Strip pieced quilt

 Do you watch quilting videos on youtube?  I feel like there is so much out there to learn.  Every once in a while, I like to try new techniques and the videos by Jenny at The Missouri Quilt Company are short, sweet, and entertaining. Last fall, I watched this one:

And I made this quilt:

This quilt was made for my wonderful sister-in-law, Janet.  It matches the pillows I made her last year.  I really love the color combination of white, black, and red.  It makes me feel so happy!  I used a new method (new to me!)of making the squares (from you tube).  It went quickly and then stayed on my wall for months.  I got it pieced together around Thanksgiving but had a small problem: it is really big (to me!)  and I needed to quilt it in my regular sewing machine.

So I pondered that for awhile.

I finished another quilt (my Scrappy Stash rainbow quilt) in two sections and then connected the two halves.  It worked well except I can feel a lump there in the middle and I don't like that.  

So I pondered that for awhile.

I decided to try it anyway.  So I pieced the two halves together.  I put the borders on with the inserted strips so there wouldn't be a seam in the middle of the white borders.  Then I pieced the back (you knew that I have to make that complicated, right?)

Then Christmas came. 

 I knew we would go see the inlaws after Christmas so I had to get this done.

I basted it, quilted it, and bound it the day after Christmas. I quilted it in two halves but I trimmed away a bit of the batting before I connected them so no lumps!

 Tada! 

 I love how it turned out.  

If I make this again, I would spray starch on the pieces before I cut the strips because there was some unruly stretching going on!

I quilted an all over paisley pattern in black thread.  I used six bobbins!

Quilt back

I wrote on one of the white strips for the label.