Rainbow Quilt

Guess what I'm doing?? I am sewing the binding on a quilt that has been sitting just waiting for it's binding for over a year. I'm pleased with myself. (That's my son's hand in the right of the frame...he fell asleep next to me as I was sewing :)

I finished it and knew right away that I wanted to bind it with a bright tangerine-y orange with white polka dots. Sounds simple, right? Wrong!! First I couldn't find the fabric anywhere. Then I found some on Etsy, already made into binding. Yay, right? Wrong!! I ordered it and and waited. And waited. And WAITED. Wrote to the seller, no response, same a week later. Finally it came. Terrific, right? Wrong again!! You're really bad at this. It was the wrong darn fabric. Orange gingham, not orange polka dots. Sigh. And the stinkin' seller conveniently closed shop right about then. She's since re-opened, but never did respond to my many, many convos. In the end, after months, I found a half yard of the perfect thing and ordered it. Then promptly left it sit on my dresser for 2 months, lol. I was kinda over it by then. But today I was ready to cut it and bind it.

Here is the quilt , with the binding machine sewn to the front

Here it is again, with my beautiful 11 year old quilt holder peeking over the top.

The back is a forest of swirly green trees. A friend with a long-arm quilted it for me with a pretty rainbow variegated thread.

I've never bought those expensive binding clips. I find that a cheap box of binder clips from Staples does the job as well or better and saves a whole lot of money. I also use Coats and Clark upholstery thread to do the hand binding on quilts. It's really strong, and after every 3 or 4 stitches I can give it a little tug and it firms up close and tight without puckering. The color is kind of a translucent cream color that blends in to most fabrics if you do a careful ladder stitch.

Besides the binding, I had a little more excitement when the mail came. I got this really cute little pattern for just a few dollars. Isn't it too adorable? And it only needs 1.25 yards of a background and 1 (40 ct) charm pack. Perfect for making a quick and easy baby blanket.

So of course, I had to get these two charm packs of Fairy Tale Friends . Just to check out my theory, you understand.

And finally, these two yards of yummy orange and red came, to be cut into 5" squares tomorrow so that they can wing their way over the ocean to Emily Levey at the Strawberry Patch where she will do her magic and send them back to us as beautiful rainbows. I can't remember the names of the fabrics - but the red is my contribution and the orange is my niece Elizabeth's. We're mailing them together to save on the international postage. Don't you wish you were us? :D

okay, I'm nodding off here...be back tomorrow!