Arrow's Quilt

At the beginning of the year, I was noticing how I hadn't made a quilt in forever.  The desire just wasn't there, which was kind of odd considering quilting is what turned me on to sewing when I was in college, and quilts are all I sewed for years.  Actually, I should clarify, my "quilts" were more patchwork blankets because I never was brave enough to learn how to sandwich layers, and do the binding.  HUGE mental block!  So instead I'd sew a blanket on the back of a patchwork top and do the turn and top stitch method.  I guess that's still quilting, but a tad different.  Well, just after I noticed I hadn't made a quilt in a long time, the bug hit!  Since being pregnant, I've made four quilt tops!  I was determined that THIS was the year I was going to make a REAL quilt....batting, sandwiching, binding, free motion top quilting...the works!  Finally, I accomplished that goal last month when I completed Felicity's twin quilt, which I still need to get proper pictures of, and post on.  Just this week, I finished Arrow's quilt. 

 This quilt, along with Felicity's quilt, are the two most intricate quilts I've ever done.  Though it may not look like it, there is a lot of small piecing involved with this quilt.  A lot for me anyways!  I worked on it in small, assembly line steps, making slow progress for months.  But it was worth it!  When I saw the tutorial for this quilt online, I just couldn't pass it up!  So I'm glad I am limited enough in experience to not have known how intricate it would be just by reading through the tutorial.  By the time I figured out how much work it would entail, it was already underway, so I just kept plugging along.  :)

 

 I never really had a plan for the border, binding, or back.  The border and binding fabric came from my stash.  It had sat there for 6 years, and worked perfectly.  I thought I could maybe do the border, binding, and back with that material, but found that the binding and border took more fabric than I thought.  So I ended up just taking all the scraps, and piecing the back.  I loved how it turned out, and its kind of like two quilts in one!

 

 

My wonderful friend let me come over to her house and use her fancy machine to do the free motion quilting.  I'll tell ya, I SWEAR by my old, all metal sewing machines, and have never wanted a new fancy machine......until now.  Free motion quilting is fun!  But I guess I don't need to go out and buy a new machine since I have a friend who's so generous.  :)

 

I caved for this print.  I rarely order fabric online.  But how could I pass up retro space kids, astronaut ducks, and mice and cats floating around in balls?!

 

I have a tradition to make the kids a baby quilt before they're born.  Now that Ari's quilt is done, my nesting has slowed way down.  His quilt is ready, so he can now officially arrive whenever he pleases.  And until he does, I'll snuggle up with his quilt every night to ensure it smells like Mama.