Yay! I Finally Finished a Quilt! Can I Get a Parade, Please?

Drumroll, please...

Amish Baby 54-40 Or Fight, 50" x 50", with Minky Backing and Satin Blanket Binding

IT IS FINISHED!!!  Arm slings, thumb splints, frozen shoulder, surgery, and uncooperative satin blanket binding could not defeat me.  My Amish Baby 54-40 Or Fight quilt is finished, and I like it!  I even ended up loving the double row of zigzagging on the satin binding (a functional necessity since I did not manage to perfectly align the inner edge of the binding in a couple of places on the first pass).  I think it looks decorative, almost like another skinny border coming off the edge of the quilt.  Yeah, on second thought, I MEANT to do that.

Detail of Free-Motion Quilting and Double Zigzagged Satin Binding

Freshly washed upon completion to remove quilt markings, water soluble basting thread, starch etc., the quilt is everything I hoped it would be.  With 80/20 cotton/poly batting and Minky plush backing, it has a terrific weight, body and drape that are perfect for a comforting baby blanket to drag around, hide under, and love.  The cotton fabrics of the quilt top have a pleasing soft, bumpy texture from extensive quilting that shrunk up slightly in the wash.  The back of the quilt is unbelievably soft, furry Minky fleece.  And the satin binding is silky smooth, ready to rub a brand-new little nose with.

Snuggly, Cuddly, Baby Friendly Textures Ready for Gifting

This is why, even though I grumble and gripe about it every time, I keep coming back to the Minky and the satin binding when I make baby quilts.

So, to recap:  This is the first quilt I've made that I designed in my EQ7 software from start to finish, and I absolutely love it.  Here's the computer design I created back in late December of last year:

My EQ7 Design for Amish Baby 54-40 Or Fight

From conception to completion, this baby quilt took me four months to complete.  The intended recipient waited so long past his due date, it was almost like he was refusing to be born until his quilt was finished!  (He was expected near the end of March, but was finally born on April 19th).  It's not like I worked on the quilt nonstop on a daily basis, but still -- this is why, when my husband asks whether I'm going to make a baby quilt for some work colleague's wife whose wedding we went to several years ago, the answer is NO. 

I'm especially pleased with how I did the quilting on this one, pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and trying out some new things for the first time on a "real quilt."  And you know what?  I didn't ruin it!  I'll have to remember that the next time I'm afraid to "ruin" a quilt top by trying a new quilting design!

And now, back to my paper pieced pineapple log cabin blocks.  I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation, Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts, Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and TGIFF (Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday).