Happy Mardi Gras Quilt!!

 I finished binding my Mardi Gras Quilt just an hour ago, just in time for Mardi Gras day.  I'm really missing Mardi Gras this year, but at least I now have a fun quilt to hang up on our walls to celebrate in our own way.  I'm also linking up with "Quilt Story"'s Fabric (fat) Tuesday today.  Be sure to check them out!

I decided when I was quilting this that I wanted to try out using tracing paper to transfer a Fleur de lis design to each center square.  I found a design on the internet, sized it appropriately with our printer, which is also a copy machine, so I could enlarge the image.  I then traced it onto paper, pined it on, and sewed along the lines free motion style.  I absolutely LOVE the result!!  I did more free-motion quilting along the other batik prints as well, then did the binding, along with a sleeve on back to hang it with.

I find that as I get better and better at free motion quilting, I have gone from just trying to get a quilt done as fast as possible to not knowing when to stop!  I wanted to do some quilting in the black and white parts, but after doing the Fleur de lis, decided to stop there to keep that in focus.  I can always go back and quilt some more, but I doubt I will.  If anything, I'm tempted to sew on some "bling" in the way of bead crystals, or even rhinestones. Hmmm.

I set up my machine on the kitchen island / counter to do my free-motion quilting, and my family is so incredibly nice about letting me keep it there, but even I'm getting tired of it being there, so I need to make the next few quilts I'm going to do easy and fast.  It's funny how this small wall quilt took more time to make than the queen sized quilt on our bed!  I don't know why I thought a smaller project would take less time LOL!  But I'm so glad it's done, and hope you all have a happy Mardi Gras!  Laissez le bon temps roulez!