Seaglass Finish... and a Giveaway!

It's always a good feeling to pull out a UFO and finish it up!  Back in September, I stitched up a quilt top from a pattern called "Life is a Highway" by Cynthia Brunz of Quilting is More Fun than Housework. Cynthia had suggested that her pattern would work really well for a set of Bali Pops that I won last spring in a giveaway from Fresh Lemons Quilts, and she was so right!  Life is a Highway is the perfect pattern for a jelly roll, or anything similar like the Bali Pops strips I had.

This collection of Bali batiks is named Seaglass, and I think it is a lovely name for these beautiful colors.

For the contrasting squares, I used Kona Navy, and I used the same navy for the binding.  I think it frames the pastel Bali Pops beautifully!

I had a hard time deciding how to quilt this because I love the clean lines of it and didn't want anything to take away from them.  In the end, I went with a super simple "stretched out" zig zag that is the closest stitch I can come to the scallop-type quilting I've seen many other quilters using.  I just can't find that scallop stitch on my little Janome.  

It's very minimal quilting, and leaves the quilt with a soft and puffy kind of feel.  I have been very tempted to just wrap up in it and read the day away seeing as how we have had so much snow here recently!

The soft and sweet colors of the quilt top inspired me to choose a whimsical backing for it, so I found these birds - and they make me smile every time I see them!

While I would really like to keep this quilt for myself, I think it has someone else's name on it and is destined to become a gift for a special friend.  I hope she loves it as much as I do!

To find Cynthia's Life is a Highway pattern, you can go to her blog, Quilting is More Fun than Housework, and look for the Patterns for Sale tab or click here.  She has also generously offered a free copy of her pattern for me to give away to one lucky reader!  All you need to do is leave a comment on this post before next Wednesday, February 10th, and I will choose a commenter to receive the pattern.

I don't often have a perfectly timed Friday finish, but since I do this week, I'll be linking up to the Finish It Up Friday party at Crazy Mom Quilts!