Quilt for Alabama Children's Home 2014 - Done!

Please, oh please remind me to NOT start a quilt during the holidays!  Talk about STRESS!

But I can say, this quilt is now complete, and it's a good thing because it needs to be in the mail to get to Gene Black, who is heading the Quilt Angel Project again this year for an Alabama children's home, before the Dec. 15 deadline.

In the last post about this quilt,  the top was pieced after using my new iphone's panoramic photo feature to take a couple of different shots of the fabrics, to determine color placement.

Then the frustration(s) began.  Having already prepped and pieced together cream-colored flannel from the stash for the backing, I noticed a small stain.... on the flannel.... the flannel I had pre-washed.  I knew the stain would not come out.  What to do..... what to do.  Aha!  The quilt label could be stitched over the stain (in the middle of the back) and become a 'design element'.  Yes! I quickly made a perfect 'heart' label using the embroidery feature on my machine for the wording.  The label on the left, photo below, turned out perfect and was immediately satin-stitched to the flannel, where I now began to worry about the integrity of the flannel fabric.  With every needle stitch, there was a hole.  It reminded me of a flannel pair of pajama pants I made for my daughter last year where, within a few washings, the flannel ripped.  Not the seams... not even at the seams..... but within the flannel itself.  Certainly not wanting that to happen here... trashed the flannel and started over.... which meant I could not use the perfect label either.  Thinking that while I had the label mojo going I'd go ahead and make another label, which turned out terrible - photo below, top right.  Third time being the charm, and an hour later, the next one turned out fine... photo below, bottom.  Some of my frustrations this day were shared on Instagram.

Now I needed a new back for this quilt, so a cream colored twin-size flat sheet was purchased from Wal-Mart for $4.97.  You can't beat the price, even though I so did not want to use a sheet with its 60% cotton/40% polyester content - but at this point I needed to be moving forward and there's plenty of fabric in the sheet so there's no worry about piecing the back.  There is enough sheet material left over to back another small quilt, so I made a note on the label for a reminder.

Then I realized I did not have enough Warm & Natural 100% cotton batting that I have used in every quilt I've made to date, and thought I'd purchased enough for this one.  I love that stuff!  But 'beggars can't be choosers', so to speak, so Fairfield's Soft & Toasty it is for this quilt as that's all my little local Wal-Mart carries.  I do not like it anywhere near as much as the Warm & Natural.  It seems flimsier and thinner.  But it is 100% cotton, and that's a good thing.

Now I had the supplies to cut the back and batting out......

...sandwich, using painter's green 'Frog Tape' to keep everything stable, and safety pin baste to prep for quilting.... all in one morning.  My knees were killing me.  Luckily, at 45" x 60", this is not a large quilt.  

The Bernina walking foot my husband gave me for an early Christmas surprise arrived just in time to use for quilting this quilt.  I have a 1230 Bernina and luckily Tom remembered my telling him a walking foot for my machine was $200 ordered through the local Bernina store, as he found they were selling for $300 online.

 An action shot below!  This walking foot set includes 3 different sole feet.  This one I'm using below, is for stitching in the ditch and has an edge-stitch attachment, which makes it oh-so-easy to stitch-in-the ditch.

The entire quilt was quilted with the wavy running stitch I used for the Bugs! Baby Boy's Quilt.  I felt no drag, nor pull, as the walking foot was stitching, and also found I did not need to stop and readjust the presser foot so much.

I am satisfied with the quilting results.

 Always have to include a photo of the binding!

With all the changes associated with the backing material and label, in the end blanket-stitched the label to one of the front corners.

Remember, this quilt will be going to a children's home in Alabama, so this is the handwritten note I'm including again this year.  It reads:  "I hope you like your new quilt.  It was made with love, especially for you, because you are special.  The top is 100% cotton, the batting (the middle part) is also 100% cotton and the back is 60% cotton/40% polyester.  It can be machine washed and dried.  If you look carefully, in one of the corners, you will see the stitched-in label created for your quilt, for you.  Merry Christmas! Love, (Mrs.) Lisa Spivey / South Carolina"

One last look....

....and it just came out of the washer and dryer!  It will be in tomorrow morning's mail to hopefully warm a little boy or girl who needs to feel a little 'special' this Christmas.  Now to finish that Alabama Chanin inspired top!
2013's Alabama quilt with all the links