Good News, Bad News, Best News

Good News!  Yesterday I rented time on a long arm quilting machine and worked on my Skill Builder Sampler Quilt!  I had a lot of fun trying new things in each of the blocks.  None of them are perfect, but it is a Skill Builder, right?

 There were swirls.

 Squares.  I had a lot of fun doing this one but my husband thinks it is ugly, whatever...It is awesome!

 Pebbles and flowers.

 Stars.  Not my best design choice to fill in the negative space, but live and learn.  Husband thinks they look like witches' stars...They are just regular stars!  Men...

 Big swirl.

I borrowed a stencil to do something special in the middle of the feathered star.

 I even tried my hand at feathers.  Can you see them in the white?

 But my favorite block is this one.  I loved the block to begin with and I love the flowers and leaves around the edges.  I may be bad at feathers, but I can free motion quilt me flowers like no one else!  :)

Bad News...my backing wasn't long enough!  @#$%#  It stopped about six inches before the end of the quilt!   So I am cleaning the house, posting this and basically procrastinating so I won't have to deal with adding on an extra strip of backing, basting and quilting the bottom.  Ick.  I hate messing up!  I'm trying to tell myself that it won't be so bad, just take a deep breath and do it, right?  :)

Best News.  I have the best baby in the whole world.  No, don't bother to argue, it is true.  :)  I took her to the quilt shop with me and she played happily on the floor the whole time.  Some fussing when she had a messy diaper or was hungry or ready for a nap, but she was Amazing!  I brought an exersaucer for her to play in and a backpack carrier for her to ride in, but didn't have to use them at all.  She just played on the floor with her toys - thankfully she can't crawl yet!  I figured taking care of her added an extra hour onto the quilting process, but it was well worth the extra rental time to finally have the quilt done...well, almost done...
Wish me luck!

Updated:  I did it!  And it wasn't even that bad.  ;)  Off to bind!