Farm/Chicken Quilt

I've purchased some new fabric to take the farm animal quilt to the next level. I'm going to use a solid tan floral print for the backing. I'm going to use the green leaf material to block the animals into a field. I think I want to try a large leaf quilting pattern in the border.

The backing looks really bad!

I decided to use 2 LARGE tables to help me layout the quilt. I didn't tape down the backing. It wrinkled up REALLY badly.

I used cotton batting. (not cheap)and I used spray basting. It is holding the quilt together well. I went ahead and started quilting it even though I wanted to scrap the whole thing.

Hopefully tomorrow will go better.

Quilting from the back

Quilting from the front

My first blog.

This is my first time blogging. I don't expect anyone to see this.

I'm a 54 yo married woman who enjoys quilting but has mostly pieced and seldom complete my quilts.

My sister-in-law tried to interest me in quilting starting in 1998. I know this date because that is the year the Block of the Month packets started showing up. :) I resisted for a couple of years. Then I saw a book on Stack and Whack by Bethany Reynolds! I went crazy and pieced about 20 wall hangings and lap quilts. About 10 of them got completed and used. I made a flag one that my brother still has hanging in his office window. I have one that I gave to my grandmother and now it hangs in my office window. I have 2 quilts that I have quilted in blocks and I still need to bind the quilts in a quilt-as-you-go method...One is my niece's wedding quilt...I got 16 or so 18" blocks done and I'm needing to finish it before their 15th anniversary.

Before quilting I felt that I had no creativity. I knit and crocheted and cross-stitched and I always used the colors and yarns suggested. I followed the rules.  But when I started quilting I chose what fabrics went together and I seldom asked anyone if they matched or coordinated. It made me feel like I was creative. I could follow a pattern or change it to suit me.

Sorry for rambling. I have many works-in-progress. Today I worked on a crazy quilt that I pieced together on Sonic napkins. There are 4 squares with chickens in the center of each square. I've finally backed it and started quilting it with embroidery stitches that are on my sewing machine. I'm using 6 different colored threads.

I will try to get pictures of past and present works of art and make a gallery here. My next project I'm going to quilt a strip pieced lap quilt and free motion each strip in a different style as seen on http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/p/365-designs.html . I've been looking at Leah Day's blog and I'm ready to start free motion quilting again. Here's to having fun!!