January 2016 Hive 9 Completed Quilt

In early December of last year, in preparation for being a Hive Mama for the Stash Bee in 2016, I knew I would need to post a tutorial for a block request on January 1st. I designed a quilt block and had gifting a quilt to my niece in mind. When I found out that my niece was going to become a big sister, I knew that the quilt would be a perfect baby quilt instead. So while I didn't know how I would use these blocks at first, thanks so much to my hive members for contributing to this quilt!

It turns out my niece will be getting a baby sister, and due to being a vigorous little lass trying to kick her way out (rather literally, unfortunately), we are expecting her a bit early via a scheduled birth on November 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving. Thankfully you all gave me a great head start, and I have her quilt done in plenty of time!

I backed and bound the quilt using a wide quilt backing: Artisan Spirit Shimmer in Fuchsia from BackSide Fabrics.

 

I quilted and stitched the binding down on the Plus Banner Quilt with 50wt Aurifil #5003 (Wine). I used a medium all over stipple, and I love how the quilt crinkled up in the wash. The 5003 blended in beautifully with the Artisan Shimmer fabric and after a wash is hard to see as a detail of color even against the bright white in the top.

Quilt Statistics

• Finished Flimsy: 56.5-inches square
• After Quilting and Binding: 55.25-inches square (2% shrinkage)
• After First Wash: 51-inches square (9% shrinkage)

I used Quilter's Dream Orient batting, and I get asked frequently if the amount of shrinkage is due to the fact I do not pre-wash my fabric (although, with bee blocks, I can't say how all the fabric in this quilt top was treated). I think that 9% shrinkage is pretty typical for most of my quilts. I use either Quilter's Dream Orient or Dream Green, and the density of my quilting does not seem to affect it. I even do occasionally pre-wash my fabric. I feel like the shrinkage has much more to do with my batting. Note I don't have 100% scientific backing on that, it's just my sense of why I consistently see 8-9% shrinkage in my quilts. I will say that they also do flatten and stretch back out a bit after use. The crinkle and cuddle factor after a first wash is really fun, though!