Cozy Afternoon BOM: The Christmas Critters are Finished!

My Cozy Christmas Quilt went for a photoshoot today at Clark County Museum.

Cozy Afternoon in the Wintertime Gazebo!
Finished Size 64" Square

The Sew-along and Bloghop for the Cozy Afternoon BOM was a highlight for 2015! (the link is to the Pinterest Board if you are interested in seeing different versions!)
Hosted by Jacquelynne Steves, my version is based upon the theme fabric from her line "Joy, Love, Peace, Noel". 

The little critters I embroidered were enlarged from the theme fabric, and now take center stage.

I used crayons to color them, heat-set the wax, then washed the fabric in hot water and pressed it again prior to stitching.
With some trial and error, the Crayola Crayon's used with a very heavy-hand worked the best.

Mr. Mouse was the first block!

Embroidery on quilts is new for me! After seeking Barbara's (Cat Patches) advice for quilting the blocks, I decided to closely outline the stitching and used a loopy fill much like the larger loops I used in the background areas.
The Free Motion Quilting is stitched with Aurifil 50wt threads, using my Juki TL-98E.

The backing is pieced from a long-stashed snowflake print, plus a bit of the StudioE bias check I love so much. I used Ingeo Fiber batting, a manmade fiber using "ingredients from the earth" (plants). It behaves much like polyester - kinda puffy and holds it shape well. For seasonal quilts, I like a batting that can handle storage without permanently creasing.

For the flanged binding, I followed the tutorial for Susie's Magic Binding at 52 Quilts, except I cut my strips a bit more narrow at 1 5/16" (navy), and 1.5"(accent red). Attached to the back at just over 1/4", it was a perfect wrap to the front to stitch in the ditch for a quick finish with a bit more accent!

Following the link, you can also find a video. The other tip I suggest for this type binding is to sew the strip lengths together prior to joining them into one long strip. The diagonal seams will all in the same place this way, making it easier to avoid landing their bulk in a corner.

This feels like the perfect finish to wrap up 2015! I have had a fun and productive year, and am very thankful to have met so many quilter's through blogging. Thank you for joining me in celebration!