"Ice Cream on the Nines"

Challenge #1 Complete!

This weekend I was able to make my quilt for the first challenge of Kim Lapacek's Project Quilting Season 11 with the theme being Notably Numeric. To meet the challenge theme, I stuck with creating nine patch blocks for ease. No two blocks are identical.

It was so wonderful to complete the first challenge quilt after such a trying week with my health. I call this "Ice Cream on the Nines". It is a baby quilt measuring 42"×42" made with various fabrics I picked up while attending The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show with my mom. Pineapple Fabrics had a both where I found six of the fabrics used in this quilt, including the fun ice cream print, as well as food truck print that also has ice cream trucks!! So cute!! 

I started with deciding which fabrics from my stash were going to be used for the other three blocks in each nine patch.

Then starched all the fabrics and got right to cutting the 216 squares I needed at two and a half inches square each. 

Then came careful assembly as to not repeat any pattern within a full block. 

Next was assembling the rows. Finally, those rows got to be seen together in the final top. After some final pressing, it was time to sandwich and baste. Here is where I got to add that wonderful Kaffe polka dot backing. Binding was still up in the air at this point. 

How did I decide quilting? It needed simple. There was enough happening with this quilt between the fabrics, block pattern, and backing. The last thing it needed was a complicated quilting. Simple, full-quilt diagonals is all it needed through each line of blocks. I took a narrow zigzag stitch to the edge to close and it was ready for binding. 

I fully machine bind my quilts. My hands do not handle needlework, so I have to find ways to make it work. It has been an interesting number of years of "yikes!" results and most recently, coming into my own on binding success. This quilt was definitely worth celebrating. I have to thank Elizabeth Chappell of Quilters Candy for this video with the tip that helped me get my binding to behave in a way better than even clips can accomplish! The mitered corners were also so beautiful. Usually one is wonky in some way. Not today. Take a look -

I hope you have enjoyed my entry for week one of Project Quilting Season 11 - Notably Numeric. Created in Arlington, WI.

Check out my Instagram if you want to see quick updates on happenings in my quilty world. Thank you for checking out the process of my first challenge quilt. Leave a comment and let me know you stopped by.

As always, keep quilting!

Fawn