Scatter Sunshine: A Finished Quilt

I just finished my rail fence quilt which I have named "Scatter Sunshine."  I made it as part of Amanda Jean's Scrap Basket Quilt Along and it will be donated to Margaret's Hope Chest for someone suffering from postpartum depression.  This is my first quilt along I have participated in, but I didn't have time to start it until after the final linky was posted.  At least I finished it before the August 1st deadline. 

Scatter Sunshine was also my July goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (Link #13).  It is so nice to have it finished in the middle of the month.

While these colors are out of my comfort zone, I really love how this quilt turned out.  It is so bright and cheerful.  Cheetah thinks we should keep it, but he really says that about every quilt I make.  ;)

I decided to practice my feathers to quilt it.  That is the theme for Amy's Free Motion Monday Quilting Adventure this month.  I started by using my wave long arm ruler and added stems on the vertical seams between blocks.  I learned it was easier to do this side to side with Princess El.  (It was also my first time using Machinger's gloves, they worked pretty well.) 

After quilting all the stems I pulled out my clear vinyl to practice drawing the feathers.  The painter's tape keeps me from drawing on the quilt top. 

Because of the markings on my ruler the vines are mostly parallel.  I discovered that if I marked the center (the red line), the feathers were easier to draw. 

I really liked the look of the finger feathers.  I think that is what they are called when you leave a space between each tear drop shape.  I marked between the vines with a hera marker and got to work. 

The feathers look better from farther back.  :)

But I love the texture they add.  The feathers are just under six inches from side to side.  Much easier than when I tried eight inch wide feathers, but I wonder if narrower would still be easier. 

I bound the quilt in one of the orange prints from the quilt. 

I added a corner label while sewing down the binding.  You can see the blue and yellow plaid I used for most of the backing in this picture.  It is an old Debbie Mum print. 

I added a strip of a solid yellow to make the backing long enough.  It also made it so I didn't have to worry about matching the plaid when piecing the backing. 

All in all I love how this quilt turned out and hope it will be a blessing in someone's life.  I know how difficult it is to cope with postpartum depression. 

Quilt Stats #110
Name: Scatter Sunshine
Pattern: Rail Fence from Amanda Jean's Quilt Along
Quilting Design: Finger Feathers
Fabric: From my stash
Amount Used: 6.5 yards
Batting: Hobbs 80/20
Size: About 54 x 66 inches
Date Finished: July 2014
What I Learned:

• It was easier to quilt with the ruler left to right instead of up and down. 
• It is easier to quilt feathers up the stem than down the stem, but I want to practice so I can do both. 
• I love the texture the feathers give.
• My feathers look better a little farther back. 

 Now all I need to do is write a letter to the recipient and send it in the mail.  I was able to hand deliver the quilts to Emily for the Hands2Help challenge, so it has been a long time since I mailed a quilt.  Any advice? 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Amy's Free Motion Monday Quilting Adventure and Can I Get  Whoop Whoop.  (Buttons on sidebar.)  I will also be linking up with Amanda Jean for her Quilt Along and Finish it Up Friday.