BQF Baby!! Hand Quilted Log Cabin

My Bloggers' Quilt Festival 2011 quilt is fresh out of the dryer and it's still warm as I post this.  It's 100% hand quilted and I can say one thing about hand quilting for sure .... it's NOT a quick process.  I've been working this quilt for months and am so happy with the finally finished results.

Rainy day photo shoot.  My son is standing in about three inches of water. 

These are some hearty, chunky log cabins and I love the added texture and color the perle cotton #8 added with the hand quilting.   I figured some hearty squares needed some hearty quilting.  I used all the leftover strips to add a border and the final size is 48" x 62" ... perfect for a cozy couch quilt.
 

I hate to choose favorites but I just love the blue square in the lower left corner.

Looking back I see I was working on the squares in February and quilting in April .  If I continue with the handwork I guess my blog postings will be far and few between unless I write "still hand quilting" updates once a week.

I love the way the quilting shows up on the back

Attempted close up of the back

Thanks to Amy for putting this Festival together twice a year.  It has to be a monumental task but it sure it a fun way to meet other quilters and see some amazing quilts!  Click on the link below to check them out.

Lucky me times three

You know how they say things happen in threes? Well I've just had a lucky string of threes and my mailbox is the happiest place in town lately.

First, I won a giveaway at Gen X Quilters and got a $20 gift certificate to a fantastic new fabric shop The Crafty Girls Workshop.  I'm usually not into the pre-cuts because of the cost but since I had money burning a hole in my laptop I went for a layer cake of this beautiful Origins fabric.  Yes, they even had a Sherbet Pips layer cake and I had it in my cart (hurry people if you are still trying to get one!) but had to switch it at the last minute because something about this fabric line just called to me.  I think anything I make with it will have to be beautiful because the fabric is so gorgeous.

Next, I just won a crib size roll of Hobbs fusible batting  from Cherry House Quilts.  I can't wait to try this batting and I'll be sure to do a full review on  how it works.  I've never basted any other way besides the safety pins and I've dreamed of an easier and less painful method.  I know there is spray basting but I have such a small house with wall to wall carpets that I can't think of a place where I could spray all that adhesive.  I shudder to think of all the dog hair that would be stuck to everything too.   This batting comes with a heat activated adhesive that you iron and it washes out later so I am going to use it on my next quilt and hopefully fall in love with it.  I'll let you know.

This last bit of serendipity is perhaps my most amazing.  I found a talented  and extremely generous woman in England named Lizzie Allen who was GIVING AWAY perle cotton balls on her blog.   All you had to do was ask! I just received a package with sixteen balls of the prettiest perle cotton #8 you've ever seen.   I just sent her a little package in return so this is my first international swap.  Fun!  And I love getting to say the word "international" because it makes me feel slightly important that I have friends all over the world.

The colors are so beautiful.  I can't wait to see them in a quilt :)

There are lots of giveaways going on now so I hope my lucky streak keeps up.  If I win anything else in the near future I'll have to share the wealth and have a giveaway myself.  Karma ya know.  Don't want to get too much goodness without giving something back!