Project Quilting 11.3

When I heard that this week's challenge for Project Quilting Season 11 was going to be Hearts, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do other than make a doll quilt using hearts as the theme.
This morning, I found some ideas online... this is the one that caught my eye.  I have some white faux chenille and some pink, also... ok  I can do this!

I went diving into my big bin of pinks and reds and quickly realized that I didn't want to use red...  this pink isn't just pink - it has very very pale hints of oranges and blues along with darker and lighter pinks... I grabbed a red & white print fat quarter that was close by, went out to the other room and found a large enough piece of scrap batting - layered the three together then pin basted.  

Next up was tracing a heart ( or two) and stitching around them with a machine backstitch ( I don't know what it's really called, but it goes forward, then backward a couple of times and then forward a couple of times and repeats).  I wanted to be sure that the stitching gave dimension ( not that it mattered after all since it's pretty well covered by the faux chenille strips I stitched down next).  I used white on one heart and pink on the other.

After I finished the faux chenille stitching, I went around the two large heart twice with my walking foot.  Then decided that I didn't want to quilt everything else... I wanted it a little 'poofy' for the doll, so I traced four more smaller hearts and then stitched the pink faux chenille around each one.

Once all that was done, I did something I don't usually like to do... I machine stitched the binding to the front of the quilt and brought it around to the back where I hand stitched it down.  I also used the binding as my label - writing down info on the binding before I stitched it all down by hand.

Then, it was simply a matter of spritzing a little water on the faux chenille and then rubbing until it 'bloomed'.. I found a coffee stirrer stick close by and used that by running it back and forth across the chenille... easier than using my fingers ( and I didn't want to walk to the other end of the house to get the chenille brush).  Finished quilt measures something like 16" x 18".

Oh!  Before I go... that new project that I posted about on Saturday... well, I finished the top last night...  I'll have to find something for the backing before I can quilt it....

Sea Grass Matchsticks Quilt Kit

50" x 52"

I did a quick run down to the quilt shop after I finished stitching the binding for the doll quilt.  Needed some fabrics to go with what I had for my next project which I hope to start tomorrow.  

I'll show you what it is in my next post.

take care....

ttyl.....