flock quilt

This quilt has made my 8 year old son very, very happy. He has been waiting an awfully long time for it to be completed. I started this quilt because I wrote a tutorial for the flock block for Quiltivate and I just loved it, so I made enough blocks to make an entire quilt top. The blocks themselves only made a quilt 48" square, so I added a few pieced borders to make it larger. I love the traditionally pieced blocks (pinwheels included) mixed with the improvisationally pieced string borders. I also LOVE the color scheme so very much.

It finishes at about 60", and it's almost square. ;) It's a great lap size for my little guy.

I used Fairfield 80/20 batting, which has more loft than my normal warm and white batting. The extra loft threw me for a loop, so I had to rip stitches (less than a bobbin's worth), rebaste (oh, it was painful!) and then quilt again. It was worth it, because I was able to quilt it without puckers the second time around. Phew!

This is the first time I attempted machine binding both sides on a quilt this size. I was still quilting it after supper, but I had it done-binding and all-by bedtime. Woo-hoo! What a quick result! I really like the look of the top stitching on the front. It looks so finished and tidy...at least in most places.

I attached the binding on to the back of the quilt, then top stitched it on the front. I began by pinning the binding on 2 sides. I pricked my fingers way too many times, so on the final two sides I just folded the binding over as I went, without pins, and it worked about as well. It was much less painful! I did pin each corner, though, because I didn't want to mess those up. I'm pleased with my first attempt at this technique!

I was planning on binding this with Kona charcoal, but my boy picked out this little bird fabric for binding instead. I think it's a far better choice. It ties all the colors of the front and the back together. I like how it adds a bit of fun and whimsy to the quilt.

I couldn't choose just one perfect backing, so I went with a pieced back instead.

 

The roosters are so fun, I just couldn't pass them up. (How handy that they tie in with the name of the quilt!!!) The green is a Nicey Jane print and I patched in the grey section because I'm frugal. :)

I was telling some friends last night that if I knew how much I would love this quilt I don't know if I would have promised it to my son. I'm such a great mama, huh? No, really, I'm glad it's his and that he loves it so much.