Getting into the Groove of Free Motion

When I found Moda's Hi De Ho fabric, I knew it was the perfect fabric to use for a baby quilt. This was the second quilt that I have completed, and I have to say completing a baby quilt was far easier than the first quilt I tackled. In fact, this quilt is more of a stroller/car seat quilt than a crib quilt. Starting the quilting process with something smaller like this is probably best for the beginning quilter.  

As with all of my current projects, this was a learning experience. Putting the quilt together was relatively easy. As you can see it is comprised of four nine patch blocks with borders. 

My little man Jack is always involved with every step of the quilting process. 

I have refused to have someone else quilt my projects. It just seems like cheating to me. I will be honest, this is the most challenging part of the process, and I fear it will be awhile before I am truly comfortable with the quilting part. For this quilt I decided to jump right in and try free motion quilting. Needless to say that was a true challenge. I basically just did little loops. It was a relatively easy design, but I can see that it will take a great deal of practice to perfect the process. 

I loved the way this quilt turned out. It isn't perfect, but it has character. If I could change one thing, I would probably change the thread I used to quilt it. I used a light yellow (Aurifil thread, of course), but it was so light that I think white might have been better. I think next time I have white borders, I will likely use white thread. 

Now I just need to begin quilting my third project. The top is ready to go. I just need to pin baste the quilt together. More on that project to come...