Baby Boy top ready to sandwich

Had a busy and profitable day today. Snowing outside - such crazy weather for Spring!  So what better way to keep warm and cosy but to piece my appliqued vehicle blocks together.

All made from 2 fabrics featuring cars, motor bikes, school buses, jeeps and various building site vehicles.  I had fun fussy cutting them, then they were fused onto Kona cotton backgrounds. I always like to hand blanket stitch around the appliqued shapes and used either white or royal blue embroidery floss to do that.  A few days ago I framed all the blocks, this time introducing a little bit of extra interest with scraps in yellow, orange, bright green, red etc. 

Then on Thursday I laid them all out in rows.  My original plan had been to have 4 verticle rows of blocks ( each with 5 blocks) interspersed with a solid strip to give a sort of Coin Quilt look.  This really didn't look right so I switched them around on the floor (my design wall!) to make 5 horizontal rows of 4 blocks.  Much better!  I started to sew the rows into strips, adding odd strips here and there to make them all of equal depth and the rows of equal length. Then I ran out of time so that was where I picked up things this morning.

I had intended to use some of my new Kona stash to add strips between the rows. I decided the Regatta colour looked super, another blue, but a good contrast to the other blues and I felt that shade 'pulled together' all the other colours and fabrics in the rows.  However, I'm glad I hadn't cut the strips because when I laid two or three rows onto the piece of Regatta fabric I didn't think the rows needed any separation at all.  So this afternoon I sewed all five rows together and pressed it ready to sandwich....  tomorrow perhaps?

I'm so pleased with this bright cheerful Boy Quilt top.

 

 

This photo is the right way up on my Flickr Photostream but is sideways here and I don't know how to rotate it.  Sorry! Hope you are able to see how it looks!

 

The Regatta has made a lovely border though and I'm pleased with it.  I've pieced a backing from scraps left over from the quilt and also pieced a 46" square of batting from three pieces of batting that needed using up.

 

Now it's time to cook our dinner so no more sewing today.

 

This is intended for one of the twin boys expected any day in New Zealand ( friends' grandsons)  I thought the babies were due in April but apparently it's very soon now so I have to get a move on with this quilt.  The Wise Owl quilt is the other one and that is all ready to go, thank goodness.