The Flying Geese Quilt is finished and considering the number of flying geese units made I am pleased that I can still say that I have loved making it. All negative thoughts about flying geese units have been dispelled.
The weekend was spent basting, quilting, and binding. I am a pin baster and baste my quilts on the floor - a hard wooden surface - which involves crawling around on hands and knees. It is a task which I dread and spent more time thinking about and deferring than actually doing.
When I posted this image of my basted quilt on Instagram I was asked what my secret was for a flat quilt, and why so many pins? I am afraid that I have no secret. I suspect that basting is a technique you get better at over time as you get a feel for how tight to tape the backing and batting, and how firm to pin the quilt top onto those layers. I do pin the edges of the quilt top first which makes filling the remainder of the quilt top with pins much easier, and I use a lot of pins - every 3 to 4 inches. I have used a few extra pins for this quilt as I knew I was going to be quilting a 1 inch grid onto it which isn't so forgiving if there is excess fabric in either the quilt top or backing fabric.
I almost exclusively pin baste my quilts - very occasionally I will get out the spray baste for a small project like a pillow cover. This technique works well for me and I therefore continue to be a pin baster. I am however a strong advocate for doing whatever works for you. Don't change something that isn't broken but don't be afraid to try a different method if you are having difficulty.
I love the 1 inch grid of lines and although quilting it is a little laborious it is definitely worth the effort. The visual effect is so appealing that you can't help but reach out and touch it.
For the back of the quilt I have used a beautiful Japanese import fabric
by Suzuko Koseki - Paris Daisy in White/Aqua.
And for binding I have used a white/pink/brown stripe from the Color Basics collection by Lecien.
I have listed this quilt for sale in my Etsy Store.
You can see all of the listing details here: Modern Flying Geese Quilt
Thank you for stopping by!
Rita
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