Twiggy and Opal: neutral quilt

It was touch and go at times, but I accomplished what I set out to do! Make a super sized Evening Star Block surrounded by improv and quilted it the best I could do!

The top was finished at the beginning of August (Super Sized), but I had to work up the courage to quilt it. So it sat and sat until I gained the mental strength to tackle what I knew would be a tough job to tackle. I was especially worried about quilting the center of the star. It needed to have that 'medallion' effect that required free motion quilting, and with it being super sized...well, let's just say I was dreading it! The rest of the quilt didn't worry me as I knew it would be geometric straight lines. That I knew I could handle!

SUPER STAR
48" X 62"

I'm just glad it's finished!! I can check it off my list and move on! There is a lot of work that went into this little bugger! But I know it will be appreciated by the person who requested it and by the person whom it will be gifted to! Isn't that what makes it all worth it in the end?! I have to remind myself of that during those times when I get frustrated, but in all honesty...I loved making this quilt!

I do not know how people can do free motion quilting so perfectly beautiful on domestic machines. Especially with a large quilt. I try. And try. It's just so awkward and cumbersome!

My thread of choice was Aurifil 50wt in the following colors: Lobster Red #2265, Neon Orange #1104, Medium Red #5002, Canary #2120, Spring Green #1231, Dark Cobalt #2740, Dark Purple #2545, Jade #4093 and Light Sand #2000. That's a lot of colors, but needed!

From the back you can see the detail a little bit more. I added pebble quilting in between the points. Since we all know real pebbles are never perfect, I nailed perfectly imperfect pebbles! The medallion center was a bit more complicated and hard. I used a different thread color and design for each round. It wasn't easy to quilt or to come up with ideas for quilting. That's just me though!

All in all...I couldn't be happier with how it came together! I'm not beating myself up about the quilting at all. I did me, did my best and that's all I can do! Perfection in my eyes! And of course, wash...dry...crinkle helps a tremendously!

The remaining area was filled with geometric lines. I'd mark a section on a side and replicate it on the remaining sides. When the sides were filled, I duplicated the top and bottom sections until that was filled up. As long as the quilting fits with the design, then I'm good!

I have also accumulated a few more quilts to quilt...oh joy! It wasn't but a couple years ago that I would never ever start a new quilt until the one I was working on was finished. It motivated me to finish one and it felt like the reward was getting to start a new quilt. These days are different! Now I have too many ideas! A blessing or a curse?

LINKING: