Second Flannel Quilt--Eleventh Finish for 1st Quarter 2021

Quilting the smaller half circle pattern

Since I had pin basted this quilt, I decided that I would try to finish it this quarter. It is made from flannel scraps from my friend Martha. I pieced the majority of the top last March and used some flannel that I picked up at the guild's back porch sale last August to finish it.

I found quilting in the ditch much easier to do using either the walking foot or the number 10D foot. Generally, I use the number 24 foot and free motion quilt; but pushing the flannel through the machine was too challenging. After I completed the ditch stitching, I used a Westalee ruler to quilt half circles in two sizes. I haven't used that ruler much so it was good to find a design to incorporate it in this project.

Stencil and chalked images

I also used the spin wheel ruler to quilt an image of the template in the center of the blue blocks. It was a good way to place one motif in the blocks.

The large purple border at the top and bottom of the quilt was a space to quilt a design. A number of years ago, JoJo and I were at a quilt show visiting the vendors. I purchased some Full Line Stencils and a pounce pad. I thought that I would use some of the designs in a quilt that I was piecing at the time. I didn't use any of the products in that project. I decided that this project would be a great place to try the products!

Quilted images

 One of the flannel fabrics contains a butterfly so I decided the dragon fly stencil would be a great fit. It also was a good size for the space. I had the pink pounce pad. This meant that I would be washing out the chalk when I finished the project. 

I had a bit of a learning curve using the pounce pad. My first try, I had way too much chalk and then I had way too little. I learned it takes a bit to get the chalk to saturate the pad.

View of quilting

I also found that a swipe netted a clearer image than swiping a second time to make the design "darker." I did find that marking two images was about all I could quilt before the chalk disappeared. The chalk either disappeared with my handling the design during the quilting or it disappeared when the needle moved through the design. 

Loops surrounding petal motif 

I didn't have a cheap hairspray to try to see if the design would remain in place longer. I also have read that a light spray of water might help the chalk adhere a bit better to the fabric surface. I didn't try that because this chalk dissolves in water. I would use these stencils again. I did like how quickly the chalk did rub off in the places where it adhered well.

Finished front

I filled the spaces between the dragon files with a meander that in the past I have quilted to represent wind or water. I quilted the dragon flies with a green cotton thread in the needle and a blue cotton thread in the bobbin. I added loops around the half circles and around the motifs in the center of the blue blocks using blue cotton thread in the needle and bobbin.

I used monofilament thread to stitch in the ditch and to add the texture in the subway tile blocks. I applied the entire binding by machine. I am getting more consistent with this binding process. Pressing the binding away from the quilt after the first sewing has been so helpful. Now, I only pin the corners and nothing else. 

It took me about ten hours to quilt this project. While I like the feel of flannel quilts, quilting them on my domestic is a workout! The more I work with flannel, the more I am glad I don't have much of it in my stash.

Finished back

I used about four yards of stash in this project.  I have now used 7 3/4 yards of fabric from my stash this year. This was goal number three on my 1st Quarter goal list. It is my eleventh finish for the quarter!

I've added the guild charity label and washed the quilt. It now measures 38" x 58" inches as is shrunk a bit! It is packaged and ready for distributing. I'll drop it at the next charity drop off event. It will keep someone warm. It is another finished project of Martha's scraps that I've saved from the landfill.

This month, I helped 50 people earn their American Heart Basic Life Support CPR certificates.