textures

I've been wanting to play around with textures, both in fabric and quilting.  When I received an invitation to a baby shower I figured I'd jump in with both feet.

The front is Essex yarn dyed (a linen-cotton blend) with a block from Vintage Quilt Revival made up in Kona cottons.  

The back is a single piece of organic cotton flannel from Cloud 9.  The flannel is super soft and thick and cozy.  (The printed elephants don't march in line with the grain of the fabric.)

I've been practicing my free motion quilting and am determined to move beyond the basic meander.  I've been studying Angela Walters' books (this one and this one) and she is right, these circles make great texture!  While quilting this I was deciding maybe I should just head to the baby registry.  All I could see were the mistakes.  Angela stresses to not waste too much time unpicking quilting stitches.  Each quilt is a sample of where your skill is at that moment in time.  

She is also right about mistakes getting lost when you take a step back.  Hanging outside in the sun most some of the mistakes just kinda disappear.  (Okay, not that big one that almost turned into a rectangle.)

Then I washed it and they really got lost!  Flattened actually.  This is the first time I've liked a quilt better before washing.  But this is for a baby and washing is a must.  With more and more washings it will just get softer and softer. Soft is a good texture for babies!

All rolled and ready for wrapping.


Linking up again this week with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday.