Just Ladders

May is the month of quilts.  I have "promised" 4 and of those 3 will be complete enough to gift in time for the occasion they are celebrating. I'm covering the gambit;  big birthday, graduation, a baby and a wedding. They all occur in three consecutive weeks in May.I am entering this quilt over at Amy's Creative side Blogger's Quilt festival. You can see it and all the other lovely quilts here.

The birthday and graduation have already been given. The baby is next and I went with a theme based  on the announcement. Boy/firetruck/reds/lighter blues and a wonderful dark blue-gray and crazily enough a last name that rhymes with chutes, from a classic board game "Chutes & Ladders.  Some of you have had sneak peeks  of the photos below on Instagram. (@SpontaneousThreads).

Just the top

I LOVE how flat and perfect the top looks as it's being basted

Red for the binding seemed to be the crowd favorite, thank you everyone who answered when I asked!

Still missing it's binding

Now complete!

"Hsu's and Ladders"
For Eli and Gwang-Yi Hsu (pronounced Shoo)

54 x 43"
designed, pieced and quilted by me

Material: (front) Kona solids in chinese red, sea foam, snow, slate, lake and evening (all 100% cotton)
               (back) Kona solids and flannel (pre washed)
Batting: 100% cotton warm and natural
Threads: Aurifil 100% cotton, Mako 50 weight in #2021 (off white),   (medium gray) and #2250 (red);
               Gutterman 224 and Star cotton V301.

Quilting- combination of mostly straight line, swiggle (modified Bernina stitch) and free-motion quilting.

Quilt firsts:
Flannel on the back (pre washed)…..

I kept the pieced back philosophy again, mainly because I can't help myself.
I also have a thing for very linear backs. Stripes, blocks and straight forward piecing. 

…..and a start to finish design that I actually sketched and colored prior to cutting even my first piece of fabric.

The baby announcement had this firetruck. (The ladder caught my eye). and I also incorporated the "hose" design in
the FMQ I used inside the space between each ladder rung).

pulling the fabrics based on the announcement colors

 I  did some "math" working with the proportions and ladder placement. (Don't check the math too closely though). I know what the scratches and scribbles mean even if no one else does!

Yes, it's graph paper, but I'm not utilizing its full potential.

And because, and just because, I altered the design at the end to make it a bit more interesting (Notice there isn't a partial white pieced border in this sketch). I tried to keep track of fabric amounts, but I always end up digging into my stash and stopped keeping track after a little bit. (OK almost right away, but I did think about it).

In lieu of a label I stitched my makers mark and the year into the quilt top. And I must give full credit  to my lovely daughter, who noted the perfectness of the rhyme before anyone else and came up with a fabulous name for this lovely quilt.
                                                                 Chutes and Ladders
                                                                 Hsu's and Ladders !