Posh Penelope Finish

No doubt, Posh Penelope will be my last finish for 2025.

Making this one was a long slog. It's a quilt that 'bout did me in because I quickly learned that the eleventy-billion steps needed to make one block involved more focused attention than I was willing to give. It was definitely not suitable for working on while on a quilt retreat. 

Setting a goal of making eight blocks a month was the only way to make myself reach the finish line. 

I recommend this Posh Penelope Sew Kind of Wonderful pattern only to makers who are strongly self-motivated and committed to a finish.

Posh Penelope, 69" X 81½"

It's certainly pretty. I captured this picture when the quilt top was on the ironing table, and daylight was shining through it. Misaligned seams don't even show!

My go-to method of basting is still with 1" safety pins. Though I occasionally use homemade basting spray (recipe on this blog's home page), I don't like having to put old sheets on the floor around the basting table, to protect the floor from overspray. 

My go-to batting remains Quilter's Dream 100% Cotton Request (lowest loft). 

I find it's the least weighty batting for me handle when a large quilt needs to be shoved around under my sewing machine needle. 

Wanting to get the quilting done, I walking foot quilted the whole thing. Down and dirty! The top thread is pale green Wonderfil Konfetti (50-weight), and Wonderfil DecoBob is on the bottom. On my Bernina 770QE I adjusted the tension to 4.0. 

All of the walking foot quilting is on the diagonal. None of the walking foot quilting is near a seam. 

I was desperate to find a piece of fabric for binding that had the right colors and was large enough to cut 230 linear inches at 2¼" wide. (Except for solids, my print stash is getting that low.) I used-up nearly all of this black and white, with aqua, pink and green stripe. My binding method is No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine, that's a tutorial here on my blog. 

Backing fabric is a wide back, intentionally purchased for Posh Penelope in July from KC Maker Studio (Kansas City). It's a fabulous quilt shop to visit, if you're ever in Kansas City. In fact, they've expanded since I was there!

I like sitting down with a quilt for a couple of evenings, hand stitching binding.

I can't tell you what a relief it is to have this quilt done and dusted.

 

Special thanks to my DH quilt holder.  😀

Linda