Pieced Back for the Guild Challenge Quilt

Two extra blocks

I volunteered to piece a back for the guild challenge quilt. I shared our first get together in this post. Since that post we've gathered five more times. (Piecing the back was goal number five on my October list.)

I've enjoyed working with the committee members. Every meeting was fun and each person picked up a part of the project and got it done! There was lots of discussion about how to accomplish a task and there was lots of support!

Two more extra blocks

I was given a huge bag of donated musical fabric prints to make the back along with nine blocks that we couldn't fit on the front. As a committee, we decided at our first meeting that if we had leftover blocks, we would use them on the back. 

Another block

All nine blocks were stitched by the same person. She made a lot of blocks. At least two blocks she made are on the front of the quilt! Among the fabrics, was a panel which related to the blocks so that was where I began. I auditioned the extra blocks around the panel and decided I liked the arrangement of four on the top and five on the bottom of the panel the best.

Auditioning fabrics and blocks with the panel

I used some black fabric from my stash to sash the blocks. I made the blocks the same width as the panel. My favorite fabric was the black fabric at the bottom of the above photo. The top of the fabric had a small version of piano keys; the bottom of the fabric had a larger version of piano keys with white musical notes on a black background in between the two. The date on the selvage was 1995! It had aged long enough!

View of the top of the back

I added the white musical notes on the black background to panel. Then I pieced the violin, trumpet and saxophone fabric to the top edge. I split the other yardage of musical instruments on a black background in half. I did have to piece each side. I was able to use a leftover of the violin fabric adding a black strip for one side. For the other side, there was a fat quarter of the same fabric in the materials. I used that! I did not use that black and white fabric in the photo. It might end up as a sleeve though! The back measures about 90 inches wide by 98 inches long. 

Finished back

If the sides need to be trimmed, that can happen. If the length needs to be trimmed, it can be trimmed from the top so we can preserve those piano keys at the bottom. I like how it turned out. I've had a favorable response from the committee members which was a great sign!

Our label courtesy of Su S

Our group has finished piecing the top. A guild member has donated the batting. A wonderful longarm quilter has agreed to donate her time/expertise and thread to quilt it. The tasks of creating the binding, label, sleeve and bag have been divided among the members. The label is finished. Su S created it on her computer. Using a lightbox and fabric pen, she inked the label. Once finished, she heat set it. I'll share the finished quilt once it has been revealed to the membership next April.

Linking to Alycia at Finished or Not Friday; Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts and Cynthia at Oh Scrap.