"Seasons" quilt

I figured I'd better do a short entry, even though I only have a couple of minutes, because as Jennie pointed out at lunch today, it's been two weeks! Time sure flies when you have a Christmas deadline looming and multiple gifts to make, doesn't it?

This is another quilt I just found photos of that I made last summer as a commission for a birthday present. The client told me the colors of the room and showed me an arm protector from the couch that he snuck out of the house, so I based my fabrics on that. I also know the client quite well, so I thought they would fit what I know about him and his wife (the birthday girl). I'm quite pleased with how it came out, as was the birthday girl. She is a sewer too, so she appreciates the work that went into it.
I find that most of my quilts end up square, so to make it longer I decided on a checkerboard border on just the top and bottom. Do any of you quilters out there run into this problem as often as I do?


For the quilting I used a red variegated thread in the stars and cream in the solid blocks. I found a stencil that I traced on golden threads paper. I wish I had discovered my water soluble interfacing quilting pattern system back then! The stencil was a double pattern, I did both patterns in the solid white blocks and just the inside motif on the star blocks. I used a different stencil on the checkerboard portion that reminded my of a flower. And on the outer border, I just outlined the flowers in the fabric to make them poof out a bit.

I used a left over star block (again my disliking math issue rears it's ugly head, I don't know why I just can't count blocks!) in the middle of the back with the left over gold, red and cream materials. I think it turned out nicely.
I know some people insist on all one material on the backs of their quilts, but I prefer piecing them. I think it makes the back just as interesting as the front, and it's a good way to work in those extra blocks that you accidentally make!