Serenity: A Finished Quilt

It is one week into May, and I have my first finish!  I am so excited because this quilt is my May goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (Link #58), and a Mother's Day gift for my mother-in-law.  I am so happy that I have both goals (one project) done early. 

I have decided to name this quilt "Serenity," because all of the fabrics are so sweet and peaceful.  I hope my mother-in-law likes it and will use it in her blue bedroom.  I finished it this afternoon and was able to take some pictures outside between the rain showers when the sun peeked out just a little. 

I always think that I add a little bit of myself to every quilt I make, but this time I know I did.  Check out this selvage. 

It was so much fun to see my name!!!  Just ignore the date of 1999, please.  ;)

I cut the squares out at 8 inches, which is such an awesome size.  You can get ten squares out of a half yard, and four out of a fat quarter.  It was a great use for the sweet blue and yellow florals in my stash.  I cut out the sashings at 2.5 inches and the border at 6.5 inches. 

I quilted a flower on each floral block by dividing the square into quarters with my Hera marker.  I quilted a quarter inch in on the sashings, and learned that the longarm rulers help a lot! 

I decided to work on my feathers again and quilted them in the border. 

There is a lot of room for improvement in my feathers.  I made my vine curvier, and did a more modern feather which took up the space.  I am not sure I like such a big difference in feather length, but I really like the overall look. 

I used a soft cream print for the backing. 

It looks really cool with the light shining through.  And I can't wait to see how the backing looks after the quilt is washed.  

I bound the quilt by machine in a solid blue.  It is a little darker and gives it a nice frame while still blending with the border. 

Quilt Stats #103
Name: Serenity
Pattern:  Floral blocks with sashing and borders
Quilting design: flowers and feathers
Fabric: from my stash
Amount Used: 7.5 yards
Batting: Warm and White
Size: About 58 x 75 inches
Date finished: May 2014
What I learned:

• Rulers help a lot when quilting with my midarm, Princess. 
• Quilting with the border on the left helped when using my stitch regulator. 
• I need to keep working on feathers.  Practice, practice, practice! 

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day! 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up at some of my favorite places this week including Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday,and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.  You can see what others are doing by clicking on the buttons on my sidebar.  Plus, I will also link up with Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

P.P.S.  I am linking up with Amy's Free Motion Mondays for feathered quilting.  I want to improve my feathers.  :)