Stashy, Scrappy & Done at Last!!

My little summer quilting project is finally finished! The challenge was to use fabrics already in our stash for the top of the quilt, meaning NO shopping allowed! The fabrics I used are scraps from other projects, a couple of fat quarters I had been hoarding, with a few sheets thrown into the mix. For the border I cut up a green gingham crib sheet we no longer use. I sewed 2 pieces of batting together which were donated to the cause from my mother in law. The backing is pink minkee (with a floral texture) that I purchased 9 months ago when I was pregnant, with the intention of making a baby blanket and I never got around to using it, until now. So all in all, this little quilt was very kind to my wallet.

Here it is before the quilting began...

The pattern is one I drew up on my note-pad one day. There weren't any regular blocks, which made the actual piecing a little bit tricky, but I was going for a scrappy look. Although it was a real pain at the time, I like the way it turned out.
I debated and debated on quilting methods. At one point I was just going to take it to the quilt shop and let the professionals do the job for me. Then I thought I would give machine quilting a try. Not as easy as it looks (but I am an amateur), especially with the minkee backing. There were a few puckers that weren't working for me so I did a lot of unpicking. At this point I resolved to quilt it with my own two hands. I had previously decided on 2 inches square, so I quilted (and quilted) until my house was a mess, and my fingers sore. I finished all of the rows going in one direction and was quilted out. I simply could not face hand quilting all of the rows going in the other direction. So, out of desperation I attempted quilting on the machine again. Because everything was already stitched in place I had no trouble with any puckering. Worked like a charm - both myself and my fingers were so happy! It's an unusual combination of hand and machine quilting, but hey, at least it's done!
Here is the end result...


Love the minkee back...so soft & warm!

Something out of nothing at all! THANKS to Eileen & Ulla for hosting this challenge. I have enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful stashy quilts. I think if I would have known how talented some of the other quilting gals were who participated in this challenge I would have been way too intimidated to sign up. So I am grateful for that ignorance, and my daughter is happy to have a new quilt!