Piecing the Back for Temperature Quilt 2022-2023

Building the legend

After I had pressed the top of my English Paper Pieced temperature quilt, I was ready to piece the back. All along, my plan was to use the colorful batik that I had used to frame the outer edge. I thought I'd have at least enough to cover half of the back. I was incorrect! Then I remembered that I had decided to stitch blocks for two years so I used more of that colorful batik than I had planned when I purchased it!

Auditioning the fabrics for placement

Not only was the colorful batik short; but I also remembered I had planned to piece a legend to place in the back. Suddenly a quick pieced back turned into a project! First, I pulled other batik fabrics from my stash. I had a wonderful red fabric with a beautiful gold border. I decided that I would use the border as my sleeve. I cut and made the sleeve. I had a small chunk of the border left.

Adding filler strips of the pumpkin batik

Next, I gathered four batik fat quarters that have lived years in my stash that sort of went with the colorful batik. I was getting closer to enough fabric; but, I was still short! Back to my stash, I went. I searched. I came up with a bit of golden pumpkin yardage that I thought would work.

Finished back

I began squaring the fat quarters and stitching them together. Then I stitched the legend together. I decided that I would hand embroider the numbers using two strands of black embroidery thread and incorporating the backstitch. This took some time; but the results were good. I added some purple to make the strip longer. Also, the binding will be purple so I needed a little purple somewhere in this back! (At least, that was what Gertie, my inner squirrel, was telling me!)

Then, I sewed the smaller pieces to larger pieces. I needed to add a strip to the fat quarters and I needed to add a strip between the colorful batik and the red batik. I still didn't quite have enough width so I cut the leftover sleeve fabric in half and used a trimmed strip from one of fat quarters to make the chunk long enough. I stitched those pieces together. I used the pumpkin batik yardage as filler chunks more than I thought that I would. In the end, it worked!  

This is the top

Next month, I'll plan to layer and pin baste this project! Documenting this process was goal number eight on my August list. Linking to Alycia at Finished or Not Friday; Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilting and Cynthia at Oh Scrap!