Another finished quilt...

I've been working on this quilt for some time. Once I got the top done, with all its subtle progressions of color, I decided I wanted to do a patchwork back to it.  I started with the same grid as the top then began plotting out a new and simpler design for the back. One thing I especially liked about the backing was there were no corners or points to align. I basted the top and back together, in hopes the machine quilting would align and look 'good' on both sides.

I first stitched within the nine colored squares, one 'row' in. It was kind of hit and miss on seams lining up*. Sigh. Then I did three rows of decorative stitching each way from edge to edge. Good. Everything's joined together, but a little puckered on one side. Time for binding. My miters didn't work out just right the first time so I ripped off the binding and took a bigger seam allowance and finally tried out my 'walking foot' on my machine.

I'd never used one before and now see it would have helped me from * the beginning. Double sigh, but I know better now. Because this quilt has been bangin' around the house for a couple of months, picking up lint and critter fur, I washed it when I was done. Not only did it clean it up, all the puckering seemed to even out. Kinda looks like it was done that way on purpose—"oh, yes, I meant to do that." Yuppers! Made of 45 different batiks, this 50" x 50" quilt is my 'watching TV quilt.'

I am very happy to have this done since buying the Bali Pop pack in mid-January from Quiltworks. The purple and gold backing fabrics and binding came from Savage Quilter. The next one on deck is an Oklahoma City Thunder themed one for my son, Matt. They're still in the playoffs. Thunder Up…whatever.