Sew Cute Tuesday Debut! Bloom Bloom Finished!

Clearly I am an impatient quilter.  I have shown that trait on many a project!  So of course I can't wait until my normal Finished Friday post to show you my latest finish - last night's binding effort nearly tipped me over the edge with excitement!

Those who have been following along with me would know that I have been partaking in my first ever quilt along these last few weeks - the Bloom Bloom Pow, by Freshly Pieced.  It has been one of the most interesting processes for me in terms of quilting.  Seeing how a quilting design can come together, and wondering how on earth Lee comes up with said designs!  She's such a smart cookie.  It is the second of Lee's patterns I have used, the first was her Kissing Fish pattern - which almost sent me crazy!  But the finished result was amazing!  It didn't take much to convince me to join in the QAL - and I will be forever grateful I did, with the finished quilt - in my humble opinion - absolutely stunning.  My favourite finish yet!

So without further ado, here she is, my Butterfly Bloom Bloom Pow!

The beautiful front view.

I straight line quilted as per Lee's suggestion, and LOVED how it made the blooms shine. 

I then got my FMQ on, just doing lots of loops.  About one quarter of the way down one side, I decided to throw caution to the wind and tried a butterfly, then once deciding this quilt would be given to my daughter on her 10th birthday this coming Friday, I quilted her name on it too.  Then had to hide her name for the rest of the quilting process as she hovered over my shoulder asking who the quilt was for?  And had I sold it to anyone?  Because she wants it......

I loved the butterflies so much there are about eight all together!

I love how every angle shows a different view!

And the back!  This is not how I originally envisioned the back on this quilt!  I used the triangular scraps from the cutting out of the blooms to appliqué on to homespun, and was going to use it on the front, but I had nothing but trouble with the appliqué stitch I chose to use, and just wasn't thrilled with the finish of it, so decided to use it on the back.  I pulled a bunch of the remaining Cocoon prints as well as some more "scraps" from the blooms to make a busy yet interesting back!  This way, the quilt can be used two separate ways, which I think my Chelsea girl will love.

The triangular scraps were rather tricky to use!  Lots of pins and gritted teeth used in the process......

And then when the quilting process began, I started freaking out about how it would affect this section of the back.  But I was pleasantly surprised how it all turned out!

Just swaying in the wind with the sun behind it!

And more photos in the afternoon sun.  I want to eat it!

The end.

Quilt Statistics:  Pattern is Bloom Bloom Pow by Freshly Pieced.  It's a quilt along, and will be there for prosperity!  I used Cocoon by Valori Wells for the main sections of the blooms and majority of the back.  I then chose a whole range of fat quarters for the backgrounds of the blooms, and one token half yard of Pearl Bracelets that I had in my stash, as a little homage to Lee's fabric choices.  Lots of white homespun thrown in too!  THREAD:  I chose Aurifil 50wt #2000, which is a divine gold thread, and goes beautifully with the gold hues throughout the Cocoon range.  Final measurements are 73" x 61".

I'm linking up with a new gang - Sew Cute Tuesday over at Better Off Thread!  You can too!

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 Freshly Pieced - Show Off Your Bloom Bloom Pow!

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