Rocky Mountain Puzzle Quilted

Happy New Year to everyone!!! It is hard to believe. I feel as though 2013 sped by at warp speed. I thought I would start the year off on the right blogging foot with a new post. I am hoping to be a much better blogger this year. I seemed to be content with creepy lurking last year.

One of my big goals for 2013 was to make a conscience effort to work on my own projects. Whether it was quilting, piecing, hand wool work or gifts for others, I was determined to make sure that happened. Well, I did it!! I completed (meaning ready to use)...26 projects!!! Only 2 are wool mats, the rest are quilts...big and small. :-) Yes, even I could not believe it. That is huge for me!! I am quite positive I have not completed 26 projects in one year...EVER!! I even...finally have a quilt on my bed!!! Yes, the stars must have all been align for that one. So stay tuned. :-)

I quilted, bound and washed Rocky Mountain Puzzle available here, which was the 2012 Summer Block of the Week from Primitive Gatherings. Confession time...I have never completed a block of the month type quilt EVER. Oh, I have signed up for a few of them over the years, but I always lose interest after a few months. So this was a huge milestone for me. I showed the completed top here and changes I made from the original pattern. And now!!

I braved the ridiculous cold to take some photos in my yard. I am always admiring these outdoor photos on other blogs. I am thinking I will wait until the temperatures are habitable for living creatures for outdoor photos next time. :-)

Some before binding and washing photos. Louie seems to love this quilt as well. :-)

The quilting is an allover freehand feather. Different than one I have done before. My quilt was a practice piece, as it was the first time I quilted this design out. This feather is more casual I guess for lack of a better term. I would consider the other style more of an heirloom feather. This design quilts out much faster than the other. Perfect for an allover on a quilt. I used Dream Wool Batting. You can really see the texture!! Actually there are probably 12 pieces of batting in there!! I used odds and ends I had in the cupboard.

You can see how a wash and dry makes the quilt all crinkly and wonderful. Yes, I dried my quilt. Dried it until it was crispy. No major shrinkage. I like to torture my quilts a little. :-) No issues with the pieced batting either. This way I can give honest answers if a client asks about washing and drying quilts or wool batting. And this quilt has already received plenty of love by the time I took these photos.

So I got a little carried away taking pics outside. All sorts of settings around the yard. I figured I was already freezing, I should make the most of it. :-)

And a few of the back.

The backing fabric is a reproduction from my stash. I love it! The print reminds me of little olives. :-) I lovingly renamed my quilt "Southfork." Another guilty confession, since I seem to be in my own little confessional today...I LOVE the TV show "Dallas." Oh yes I do!!! J.R. Ewing is my all time favorite TV villain. Do I own a "Who Shot J.R.?" t-shirt?? You bet!! LOL! So you know I own the show on DVD too, right? :-)

Thank you for all the kind words and emails regarding my foot. I am still on the mend. Unfortunately. I always think I am going to outsmart what the doctor tells me regarding recovery time. I am back to work quilting, I just need to limit my time on my foot. Hopefully, another 4 weeks and I should be good as new. :-)