Quilt Along ~ Episodes Done and Done!

 Quilt along ~ finished!

I'm so glad that Carmen and Nancy did this, it's so much funner to do together....even when "together" means thousands of miles and too many weeks apart.  :)  Plus, you have to click over and see Nancy's finished quilt...it's pretty spectacular.  ;)

 I used fabric from the give-away I had won over on RoseHip.  The fabric is so wonderful, and it made quilting a pleasure.  I usually get all twisted up with 'what colors' and 'what patterns' and argh!

 Beata makes the most wonderful crocheted edgings.  I've been wanting to make some pillow cases from some repurposed sheets, and I've known I would try my hand at the edgings when I do so.  She's such an inspiration!  So at some point, when I was imagining this blanket done, I thought maybe I would do the crochet edging on it, as a tribute to sweet Betta and her generous fabric give away.

I struggled with the decision because I couldn't find any source that described sewing, turning, closing, then quilting.  It seemed like you need to quilt first, then bind.  It just seemed like the whole "quilting thing" was sort of the point of doing the quilt along, so it gave me pause to skip it.  I wasn't in the mood to experiment with my blanket (the cutting!  so much cutting!) and Carmen encouraged me to stop fretting and go for it, so that's exactly what I did!

And you know what?  I LOVE it!!!  I've always been in awe of Betta's (and Alice's, too!) perfectly perfect blanket stitches, and I have to say that the green gingham check fabric provided the perfect pre-made grid so that even I could have perfectly perfect blanket stitches.  I used 100% cotton for the edging.

Did I mention that I love it???  It's the perfect size for cuddling on the couch, but I really picture it on the sand at the beach, the star of a picnic; later, you can cozy under it as the sun sets on the water.

Or is that just too much pressure to put on a blanket?