The old and the new

Last week I put the final quilting stitches in this quilt that was started sometime in the 1980s.

It's off the frame but it still needs to be bound. I also need to make a label and attach a hanging sleeve. This is a wall hanging, not a lap quilt.

I love it just as much now as I did when I first made it. The blocks are 12 inches so this is roughly 48" X 48". People might look at it and think it's a 'modern' quilt because it's graphic, doesn't have a border and uses all solid colours but I only ever used all solid colours in most of my quilts (then and now.) If memory serves, the colours are the same as the original pattern that I followed from the McCall's Quilt magazine. I should search for the magazine...

This is the reason why I put it aside and never finished quilting it. I had it all put together with backing and batting and it was all basted. I started quilting it in the centre with white quilting thread. I didn't even finish quilting the central motif. If you click on the photo and take a good look at the quilting, the teeny tiny quilting stitches are the old stitches. I was such a perfectionist when I first began quilting and would take out stitches if they weren't just right.

I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to quilt using all white thread or whether I should quilt in the same colour as the fabric. That was the reason this quilt was never completed. Early last year I finally decided that I would put it on the frame and quilt it intuitively. I used a small ruler to make all the straight lines and ended up quilting in the same colour as the fabrics - except I left the centre in white. I had to put it aside last year because I was doing a lot of wedding sewing.

Once I took it off the frame, I just threw it on a chair. I love the way the quilting shows up so nicely on the navy blue backing. One thing I always said to myself was that I wouldn't use black - I'd use navy instead. To this day, I have not used much black but that may change since I have a lot of solid black fabric to use up.

I am debating on whether to self bind this or use a separate binding. I used to only self bind quilts but I'm out of practice.

This is what I'm working on now.

Trying to choose eight different greens that go together for a baby quilt. I started it but had to take a break for Easter and then there were a few repair jobs to do. I think I can get back to working on this now.

Once again, I'm linking up to The Needle and Thread Network and to Lorna's 
Sew Fresh Quilts.