Triangles on Parade - Photo Fest

Just warning you upfront, lots of gratuitous photos of my latest finish, Triangle on Parade. This is my favorite quilt so far, I just wish it were a bit bigger to actually fit on our bed. Ideally it's best for a twin bed, (possibly a double/full), coming in at 73" x 77.5."

I had a heck of a time trying to quilt the middle of the quilt on my sewing machine. My Baby Lock Symphony is specifically made for quilting and has a large extension table and an 8-inch throat space but it was still a challenge. I ended up ordering a Supreme Slider which helped a bit but I look forward to the day when we replace our dining room table as I intend to convert that into a drop-in table for my sewing machine.

Despite my final design plan to quilt the top with the orange peel design in the main triangle sections, I really wish I would have gone with my original plan to echo a quarter inch. Free motion quilting those peels were actually a bit harder than I anticipated. It was especially hard keeping the lines smooth while fighting the weight of the quilt. Here's a close-up of some of the better ones:

I decided to go with my original echo plan in the triangles that are on the side borders and I really like how they turned out:

I've gotten really comfortable with quilting swirls. They've always been a favorite of mine. I love how they make the negative triangles pop.

I almost like the back more than the front. I fell in love with this turquoise pin dot fabric from Michael Miller. Since I had more leftover triangles I added a strip of them to the back as well. I even went as far as to line up this row with a row from the front so that it would get the same orange peel quilting on it. It didn't line up 100% perfectly but that's okay.

For the binding, I had envisioned a celery green solid but I couldn't find anything at the quilt shop that is closest to me. I didn't want to make a 40 minute trip to one of the other shops, so I opted for Moda's marble dots in a brighter shade of green.

I still need to add this cute little label on the back. Yet another leftover triangle - can you believe that I still have more?! I made it on a whim before the quilt top was even basted.

Picture taken before quilting was started.

Instead of using a fabric pen to write the details, I'm going to hand embroider it, sometime this week hopefully. I'm not one for hand-sewing but I like the look of the hand-sewn labels.

Okay, if you've stayed with me this long I guess a few more photos aren't going to bother you. This was my first time quilting straight line squiggles (okay, that's an oxymoron if ever I heard one, but not sure what else to call it). I really enjoyed them and they really add some nice texture. I'll definitely be using these again.

Lastly, this just makes me want to sit down, get cozy, and watch the sun set. Never mind that it was practically 90 degrees today.

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In addition to my regular link-ups, I'm also linking up to The Sunday Showcase by Stephanie Lynn, Amy's Free Motion Quilting Adventure' Free Motion Mondays party and Free Motion Mavericks over at Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing.