A Quilted Finish!

Last night, I put the last stitch in the binding, and am so happy to show it off!  Notice the furry paws.  The quilt was a quilt kit made for a woman who passed before she could make it.   I am not aware if there was a particular pattern used.  The thread used was a connecting threads "natural" and the back of the quilt was also a clearance connecting threads fabric.  I used Hobbes Heirloom batting.  I love it for the slight loft which allows quilting detail to show.

Here is a closeup of the quilting design.  Notice the small, running feet!  Here I used a plastic template in a heart shape and a water soluble marker.  I quilted around the design and then stippled to make the heart stand out.  In the alternate block, I made little loopies.

I was very pleased with the hearts and feathers.  I love feathers in quilts and will keep working with them to build my skills!  To make the feathers, I drew the spine with a water soluble marker and the rest was freehand.  My stitches are getting more uniform and fewer areas where the tension is off.  I tend to speed around curves which will make spots on the back of the quilt where the tension isn't quite right.  Perhaps after a few more quilts I will have this skill mastered!  Also, there were no needle breakages and NO PUCKERS OR FOLDS!

Angus surprisingly did not make this picture, but these are my helpers.  It is their custom to run on a brand new quilt.  They actually get excited when I let them play on a new quilt!  My older son will say "Can I walk on it yet?" throughout the quilting process.

What is next?  Time to "interview" some thread colors for the Tiny Turning 20!  I want to have it done before the New Year! 

To share some personal news, I also am putting together an application for a doctoral program in Clinical Psychology!  It all is last-minute, but I am hoping I can  have this dream come true!  I will know around spring-time.