This monthly finish was started as a Project Quilting challenge back in February of 2018. In case you didn’t know, Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams has had a Project Quilting Challenge that begins in January for several years now. On Sunday the prompt is announced and you have one week to produce a quilt. It doesn’t have to be traditional and you can find all of the details on the Project Quilting Page at https://kimlapacek.com/project-quilting. Participating is a lot of fun, but so is checking out how others interpreted the theme. But I do digress.

The prompt Project Quilting 9.4 (season 9, fourth challenge) for February 18 of 2018 was Mellow Yellow. My interest was tweaked and I got to work. I pulled out neckties and background and got started. I got to a certain point and realized that I just wasn’t going to make the deadline. So my Mellow Yellow has really had time to Mellow.

One of my local quilt shops, Quilters Corner in Midlothian VA has started a Finish-A-Long and each month a number is chosen and that number will correspond with a project from your list of six. Well July was my opportunity to finish this project.

All I had left was the quilting, the binding and the buttons. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I prefer piecing. Quilting is not my strong suit, I don’t enjoy that part of the process, but my skills will not improve if I don’t do more of it. And I love the work of those that quilt professionally. But I gave it a go.

The yellows are all necktie pieces sewn to a cotton foundation. The background is a blue chintz drapery fabric that contrasted well with the yellows. Notice that the binding is also neckties!

Piecing is my strength, my passion. Quilting, not so much. I’m not very good at it because I don’t practice. Most of my quilting is done “by check”. For these smaller pieced though, I really need to do them myself. And obviously the practice will do me good.

What I was going for here was the illusion of a radiating line from the yellow. I found some great threads while at a quilt show and couldn’t wait to try them out.

I changed my needle did a couple of practice passes, loosened my tension, and had a go at it.

It was tough going with threads breaking, the machine jamming, my top thread going down into the bobbin. Things improved incrementally as the project moved on but still, I know I have a lot to figure out before I use this product for any work that I am going to put into a quilt show.

One thing I may do is go and get a second bobbin case for my machine and play more with the adjustments.

For this particular wall hanging – done is better than perfect. And generally, I’m pleased with the side that will be showing.

Til next time!