Another Finish... and On a Roll!

I recently finished the binding on my French Roses quilt. Love this quilt and I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to finally get this one done.  After all, it was started in early 2008!

Here it is laying across the guest room bed.  You can see some of the wonderful machine quilting the longarm quilter did.

I felt a quilt this bold needed a bold back, so I chose these beautiful roses.. of course.  The striped bias cut binding was the perfect finishing touch.

I like my quilt labels to match the front of my quilt and typically will make a smaller block for this purpose.  Do you label your quilts?  If you don't, you definitely should!

It is currently folded at the foot of the bed.  Once it is washed the raw edges of all those roses will fray a bit and will add even more texture to this quilt.  Makes you want to curl up for nap, no?  But no rest for the weary. I was off from work this week and I was on a roll to get UFOs ready for the longarm quilter....

What is this?  

This is 7 1/2 yards of backing fabric for my baskets quilt.  I bought this fabric probably 3 years ago to use on the back of this quilt.  It was time to get it pieced together. 

So important to measure twice and cut once!!!

Anyone who has hung wallpaper understands the important of matching the repeat of a pattern.  So was the case with this large print fabric.  You can see my seam here. 

Once the back was pieced it was time to trim it to the correct width. It is folded in half for measuring and trimming. 

This back will go on this baskets quilt.  Sorry it's hard to get a full picture on the floor of my sewing studio.

I added a pieced inner border, which I have never done before.  These basket blocks were in my first blog post in 2012.  I didn't make the 291 originally planned for.. but I did make enough to make a nice sized quilt. :-)  The label for this quilt will be a basket block not used in the quilt.  More on that later...

Okay - now I was really going!!  I pulled out these applique blocks that have been sitting a long time. Tucked away in a cabinet, waiting to finally become a quilt.  These blocks gave me lots of practice with needle turn appliqued leaves!  320 leaves worth of practice!  I can see my progress in the various blocks.

I kept the blocks with the magazine that the pattern came from and all the material to finish the quilt.  I may be a procrastinator, but I am organized! LOL  This magazine is dated April 2007.  Way too long to be sitting in a cabinet. My guess is that it probably took me a year or two to finish the 20 blocks.

It was time to square up these blocks and get them sewn into a quilt.
I had forgotten the technique I used to make the stems.  Hmmm... machine stitch one side of the stem to the background (WST), then flip it over and turn under the edge and hand stitch.  I'll have to remember that!

I decided I would forego the pieced blocks used for the alternate blocks in the original pattern.  It was time to get this one DONE!  And I knew all that piecing was probably never going to happen anyway.  Sometimes you just have to face reality! LOL

  I found a beautiful soft yellow print called Simplicity by 3 Sisters in my stash.  Perfect!

Another quilt pieced - I just needed to add the borders!  I used the same fabric in the alternating squares for the border.  Sorry.. no pic!

I still  have plenty of UFOs to work on... more than I want to count.  But I am on a roll to get them finished and quilted... then we can talk about all that binding! LOL

Gracie just naps and waits for the next quilt to sleep on!

Happy Stitching!

Deb