So I’ve been very busy in my world, having lots of fun, but I don’t have anything really new to show for it as my quilting room has not always been involved in this fun.  However, I did finish custom quilting my Swedish quilt.  I’ll show you even though I’m sure you are sick of seeing this quilt.  The purpose of this quilt was to just play with different free hand designs to see which ones were fun and which ones looked good.  I hoped they were inclusive, but not necessarily so.  There was no overall planning as this quilt is headed for my guest room and with my own quilts I can be rather experimental…or lazy.

In the top photograph I used the pieced seams as the feather guide.  On the bottom one the spine of the feathers are free flowing.  I’m surprised I like the one using the seams as spines as much as I do, as I thought it would be too structured and less tempestuous.  Which one do you like?

So here’s the quilt top.  Obviously, it is without binding.  Note all my scribble fabrics on the edge.  I’m winding my own bobbins so they don’t last as long as the pre-wound and I used two colors; consequently, the test pieces were well used.  This required frequent thread changes.  Can you see my hydrangea in the bottom corner?  I’m not happy with its surround, but I like the flower.

The pieced top is my own design and I would never use the geometric fabric as a border again, unless I was in a really anal mood as it is a hard design to keep straight.  B. doesn’t like how my pieced rows were not sewn in the same pattern.  I like the off-balanced nature of the quilt.  What do you think?

Here’s the back.  I did learn another thing with this quilt.  I quilted from the bottom to the top for the first time.  I made the mistake, I think, of basting the top before I started at the bottom.  Consequently, I ended up with a ridge, which you can see in this bottom picture.  Lesson learned, I hope.  Do you have any recommendations for custom quilting from the bottom rather than the top?  How to avoid any ridges on the backside?

I’ll now cut the edges and bind, but I promise I won’t write another blog on this quilt!