Hi Everyone!!  I know….I know….it’s been a while since I posted an update on my first quilt.  Now that we’re getting back out and about again, other projects took a front seat.  Making masks for family members needed attention, but now I’m back with an update.  On day 6, I’m so happy to share that I finally made progress forward again and my first quilt top is now FINISHED!!  In my last post, I took a couple of steps backwards with choosing to rip a few seams out to reorder my fabric configuration.  Best decision I could have made because I’m really loving the way this project has turned out. 

Here’s my First Completed Quilt Top!! 

So what do you think of my finished piece?  I totally LOVE how it turned out.  There were challenges along the way, but I pushed through and got it done.  The aqua border is designed to frame the mattress and then the stripes will fall down the sides.  It was a beautiful day in SoFlo and was able to take some bright photos.  In real life, the light colors are more natural than white but it still has a bright happy look.  It will look fantastic with our ivory beachy bedroom furniture.  We’re planning to give our master bedroom an update soon with paint, new bed and now a new bed covering.  Long overdue and looking forward to the completed renovation.    

So here are a few specifics since my last update.  After I figured out my fabric configuration, it was time to work on the sides of the quilt.  The next step was to cut each of the long strip sections into four 18 1/4″ sections.  After that, each segment was reassembled into one piece for each of the sides and bottom of the quilt.  For the sides of the quilt, I added two more 3 1/2″ strips to get the length that was needed.  For the bottom, I mirrored the border from the center.   The bottom corners (photo on the right) were another challenge, but I’m really happy with the way they turned out.  I kept the same fabric configuration and started with the ivory square building inward.  I mirrored the center portion and worked perfectly.

Here are a couple more photos showing details.  I just love the center panel and the Mermaid.  She’s whimsical and lovely.  We will start looking for some wall art soon to add to our renovated master bedroom.  I’m thinking some personalize embroidered pillows with sea creatures maybe??  It will be fun to see what we find.

The next step will be to decide on a backing fabric and what I want to use for batting.  After that, I will think about how I want to quilt the layers.  I will probably start to explore different stitches and patterns.  Thanks for following along on my progress.  Let me know what you think in the comments and any suggestions as I move forward.