This festive quilt (Christmas Blessings by Natalie Bird, The Birdhouse Patchwork Designs) was the first UFO that I made a start on in 2017. I managed to get the quilt top pieced together, and then put it to one side while I deliberated over the quilting. Last weekend I finally decided to get it done! I used a neutral coloured 40wt Aurifil thread, and firstly stitched around the outside of the applique shapes, then stippled in the background.
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...I had been given a packet of Superior Titanium Topstitch size 70 needles from Barnyarns when I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show back in October, and decided to try them out for this quilting project. They're perfect! (I also bought 100 Schmetz Microtex size 70 needles from Barnyarns too as they do a really good deal for bulk buying). I really do love stripey bindings, and this one is perfect for this quilt - it reminds me of Candy Canes! I used a double fold binding, and machined it to the front of the quilt, then folded it over to the back ready for hand stitching in place...
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...I spent another evening with my sketch book and pencils doodling - this is the snowman design from the front of the quilt. I used a very fine Sharpie Marker pen to go over the pencil lines, then traced it onto fabric using a lightbox and a Micron Pigma 005 pen. This was then hand embroidered using DMC thread...
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...finally the label is appliqued onto the back of the quilt. I used Aurifil 80wt thread for this, and a Clover Black Gold applique needle. A quilt sleeve was stitched to the top, ready to display this gorgeous quilt in my sewing studio later in the year! And those Titanium needles? Well, I used one needle for outlining the applique, all the quilting AND for machining the binding onto the front of the quilt. It's still really sharp, hasn't broken and hopefully will be good to use for another project. So yes, it's certainly lasted longer than usual, yes I think it's worth the extra money, and yes I'd consider buying them the next time I place a Barnyarns order!
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