quilt Linda's name in her quilt! 

Linda has a pool at her home in Florida, so I had to get a glamour shot, from my pool to hers!

I haven't washed it yet, but with that polyester, it already has lovely texture and crinkliness. I just love that blue binding!

Quilt Stats:
Pattern: Stepping Stones by The Inquiring Quilter
Size:  60" x 72"
Fabric: Beautiful Backgrounds and Borders by Pat Magret and Donna Slusser; 
Backing:  Whatnot by Rashida Coleman Hale of Ruby Star Society for Moda
Batting: Hobbs Tuscany Collection 100% polyester
Quilted: on Avril: 104 849 stitches
Threads: pieced with Gütermann; quilted with Essential in Parchment, The Bottom Line in the bobbin

PHD Update
I love seeing six checkmarks!



Woo hoo for finally getting to check off one completed quilt pattern! It is for sale in my Etsy shop. I aim to do better in the second half of this year.



18 comments:

  1. Great photo shoot! Love the quilt and that backing is pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So perfect for a Florida friend. Au Natural in sand tones with a lovely blue backing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love how you quilted this top! Think of all the quilting you have done in 5 years - hence all that stitching experience that you have gleamed to have made this so special.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's always such a good feeling to finish a UFO. Yay for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Sandra! Look at Rufus sitting there like the best dog ever. I can't help but wonder why Xena hasn't learned to photobomb yet?!! She will . . . soon enough. Well, isn't that interesting and surprising about the fabric backing?! I am happy that you are going to inform CT of the mistake - it will save another quilter from tension or other issues necessarily. I love the quilting design! Imagine all the quilty goodness!! Look at those checkmarks!! Woot woot all the way around. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

    ReplyDelete
  6. Way to go!!! The quilt with Rufus and the pool looks fantastic! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Way to go for being on track. I love the blue binding, and Rufus is a perfect model. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well done & the quilting certainly looks fab. Oh Rufus, you just can't help yourself. I've nearly emptied my tub of shame too, though I've been a bit slack of late. Take care & hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad the new quilt backing got put to good use so soon! Some of my good intentions languish in the closet for a while. Or a long while. Or for years? Or since forever! I have been known to make a quilt top based on the backing. Fun, fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Doing a great job with your PhD! Congrats on the lovely finish and good warning for sateen. It is a gorgeous piece of fabric and looks great on that quilt. Lovely sentiment....from my pool to yours!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, gosh, from the title I was expecting an entirely different type of pictures! :) Your quilt turned out lovely, and I really like the backing. It's always a win to get an older top finished up and ready to be cuddled. A belated happy Canada Day!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is a beautiful quilt, Sandra - a lovely gift for your friend! I really like the quilt design, the pretty backing, and your amazing quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such a gorgeous version of Stepping Stones! Love the fabrics and I agree that your backing is a dream. You're quilting really finishes it off nicely. Your friend will love it. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a beautiful and restful quilt finish, Sandra!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That is super pretty!! and Rufus - well you couldn't have picked a better model!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congrats on the finish of one of two UFOs. Really? Only two; now one! Rufus is just the prefect quilt model and the photo by the pool is just perfect.

    ReplyDelete