Red & Green off the frame

I did not think I was ever going to get this one done!  This is an old UFO that was set except for the final borders which had been purchased many years back.   Not really to my liking today and was too big to quilt on my small frame way back then.  Series of bad choices, it really needed 3 thread changes but I did not want to do that.   I used a muslin wide back and those are so hard to keep from getting puckers and gathers when you have to roll, advance, roll back and repeat for all those color changes.   I used a light celery green Glide thread on top, magna glide cream on bottom for all.   I lost count on the number of bobbins I used.   Here's a peak at some of the backside.  I do love the texture of quilting on muslin!


 






 
 
I used a template to stitch out a fast scallop border.   Opted to wait until I finished all the quilting to determine if I was going to fill in the scallops with more quilting detail (and maybe change to red thread on the front).   By the time I finally got to the end of this I had decided, it may need more quilting to have the same density... but I was DONE with this and need to move on to other quilts!

 
That dark line you see that looks like a pencil mark?   Appears 4 times across what is a fold line in the backing fabric.   I missed this when I prepared my backing.   Hopefully it will wash out but it looks like residue from metals/oils.  Keeping my fingers crossed.   But for now, this one goes back into the UFO stack for binding.   I've got a few other deadlines to meet that are more important.
 

Comments

Nancy said…
Agree that the look of quilting on muslin has a special appeal. Yours looks great. Enjoyed all the photos of the different sections. I always used to use muslin for backing, but never knew why I stuck with it. But your post made me think that this is the reason. I like pieced and lively backings, but the quilting doesn't show as much. Light bulb moment!
Valerie said…
Thanks Nancy! I used muslin on this one strictly based on cost. I needed the 118 - 120" wide and 120" long... Used a 50% off @ JoAnn's and it still was a lot of money...
QuiltSue said…
Hello. I found your blog from the Quilting Gallery site. Your quilting is absolutely awesome. I almost always use a plain fabric (usually Kona Snow) as backing cos it's like having two quilts, one a wholecloth and one a pieced. Oh yes, and cos it's cheaper!
Lynette said…
Hey, the quilting looks terrific :D