Man Cave done...

I've finally finished a quilt for Mr. Quilting Bug!  I made this quilt for him to use during those cold winter nights. Luckily I finished it just in time for - summer.  What timing on my part.  Oh well, it'll be ready for him when the weather changes in another 6 months!

Man Cave

Although I can't claim this for every quilt, I know pretty much all the stats for this one.  I bought the fabrics for it and cut it out in November of 2009.  The center of the quilt is made from a 2.5" batik strip roll I bought from Love 2 Quilt in Williamsburg, Va.  It languished on my shelf until another quilting retreat the following November where I turned it into a flimsy.  I loaded the quilt on the frame back in March of this year but only finished quilting it last week.  What can I say, I was in a bit of a slump for a while.

I quilted it using a new (to me) pantograph called Square Spirals by Keryn Emmerson.

Square Spirals Pantograph

I really love the look of the pantograph on this quilt and I'll definitely be using it again in the future.  I took a picture on my last pass quilting so you can better see the pattern...

Square Spirals Pantograph on Man Cave

I had to do one thing different with this quilt on my frame and I wanted to share it with you in case you ever run into the same issue.  I usually load my quilts sideways because they quilt quicker that way.  However, I couldn't do that this time because I wanted the pantograph to go horizontally across the quilt.  I had already prepared the backing to load it the other way and found that I had very little fabric left on either edge once it was on.  I can't remember where I heard this but someone once suggested pinning an additional piece of fabric to the edges to give you that extra room for your machine.  It adds an extra step, but was totally worth it.  If I hadn't pinned the canvas to either side, my machine would have kept bumping into the clamps that hold it there.  Hopefully this picture will make things clearer.  My first choice is always to cut the backing/batting large enough to give me this clearance, but this is a quick fix if it isn't.

Temporary side leader added to the quilt

Here are the stats for this quilt:

• Size: 63" x 71"
• Fabrics: Top and binding from Love 2 Quilt, backing from JoAnns
• Batting: Warm & Natural
• Thread: Aurifil (piecing), Superior Threads #425 (quilting)
• Pattern: Bali Boxes (out of print) - I made slight changes to the pattern
• Quilting: Square Spirals Pantograph (30 passes and 5 bobbins) (7.5 hours quilting time)
• Started: November 2009
• Completed: June 2011
• Recipient: Mr. Quilting Bug

Just a reminder that you can still enter my giveaway by leaving a comment on this post.

Until later...

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 

Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)