It was a dark and stormy night....

I couldn't play in the garden yesterday because we had such terrible thunderstorms all day, so I hit the sewing machine instead.  I made great progress on my Daisy Chain quilt.  I added the aqua border (even though I wanted to start quilting it right away) and I'm really glad I did. I think it adds a cheerful touch.

This is my first quilting project where I've actually gotten far enough along to quilt.  I have lots of WIP's, but no finished objects.  Its a lap quilt, so I cleared off the dining room table to baste the sandwich.  It's so challenging!  Now I understand why this is almost everyone's least favorite part.  Most experts recommend cutting the batting larger than the top because of how things move when you quilt, but then how can you be sure your top is perfectly matched to the backing?  Oh the headache that ensued!  I even left the backing a little larger than it needed to be, but no matter how I wigged things around and pinned and re-pinned, I still ended up with an uneven sandwich.  For my first try, its not too bad, but its no where near professional looking.

Here we are, pinned and ready to be quilted!

 After dinner I headed to the machine to quilt.  It was definitely an experience!  I did simple straight line quilting, with the normal foot and white thread.  Diagonal lines across the charm squares in only one direction.  I considered using a colored thread to quilt, but I went with white and I'm happy with the outcome.  It was manageable in my little Singer - I just rolled up the right side of the sandwich to keep control as I stitched.  You can really tell as you stitch across the seams - the machine sounded different.  I had to rip one line because I ran out of bobbin thread but other than that (and some crooked sewing) it was kind of fun!  Stressful but fun.  I didn't mark the top at all, just eyeballed it (hence the crooked sewing!) which added to my anxiety.  I could almost hear my mom saying "just take your time and do your best!"

I created a panel of the large scale print with white sashing for the backing.  All that's left is the binding which will be a navy print from the line.  I'm so excited, and so proud of myself for getting this far.  I can't wait to snuggle up with the finished product!