Clear Blue Sky--Binding and Finishing

This is the final post of four discussing my creative process as I made the quilt Clear Blue Sky for a friend's baby.

With the quilting done, it was time for binding! I made my own binding strips from the dark blue fabric I used between blocks in the inner border.



Stitched it onto the front (figuring that side would be the cleanest edge).



And then hand finished it on the back.



The handwork went fairly quickly and I really enjoyed spending some hands-on time with the quilt before I shipped it out. I love handwork but worry that hand quilting would take so long that I would never get anything finished. Someday, I'll pick a project with no deadline and give it a try, but for now I just relish the small moments of hand stitching that come along.

In the interest of time, I simply wrote on my label information using a fabric marker.



And then, I took the finished quilt, held my breath, and tossed it in the wash.

Before. Perfectly flat.


After. Deliciously wrinkled.


The label faded a rather alarming amount in the wash, so I went over it again before I shipped it out. I'm hoping that it will hold up over time, but I'm not convinced. What have your experiences been with fabric markers?

With the quilt finished and washed, the only thing left to do was fold it up...



...wrap it up....

.

...and ship it off! No matter how many things I make, it never ceases to amaze me how one little sketch turns into a real, actual, finished THING. : )

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