Sunflower

Last year on our way home from my quilt guild's retreat at Princeton, IL, we stopped at several quilt shops.  I picked up several quilt kits.  I actually did get them sewn, and only one is left to be quilted.  The one that I most recently finished was a quilt pattern by Clothworks. http://www.clothworkstextiles.com/pattern_download.asp?ID=188

I was really drawn to the bright colours.  It was a fun quilt to make, and I had some great scraps left over!  But the most fun was when I went to quilt it!

When you read the books that teach free motion quilting, they often suggest that you quilt a patterned piece of fabric, following the designs to loosen yourself up.  Well, the floral fabric in this kit was just begging to be quilted like that!

I was trying to do some free style butterflies around the center, but I ended up just doing freestyle feathers.  My friend Bev suggested I use a bright variagated thread in both top and bobbin, as I was using a white muslin on the backside.

I was really amazed at how well this looked on the back!  I'm still at a point that I am wishing to hide my back stitching, for fear that all the mistakes will just pop out!  But it really turned out nicely.

I liked the look so well that I decided to make a small wallhanging using the same technique.  I have been following Nancy Prince's classroom on Thread Painting on "The Quilt Show".  This is just a bit of a warm up!







And what am doing with the Sunflower quilt?  I gifted it to my friend and co-worker Bonnie.  She had been whining that she didn't know what she could do to get a quilt from me.  Turned out, a little whine, and be my friend, was all she needed to do!  Bonnie, I hope you enjoy it!