Plugging along........

What do you do when the temperature hits

 You go to the basement and you sew.  I have to admit we did shop that day and we did stand on the front porch and talk to our lawn cutters, but that was it!  I was not made to take this kind of heat.  I'm a Canadian, I love the spring and fall and some days in the winter.  Summer you can keep.
This is what I worked on.  I cannot for the life of me remember where I found this, but there were no instructions.
So with a by gosh and a by golly and a lot of calculating, I set to make it.

I found all these batiks on my work station and decided to just choose 49 of them.  I picked them up and sewed them together and the final layout was okay.

Unfortunately, I did have to buy the white and navy blue for the rest of the quilt.  I bought solids to save myself some money.  I'm not a lover of solids and these drove me crazy.  Boy do they fray!

 I had the middle section done the day before, but still had the two side panels to sew together.  I was so lucky, they fit like a glove.

 I had the decision to make as to what to quilt it with and whether to do white or navy blue thread.  I ended up using neither.  I opted for an OMNI-V thread called Baby Quinn #9004.  It is a variegated thread that just seemed to work with the panto I chose.
This is Watercourse and it can be found on two sites, Digi-Tech or Lorien Quilting.    I chose it for one reason. There are a couple of places in the panto that have kind of a "funky" looking heart.  Look closely, you'll see them.  You might have to use your imagination but I saw them.

I have this one cone of thread that I have trouble winding onto a bobbin.  It drives me nuts!  I have no idea why this is the one and only that just won't wind properly.  It cause tension issues every time I use it, but for now it's the only navy blue I have in stock.  

Finally, bound!  It was rather hot to have a quilt lying on your knees so this took a bit of time.  We finally had a pleasant evening and I sat on the front porch and finished what I had started days before.  

There is an error in this quilt........kind of noticeable!  I mis-measured from one row to the next one and there is a gap.  I didn't even notice until I was done!  I wasn't going back to take all that out.

I've learned something else in this long arm business.  

 I bought the backing fabric at the Oakville Sewing and Quilting Centre in June when Linda had her sale on.  I stocked up on backings.  I didn't worry about putting the insert in.  I just did it!

 Our black-eyed susans are very small this year, but they are blooming.  These are one of my favourite flowers and remind me of my days in Quebec.  We used to travel to the Eastern Townships a lot in the summer months and these flowers grew wild along the side of the "highway".