One Big Finish

The kaleidoscope quilt is officially done (pattern here)! I am claiming this as a quilt made for my 6 year old self, because she would be in love with it! Fortunately, my 27 year old self also loves it. :)

I am going to be coy and start with the backing. This Berenstain Bears fabric has been in my stash for a year or two (or three?) now and I knew it was going to be the backing for a quilt I would keep. FYI: I'm so horrible with time that I just had to do the math to figure out how old I am. Luckily I love math.

Unfortunately only 4 yards were purchased. This particular quilt is made up of 20-17" finished blocks and it came to 68" x 85". I could have made 4 yards work, but the bears would have been sideways. The Berenstain Bears deserve better than sideways. Since no more of this fabric appears to exist, I had to resort to alternate options. Cue frantic visits to every fabric store in town with the quilt front in tow. Of course I wanted it to look like the backing had been planned this way from the very beginning. I settled on two different colors (and sizes) of chevrons.

Oo! You can see the quilting! Before I get to the quilting though, let's see the back in its entirety. I love it! Also, that is a king sized bed, so you can get a feel for how big this bad boy is. :)


Since you got a sneak peak of the quilting, let's look there next. I used a medium sized stipple. This was my first time to FMQ anything bigger than a table runner, so it isn't perfect. My skills do seem to be improving though! Yaay!


Immediately after I finished hand stitching the binding down it started pouring outside so I had to make-do with using the bed for photos. Are you ready for the big reveal? I sure hope so, because here it is: My kaleidoscope quilt! I love the secondary star pattern that forms where the blocks meet up. Ps, the quilt is turned on its side for this picture.


Oh my gosh, I am so insanely excited about this quilt! It isn't the first quilt made specifically for myself, but it is the first one big enough to completely snuggle under. My giant Salt Water Swoon is lap quilt sized so it works for napping but not legitimate sleeping. I can't wait to go to sleep tonight! Here's hoping my insomnia doesn't have other plans for the evening.

Just for funsies, here is a picture of my new quilt next to the labyrinth quilt I made for my boyfriend. Ohhh, the juxtaposition!