Jewels

It has felt good to finish a project.  This is only the second finish so far this year.  The quilt top was pieced last year.  I prevaricated about whether to all an additional border or not...and then, somehow, it just got forgotten.  Anyway, no extra border.  I'm not sure whether the flange along the edge of the quilt was worthwhile.  It meant that the binding was machine sewn to the back of the quilt, and I just could not get the mitres as neat as when the binding is machine sewn to the front of the quilt.  It is done and it's a bright, cheerful quilt.  I do like the pattern.  I adapted it from a pattern on the Moda Cookshop blog. 

I kept the quilting basic.  I used a ruler to quilt 3 lines around each jewel.  I then FMQ'd pearls between the first and second line.  Everywhere else I used a medium stipple stitch.  I used Hobbs Polydown wadding, which gave a nice puff to the coloured blocks.

I finished the third part of the TQS 2017 BOM, The Halo Medallion.  Month 4 and 5 involve a LOT of tiny flying gesse in semi-circles.  How bad can that be?  I guess I will soon find out.  I love the accuracy of foundation paper piecing, but at the same time find it a little tedious which is odd as hand applique doesn't seem to have that effect on me.   I wonder if it is because I have to concentrate when doing FPP, (otherwise I end up doing a lot of unpicking) whereas I find applique relaxing.

I am making very slow progress on the sampler quilt, applying little wool flowers and leaves to a border.  This may have been a big mistake, as I have no experience working with wool, let alone tiny wool pieces!  I am happy with the look, I just hope my sanity survives it!