I am thrilled that earlier this week I put the finishing touches on one more quilt for the year. It felt really good to get this one finished.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt – Pieced Backing
As part of the piecing process for the Effervescence quilt, bonus HSTs are created. I created a 36″ x 40″ baby quilt using all of the trimmed 2½” square and larger HSTs and extra fabric, which will be included as part of the Effervescent quilt along in July. I finished the quilt top back in September, and as I started to feel more like sewing again, I thought the best thing to do would be to use up all the rest of my fabric scraps to piece a backing for this bonus quilt. I wanted to see how sewing felt and gave myself time to consider if I wanted to baste the quilt and move toward a finish or not.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt – Basting
A 36″ x 40″ baby quilt felt really approachable in both size and time commitment, so the next thing I knew I was trying out basting using our dining room table for the first time. Our table top is aluminum, so I have no qualms about using my basting pins on it. My back certainly appreciated not leaning over and being on the floor, so I might try and sort out how to do larger quilts on the table, too.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt – Basting
It helped that I had a big backlog of some podcasts to listen to, and before I was able to finish one podcast episode, I had the quilt basted. With the bright multi-color quilt top, I knew I wanted to use 50wt Aurifil 3817 (Marrakesh), but I was surprised to realize I no longer had any of that particular thread color in my thread stash.
Aurifil 3817
I waited somewhat impatiently for a week for the thread to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait!
Effervescence Bonus Quilt
It took me 2 days to complete an all over boxy meander using free motion quilting, and while up close the variegated thread is interesting, from a distance it just leaves a fantastic texture and overall blends in really well with all of the colors in the quilt top.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt
I got the binding sewn to the front of the quilt just in time to take the quilt with my husband and I for a camping trip in the desert. I spent the first two evenings hanging out with my husband in the dark, listening to an audiobook, and finishing the hand binding. Which left us with one beautiful day to take the quilt with us on a hike out into the desert. I think Joshua trees are special and pretty magical.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt
I might(?) have been able to come up with a more scrappy, colorful binding to finish the bonus quilt, but I really love how the single brown batik fabric works as a frame. The brown is the focal fabric (Fabric F) in my Effervescence quilt top.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt
Before finishing the Effervescence Bonus Quilt, I had 4 works in progress. Somehow, moving into the new year with 3 WIPs feels a lot better than 4. Now to decide which one to focus on finishing next:
I’m not sure which I’ll tackle next.
Effervescence Bonus Quilt – Pieced Backing
I am really proud of how much of the beautiful Banyan Batik fabric I was able to use between the Effervescence quilt, bonus quilt, and bonus quilt backing. There are only small amounts of scraps remaining!
Linking up with December Favorite Finish, Finished (or not) Friday, TGIFF, and Beauties Pageant.
Both quilts are beautiful, I love them.
Gorgeous baby quilt! And what the perfect setting for those quilt photos too.
Those colors really pop in the dessert. A very fun finish, the quilting turned out beautifully! Starting the new year with only 3 WIPs is very impressive. I think I’m starting with 20 something!
Fun to see the bonus quilt and also to see it photographed out in the wild. Perfect timing!
It’s a perfect finish and great to use up those scraps. Love your surrounding backdrop for your photos, Joshua Tree National Park?
That is an amazing Bonus Quilt!! and the photos – they really make that quilt pop. I love Joshua Trees and the desert – such a great back drop!
For basting on the table, I recommend the pool noodle method. Search for “pool noodle quilt basting.”
What a great quilt to use up the leftover bits, and on the backside, too! The colors are so bright, someone will love this.
I love bonus quilts from leftover bits! This is beautiful and my, those photographs. I haven’t seen Joshua Trees for almost a decade now, they’re such a perfect background to that rainbow quilt!
I love it!! I haven’t chosen fabrics yet for Effervescence. And now I’m doubting my sanity for taking on such a large improv quilt. Yikes……. Thanks for linking up with Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday.
Hi Yvonne, what an amazing quilt – and it really looks stunning by the Joshua tree! If you get a chance, please consider linking up to Free Motion Mavericks :-) Happy New Year!
Ooooh, those colors just glow!!! I am always amazed at the saturation of Batiks. Just stunning and a great use of those leftovers.
I love your bonus quilt! And those pictures <3 <3 <3
xo
Love that you were sewing out in the desert, camping, another interesting venue to add to your compilation of Interesting Places I’ve Sewn. Your quilt is terrific! and a good contrast to the wintertime hues in your surroundings.
I pin a lot on my countertop, following in Barb Vedder’s footsteps. It does save your back! I use a folding cardboard cutting mat on mine (available at JoAnn’s), and pin the back to that. Then I then lay out the batting and topping. The printed guidelines help keep everything square and straight. I will then shift the mat, or unpin and shift the quilt on the mat, to keep pinning. Both work for me. If I have a very large quilt, I will roll up what I’ve pinned, and shift. This keeps the weight on the mat, and not falling off the edge, which might skew the quilt.