U-Turn

I'd have been back sooner with a finished product but I ran into difficulties after the top was completed. My original idea, while I was piecing, was that I would tie this quilt. The overall design just seemed to call for it. But when the top was done I thought this might be a good time to try out the serpentine stitch on Ruby Blue.

It did not go well. First of all, I didn't get the backing fabric taut enough when I basted the layers together. I also had faulty batting. It was supposed to be Warm & Natural but we accidently brought home a Pellon product instead. It appears to have been their answer to Warm & Natural but it was alternately thick and thin, so thin you could see through it in places. Not a quality product.

And the stitch I was so looking forward to using turned out to be less satisfying than I had hoped. In fact, I couldn't get the results I wanted at all, in spite of everything I tried. I carefully unpicked the six seamlines I had quilted at that point. We returned the batting for a refund and bought the real deal this time. I got out my number 5 perle cotton, loaded two strands in an embroidery needle, and set to work again.

There were still issues with the backing but I think I fixed them adequately. Overall it looks pretty good. I'm sure after some time has passed I will feel better about the end product. I named it Syncopation. My hope now is that it will at least bring in an amount of money equivalent to the cost of the materials I used in making it.