Berry Pie: A Finished Quilt

Evidently I can only put a project on hold for so long.  A week and a half after basting this quilt I just had to finish it.  I took a day off from my sneaky sewing to quilt and bind it.  It is probably a good thing I finished this. If I kept putting it off my boys would wonder what was going on.

This is my third giant star quilt that I have made from Jeni's tutorial.  I added a 1.5 inch cream border all the way around.  Then I added a 2.5 inch purple border, and a 5 inch raspberry border.  I like having the borders on two sides, because my family doesn't like square cuddle quilts.  My border widths were determined by how much fabric I had left after making the blocks.  It was a great stash busting project. 

This quilt was my September goal for A Lovely Year of finishes (link #30).  It was also a request from my boys.  They wanted a pink and purple giant star quilt that we could KEEP.  They are excited to have it finished.  Here you can see Panda's happy dance. 

I was excited to work on it, because I used my giant ruler (20.5 inches square) to cut out and trim the blocks.  It was very handy.  I love this ruler which was a gift from my sons for Mother's Day. 

I did the free motion quilting on my Baby Lock Tiara, Princess El.  I am enjoying how I rearranged my craft room.  I still have plenty of space to set up extra tables and quilt large quilts. 

I have learned that while I like quilting with my long arm rulers from left to right (for the feather vine), I like quilting with the borders on the left.  It makes it easier to still hold on to the stitch regulator with my right hand. 

I used matching threads for each of the colors. 

I like how the swirl quilting adds texture, but the threads blend in to the fabrics. 

The backing is a busy floral print, so it is not that noticeable that I used three different colors. 

I quilted swirls (some with curls/hooks) in the center of the quilt, a wiggly line in the narrow border, and feathers in the wide border. 

This time I quilted my feathers a little narrower.  They are about one inch wide instead of two.  I love how they turned out. 

I tried out Amanda Jean's suggestion for ironing the binding away from the backing before stitching it to the top.  I am amazed at the difference it made.  The binding was nice and flat while I was stitching it down to the front. 

I decided to name this quilt "Berry Pie" after Tina said it reminder her of summer bread pudding with berries.  I knew it was the perfect name after I made the label.  Not only is this quilt made with love, but my husband's birthday berry pies are also handmade with love. 

This was such a fun quilt to make, and I can see myself making more giant block quilts. 

Quilt Stats #112
Name: Berry Pie
Pattern: Giant Star plus borders
Quilting Design: Swirls with curls/hooks
Fabric: From my stash
Amount Used: 10.5 yards
Batting: Hobbs 80/20
Size: About 71 x 86 inches
Date Finished: September 2014
What I Learned:

• Ironing the binding before top stitching it really helps. 
• Busy backings are nice when using different colors of threads.
• Unfinished projects really do make me itch to finish them. 
• The skinny feathers look better in the border. 

I just wanted to add that I am grateful my husband added the clothes line for hanging quilts to our deck (which he also built).  It is so nice to be able to hang a quilt for pictures by myself when everyone else is gone. 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop and Finish it Up Friday.