Inspired to Make a Purple BB Quilt

Hi and welcome 😊 It's been a busy week. I'm not sure what I did, but time flew, so I must have been having fun 😉. I got inspired by the wonderful BB (or cuddle) quilts that Frédérique took to the hospital last week, so I put two projects together (BB quilt and July's purple Table Scraps Challenge) and got going. It's almost done and will be finished by the end of the month!

Purple BB Quilt

I wasn't in the mood for anything challenging, so I started sewing purple scraps together. I find it very soothing. Sometimes these scrappy panels become something, and sometimes they sit there, waiting for an opportunity. It's all good, it's about relaxing and doing something I enjoy.

Purple BB quilt - almost done!

I started with scraps from my purple/pink basket and then went digging for scraps in the strips basket. There was more than enough to make the main section of the quilt. Then I added this amazing pink/red border. Because I'm accuracy challenged, I cut my border strips too small😕and had to replace them.

BB quilt pinned and ready to quilt, with possible thread choice

I started FMQ with the threads above but it was a disaster! My tension was horrible, so the front thread was really showing in the back. I almost never unpick my FMQ but there was no living with this - what a mess! Since I didn't trust my tension, I used the light pink thread for the top and bobbin. It wasn't perfect, but I could live with it!

Tension problems - what a mess!

Eventually the tension got better. Using the same colour of thread in the bobbin really helped.

Better tension and the same thread colour helped!

Here are some pictures of the FMQ - unfortunately they're not great images although they are enhanced a bit.

A better picture of the FMQ, as seen from the back

Flower with petals from the front of the quilt

Enhanced - the colours look weird but the FMQ is visible

The BB quilt finishes at 22" x 22" - perfect! I now only have the border to quilt and the binding to do. I'm going to use that yummy pink/red fabric to finish it off. I'm sure that's the best choice.

Lovely pictures in the back yard!

BB quilt from the back - guess who miscalculated again!

Growing in my back yard

As I sat having coffee in my backyard, I spotted some blue among the plants. I haven't mowed it in a while so many things are coming up! This lovely, as I identified it in the plant identification app, is a flax flower! In the summer of 1991 in South Porcupine, Ontario, I planted flax in my backyard garden.  Back then I was a weaver with dreams of spinning my own linen. I had a small yield of these beautiful little flowers but when I looked into what it took to get linen out of a flax plant, I gave all of my plants to another weaver who knew what she was doing!

Flax growing in my backyard

I was wondering how these random flax plants got into my garden - then I googled flax seeds in bird feed and the mystery was solved. Flax is good for birds and it's found in the feed. There are only about a half dozen plants, so not enough to process, just admire. I case you're interested, it's the rotting of the plant stem that is the first part of making linen. I know how smelly rotting plants get - that was my initial aversion to making linen. So this year, I am thankful for the pretty, delicate plants growing in the backyard! 

What I learned

• I was trying to FMQ a couple of nights ago but couldn't see what I was doing. I was surprised that the pink thread didn't show up on some of the lighter purples.
• It was easier during the day to FMQ - either my eyes weren't as tired or the natural light helped.
• I FMQ all kinds of flowers and ferns into the quilt - it was so much fun!
• I even used the FMQ (freehand flower swirls) design that Vicki used in her Criss Cross quilt. I love finding designs that aren't too difficult to draw. 
• I managed to miscalculate the fabric needed for the backing - I guess that my subconscious wanted to make a pieced backing!
• Now I just have the border to FMQ as well as sewing on the binding. I'll get this done before the link up to the July Table Scraps Challenge ends.

Related links

• The last cuddle quilt I made: Sweet Yellow Cuddle Quilt
• April's Yellow Table Scrap Challenge, May 01, 2024 

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties. You might want to check some out! Please consider linking up below to the FM Mavericks party. Monday Musings, Design Wall Monday, Sew & Tell, Put your foot down, Off The Wall Friday, Finished (Or Not) Friday, 

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 541 of Free Motion Mavericks! It was a very productive week! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting. 

Kat from Scrapbox Quilts is making more Lil Bear Hug Quilts for charity. They are so cute and the perfect opportunity to practice FMQ and to use up orphan blocks.

Lovely crosshatch and orange peel FMQ by Kat

Storm at Sea orphan blocks turned into Lil Bear Hug quilts by Kat

Vicki, from Vicki's Crafts and Quilting made two seasonal table toppers. She's now ready for the fall and Christmas!

Vicki's lovely fall table topper

Details of the FMQ and ruler work in Vicki's topper

The holly table topper, FMQ the same way by Vicki

Gail from Quilting Gail made this lovely quilt - I just love the white and purple, it's just so fresh looking! She quilted it following all of those curves.

Gail's pretty purple quilt, FMQ by following the curves

Sandra from mmm quilts! made another one of her Winter Blues pattern quilt, but this time it's called Kismet and is made with part of a jellyroll. Wow! She was right - it does work! 

Sandra's Kismet quilt - how lovely in that jelly roll fabric

Sandra couldn't just quilt it with straight lines!  From the back, you can see where she changed the direction of those lines. That's very effective!

From the back of Kismet, we can see where Sandra changed
the direction of her lines.

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