This is the backing for granddaughter Joanna's Jardin de Fleurs quilt. The fabrics are from Joanna's other late grandmother's stash. There wasn't enough of either of the coordinating pieces for the entire backing, so I put the block-print fabric in the center, and the paisley fabric along the sides. It is now rolled onto the quilting frame, and Quilters' Dream 80/20 batting is in place.
The appliquéd corners for the Jardin de Fleurs quilt are done and sewn onto the quilt. One more narrow border, and this quilt will be ready to be quilted. I've picked out the thread I will use for quilting.
I got the blue printed squares cut, which was a bit tricky on account of the print being all off-grain and whoppyjaw, just like many printed panels are. In such cases, I follow the print rather than the grain, since that's what will be most noticed. Next, I sewed background triangles to the blue squares to turn them on point. The blocks will be 14", finished.
I like to lay out separate elements of a quilt, just to admire how they would look together as a quilt on their own, rather than as part of the quilt they're going to be in.
Six more borders are on the Jardin de Fleurs quilt for granddaughter Joanna. It now measures 73.5" x 73.5". The next border will be 14" wide, pieced and appliquéd.
It was finally dry enough outside to take pictures of grandson Ethan's quilt, Ducks Unlimited. The quilt measures 100" x 102". Daughter-in-law Amy, Ethan's mother, found the small duck prints at a secondhand store, all on one big sheet of fabric; I cut them apart. The central panel of mallard ducks was designed by artist Randy McGovern.
The batting is Quilters' Dream 80/20. I used Magnifico 40-wt. top and bottom, Cream Puff on top and Venetian Blue in the bobbin. I designed the quilt in EQ8. It was quilted on my hand-guided 18" Handi Quilter Avanté. The pantograph is called 'Ducks Taking Off', by Deb Geissler. The quilt took 79 hours from designing to label. The label was machine-embroidered on my Bernina Artista 730.
Jardin de Fleurs for granddaughter Joanna, designed in EQ8. The fabrics, not including the background, are from her late other grandmother's stash. Image from EQ8.
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I have the center panel done for granddaughter Joanna's Jardin de Fleurs quilt. Now to create a design in EQ8!
The quilting is done on grandson Ethan's Ducks Unlimited quilt. Tomorrow I'll make the label.
The quilting has passed the central panel on Ethan's Ducks Unlimited. (Don't worry about the stitching taking away from the duck print; when the overhead lights are on, the ducks take the eminence, and the quilting fades to the background.)
I've made it down to the central panel on Ethan's Ducks Unlimited quilt. I timed a row of quilting (7½" x 100"): 49 minutes, 41 seconds, and 12 nanoseconds. Those nanoseconds may have been the time it took me to press 'Stop' on the quilting machine and 'Pause' on the timer. Intense pantograph! I could've printed it bigger, but I thought it would be more effective if the panto ducks were about the same size as the duck prints on the small blocks.
