Friday Finish - 03/17/17 (A Little Early)

First I know it is not Friday just yet, but I am so very happy to have this all finished and gifted that I just couldn't wait until Friday. Plus I've been teasing it for so long, I know several of you have been waiting to see the final results. It was a little late for Christmas, but I got it too her before her birthday...Mecca's Courtyard Tiles quilt....tada!!!!

So before I start the big picture fest, let me tell you a little about this quilt. The pattern is Courtyard Tiles by My Quilt Infatuation. I bought the pattern last May during May is for Makers and when my sister-in-law saw it she asked if I would make it for her. I said yes. And then we had to choose fabric, and I had to modify the pattern because she wanted a king sized quilt. I started working on it in July or August, hoping to have it finished by Christmas, but only had the top done then. So she received a photo of the top at Christmas. But now it is quilted and matching shams are done.

This puppy is big, it was 108 x 108 before washing and I forgot to measure it when I took it out of the dryer. The fabric line is Bread 'n Butter by American Jane for Moda and the colors are just so pretty. I did do some calculations on this baby, the top has 1296 pieces in it and matching shams have 270, with the backing and binding it comes to 1580 pieces. Lots and lots of pieces, but each one sewn with love. I couldn't get a great picture of it all spread out, so here are some of my favorites in smaller sections.

I made matching shams, but I don't really like them. I was smart enough to make them, quilt them and wash them before piecing them. But I wasn't smart enough to realize the pattern wouldn't match the way I did it. Mecca doesn't mind, but it is one of those things I see. I am working hard on giving myself a break on things like this, so as long as Mecca is happy, I'm happy.

It is hard to see the quilting but it is just an all over meander in a white thread. Sharla and I took it out Sunday to photograph and deliver, but when we got to Mecca and Tom's house no one was home. So we decided to tease them a little and took a picture of it on a little bridge Tom built in the front yard.

This is by far the largest quilt I've ever done and it stretched my machine and me to the max, but it was so worth it. The pattern is really well written and I will make another one of these in the future for sure, just maybe not king sized. It is far from perfect, but it is just so pretty that I can ignore the flaws.

I used a red polka dot for the back and red diamond grid fabric for the binding, both of which look really great. I even remembered to label it.

We found this great gazebo just down the road from us. It is outside of a small church and was a perfect spot to photograph the quilt.  I'm sure we will use it again in the future. Someday I would love to have a gazebo like this one. Going through the photos I realized I didn't get a picture of the whole gazebo, but here is one of the bottom part.

I'm so happy this one is done, and I'm so happy that Mecca loves it. Now it is time for me to get working on more projects. My list is slowing getting done. This is the second quilt on my 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1 list, and I hope to get at least one more done before the quarter is done. I'm making lots of progress on tops, but not as much as finished quilts, but I happy with where I stand.

I will be linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.