50+ Shades with Gray Scrap Attack

May has been my month to tackle several UFOs and WIPs that have been lurking about in the studio, most of which were started earlier this year or last year and simply waiting in the queue for quilting.

The blocks below were my first set of leaders and enders, featuring 2.5" charms in a yellow, green, teal and blue gradient set on a gray backdrop.  I loved the blocks and process so much, that I quickly followed with a second set of blocks featuring all warm tones (yellow, orange, red and violet) for my Black & White Scrap Attack.

First Sets of Postage Stamps Made with Leaders & Enders

I managed to layer/baste and even complete all the stitching in the ditch, but then I got "side tracked" with other quilting deadlines and had to put the rest of the quilting on the back burner.  Fast forward to May, my Bernina was MIA for 3 full weeks to undergo some much needed repairs.  I got it back earlier this week and I was ready to "feel the Bern" quilting style!  This small scrap quilt would be the perfect sized project to get reacquainted with my "Bernie" and enjoy some much needed quilting bliss.    

I began by quilting the light gray frames using Leah Day's Railroad Tracks motif, which is a really fun motif to quilt.  In fact, I had so much fun quilting with this motif, that I found a way to weave it in and out of the dark grey squares within the Postage stamp blocks!  The colorful printed squares were left unquilted, which when surrounded by the dense quilting, yielded some great loft!     

This Quilt Was "Just the Ticket" Bernie & I Needed to "Let Off Some Steam"

With my "one track mind" I managed to complete all the quilting in an afternoon!  Just as I was nearing the "end of the line" did I realize that one of my postage stamp blocks was not quite like the others.  Somehow I had rotated it 90 degrees so it did not line up like the others---see if you can find it in the picture below!

A gray, teal and green striped binding was added by machine for a fast track finish!  It's the "end of the line" for this quilt and quite possibly my May finishing streak.  I have a few quilting deadlines coming up in June...which will require me to "stay on track" and not get "derailed."

"50+ Shades with Gray", finishes 40" x 40"