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All grown and quilted 🙂

Well, at last!  After working on the Lydia’s Forever Stars quilt, it is now its long journey to meet its owner!  I made it just under the wire too.  The finishing touches were completed early this morning at 1:00 am AKT.  She received her final bath and press at 10:00 am then enjoyed her photo shoot for the big reveal at noon 🙂 

I started this quilt on the first of October or there abouts, maybe the last week of September, in design.  Then went shopping for just the right fabrics for her.  Lydia’s favorite colors are black, red, WHITE, and monochromatic color schemes.  I tried to pick fabrics that reflected her taste as I wanted to make sure she would use it!  Warm and natural batting was used and all cottons.  The backing is a high quality cotton.  Now here I did something that most quilters scream and quilt police scream about.  I did not prewash any of the fabrics.  I wanted the old time pouffy, soft comfy feel that says and invites the owner to “use me, curl up and snuggle”.  I do not preshink cotton batting–never have and never will.  So, total shrinkage was less 4% and the look and feel was accomplished!

Close up of quilting motif after wash

Close up of quilting motif after wash

 

I chose to do my own quilting motif by creating templates of the eight-pointed star in two sizes.  These were quilted in the monochromatic areas of the quilt with a coppery brown thread that complimented the darker fall fabric I chose for the accents of the outer and inner stars.  I think the process worked well with this pattern and was expedient for hand quilting 🙂

Here is a picture of the backside/backing after quilting process 🙂
Back quilted 8 pointed star design

Back quilted 8 pointed star design

This is the way the back appears.  I wasn’t real imaginative with the backing for this quilt in the way of a fancy print.  I had it in mind for the quilt to be used for the white and contrast quilting.  With her liking white, it seemed appropriate 🙂
So this has been my labor of love for my dear MIL, Lydia.  My family contributed by sacrificing their time to allow me to work on it in order to get it finished in time LOL  They have promised to email me pics of the generations gathered around the quilt after it has been given to her.  I will most definitely share them with my friends 🙂
My next big project is quilting my Rick’s birthday/Christmas present!  The TATW mystery quilt we just finished up with on One Stitch at a Time!  Sheesh, why don’t I ever do anything small?  Pictures of the topper are coming tomorrow 🙂 before it goes on to the quilting frame 🙂  This one is KING size!  Oi Vey!