Glowing Hearts

The last several days have been absolutely dismal so I was able to get my Glowing Hearts quilt finished.

I am so pleased with it!

Here is the first row all done. I really like the effect of the back and forth lines in the hearts that I quilted on Love in a Mist, so I knew I'd do the same here. I stitched in the ditch around each block. For the backgrounds, in the light background I did dot to dot and in the dark backgrounds I did a feather design.

The centre block with the maple leaf got special attention. I echoed around the leaf twice and then filled in with meandering. On the leaf itself I stitched veins after looking at actual maple leaf photographs, and I edge-stitched 1/8" around the edge of the leaf appliqué to secure it. Originally I had planned to do that on my Bernina, but after  stitching the veins, something I've done for a long long time with great success, I told myself I can DO this. So I did. I used a ruler against which I butted up my walking foot to help align the stitching path. Avril stitched through the layers with ease. I used a Groz-Beckert size 90 needle. The leaf was applied using the Crafted Appliqué method.

I'm so glad this Canadian provinces fabric from my friend Rose has found a place of honour in this quilt.

I did use that fabric as the lining for my white scraps box which I see daily since it sits on the bookshelf by the stairs, but on this quilt it is exceedingly meaningful.

Here is the back. Originally I was contemplating one length of a red fabric. The joy of a 40" or so quilt is that you don't have to piece a backing. However, when I looked through my stash of red yardage, I did see the cardinals fabric which I just adore, and thought it would be great to use it here. I mean, a red bird, the cardinal, plentiful here in eastern Canada. 

I knew I had some chunks of Canada Sesquicentennial fabric left so I hunted them down, and when I was looking in my turquoise pile, I spied the red birds on turquoise fabric and I just knew! Talk about a glimmer! Of course I had to set them in a gradient. I had just enough of each with only a few small scraps left. Fits right in with my 'use it up!' mentality of the past few years.

It has been gloomy and raining on and off all day, so I couldn't even set the quilt outside on a soggy deck or furniture, so on the countertop under the window in my sewing room it has to be. 

At least you can see some of the texture and custom quilting.  Once it smartens up, which doesn't look too promising for several more days, I will get a better 'on location' shot as well as one with me, the creator and maker.

The parade of finished quilt opens on June 15, so those of you who have been quilting along with me still have plenty of time. I've updated the pattern to include the actual Glowing Hearts quilt on the cover, and the throw on the back.

You can purchase the pattern in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts. This is my fourth quilt from this pattern! Here are the others with links:

Winter Blues

Summer Vibes

Love in a Mist

Quilt Stats:

Size: 40.5" x 40.5"

Pattern: Winter Blues by moi!
Fabric: stash

Batting: Quilter's Dream 100% wool

Backing: cardinal in the woods and Canada Sesquicentennial by Moda Fabrics; red birds on turquoise is Witty Kitty by Julia Dobson Miner for Studio e Fabrics 

Quilted: on Avril, 44 906 stitches

Threads: pieced with Exquisite polyester on my Bernina; quilted with So Fine and Exquisite polyester; Bottom Line in the bobbin

Linking Up

My Quilt Infatuation

Alycia Quilts

From Bolt to Beauty

Songbird Designs