Friday finish - Jelly Roll Race 3.0

Hi all, I've had a busy couple of weeks since coming back from France and done a number of fun, non-quilty things including a visit to Sarah Raven's garden in East Sussex to see the tulips.  

Fabulous colours always provide inspiration for fabric buying and combining (quilters never really switch off their quilt antennae, after all), as well as the joy of seeing beautiful plants well grown around lovely restored traditional farm buildings: I am so lucky to have these opportunities. Here are a few photos to share the joy!

Anyway, spurred on by all of this loveliness, I have managed to get some more quilting done, and finished stitching down the binding on this one late last night, so I am linking to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday.

I started quilting this quilt in February but ground to a halt as I ran out of the variegated aqua thread I was using on the back.  My LQS couldn't get fresh supplies for a while so the quilt languished in a corner half done. 

Here are the threads I used: the variegated grey was  kinder to the many different colours in the main part of the quilt than the solid grey thread, though I preferred the solid in the inner and outer borders as it was less obtrusive there.

I pieced the top in April 2016 (see this post), so not that long ago really....  I had had the jelly roll (pb&j by Basic Grey for Moda) sitting in my cupboard for an age and just fancied doing a Race-type quilt top to see whether it really was as quick as everyone said.

There are a lot of Jelly Roll Race versions out there but the one I chose to make is the third one from Missouri Star Quilt Co. (this is the link to the video tutorial).  It is probably a little slower to make than some of the others but I really like the punctuation the grey flying geese give to the horizontal lines.  

I wanted to emphasise this in the quilting, so rather than just straight line quilt across the whole thing I echo-quilted round the triangles.  Slightly complicated as you need to work out the right order for the echo lines so none of them cross, but I was able to do that at the machine as I worked along the rows. Here's a close-up.

The inner frame got the usual tramlines treatment in harmony with the tramlines along the Jelly roll strips. and then the Ta Dot border was crying out for triangles to echo the flying geese.  

I was so lucky and found that my 4 1/2" Creative Grids Quarter-Square Triangle ruler fitted perfectly which made marking the quilting lines really easy with a Hera marker. Isn't it great when you can use a tool you already have for another purpose?

I used the leftover backing fabric for the binding, it's a slightly brighter aqua than the rather off colours of the jelly roll but I think it is OK.  The backing was from a sale, the inner and outer borders from stash.  All in all another quick project, which gave me a chance to scratch the itch to use an entire fabric line and make a really speedy top, but there's enough interest in the fabrics I think to make it an interesting quilt.

I am delighted to have got it finished and I can tick another o/s project off the list - hooray!

 

And now for something completely different, as they used to say.... 

Here's a peek at what I bought in France:

• Some sumptuous fabric from Petra Prins' stall for the beginnings of a Di Ford/Dutch Chintz style medallion quilt - using the fabric picture for my centre, as I'm not up to tackling broderie perse anytime soon.
• Gorgeous linen in my absolutely favourite colour to make a tablier - gardener's apron with crossover back straps.  I have had a look at the hand drawn pattern, all in French but I think I have enough dressmaking experience to just about cope, 
• unlike for the wool - beautiful cashmere for a scarf but I haven't a clue about the pattern - I am going to have to get some help with this one. Maybe a winter project when all my UFOs have been put to bed?
• Rolling rulers - more on those when I have really got to grips with them.
• EPP in various shapes and a book about Lucy Boston patchwork which I quite fancy having a go at, having been inspired by the work on display at Nantes.

Exchange rate not fantastic so not a cheap visit but I am pleased with all my purchases and re-energised to make progress on everything else.  

I am going off to Cowslip workshops shortly so cannot go too mad on more fabric, though I am sure to be tempted just a little.  You won't be surprised to hear that the quilt I will be making with Irene Blanck is called....Tulipa!

Have a great weekend, however you choose to spend it, and keep on making (and growing) lovely things!