Commission: 1800s Christmas Couch Quilt

This quilt was expertly pieced Barb M.

I quilted this quilt on my Janome QMP-18 long arm.

Finished size: 64" x 64"

(click on photos to enlarge)

🎄FINISHED QUILT:🎄

Front: Barb beautifully pieced this lovely wintery Christmas quilt using many 1800 reproduction prints, some which are listed below:

Christmas Street by Thimbleberries (2007)

Lodge & Lakeside Pinecones by Thimbleberries (2008)

Holiday Pinecones by Thimbleberries (2007)

Back: The backing fabric is Michael Miller Fresco Collection in "Emerald" wide (108") fabric.

Quilting- Pattern: The stitching pattern is "Simple Christmas" from Wasatch Quilting.

Quilting- Thread: I used Fern (So Fine 50 #445) thread to stitch the front, and Cashew (So Fine 50 #405 ) on the back of the quilt.

Label: I embroidered Barb's name and year on a pre-printed fabric label.

🎄PROGRESS PHOTOS:🎄

Quilting:

I loaded the wide quilt backing, then layered the high-loft batting, and finally placed the quilt top, creating the quilt sandwich.

🎄

I completely basted all 3 layers, down one side, across the belly bar, and back up the other side, advancing and repeating, before I began the quilt stitching.

I really liked this stitching pattern: "Simple Christmas" by Wasatch Quilting. I'll definitely be using it again.

Working on the first of 8 rows.

Stitching the last and final row, #8.

Trimming:

Once quilting was completed, I unloaded the quilt from my longarm and trimmed and squared the sides, leaving the outer border just shy of 4½" wide.

Binding:

I joined together several 2¼" wide strips of Moda's Country Paths 1800's Reproduction Prints until I had a total of about 280" of binding strips. Then I ironed them in half.

First I attached the binding strips to the back of the quilt with a scant 1/4" seam.

Then I wrapped the binding around and sewed it to the front of the quilt.

Using two thick corsage pins to help make virtually-perfect mitered corners.

I use my machine's walking foot when sewing this final binding seam, since it is stitching through five layers in total.

Label:

Attaching the embroidered label to the bottom right corner of the quilt back.

Washing:

I machine washed the finished quilt (cold water, no bleach) using dye trapping sheets to catch any dye that may have bled from the emerald green backing fabric (I usually use either Color Catchers or Color Grabbers).