I really appreciate whoever came up with "quilting and collecting fabric are two different hobbies." While I actually have a very usable stash for the type of quilting that I generally do, I have been collecting Halloween fabric for quite a few years. And every year October 1st rolls around and I wish I had a Halloween quilt. Then I very accurately realize there's just not a high likelihood that I could start and finish a Halloween quilt before Halloween.
You've heard of Christmas in July, right? Many crafters who make handmade gifts begin making those items in the summer. Last year, I decided that if Christmas in July was a thing, so was Halloween in April... and I marked my calendar for April 1st of this year to start my Halloween quilt. Surely, if I began a quilt in April could have it done by October.
April came and went and I finally started the quilt in May. I chose the Strip It Down pattern by Quilt Theory. It's a great pattern that could easily go together in a day, except of course that I work on many projects at once and I had to order my background fabric. I had a finished quilt top by the beginning of September, so I selected the backing fabric (which I didn't photograph, but you'll have to take my word is an awesome purple polka dot on black) and sent the quilt to Tami for longarm quilting. I chose a computerized spider web panto that I'd seen her use on another quilt, and a variegated orange thread. I'm thrilled with how her quilting jazzed up my quilt.
The large panels in each strip are a great place to feature fun prints and there are no seams to match up. The background panels are great for a solid fabric to feature an interesting quilting motif or a nice patterned fabric. I'm a firm believer in using a striped binding whenever reasonable and I'm happy I went with this black and white stripe. It made me a little dizzy to look at the yardage, but these skinny little strips are just perfect!
You can see my goal in this post. Linking up to OMG October Finish Link-Up and TGIFF at Anja Quilts. I've also linked up to the 2017 Q4 Finish Along link up. See my whole Q4 list here.
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
Oh my goodness I love this version of Strip It Down!! The quilting is definitely amazing and congratulations for getting it started early enough for enjoyment this Halloween. :)
sarah
Post authorThanks, Yvonne! It was so great for featuring my Halloween fabrics. I just had to narrow down which prints to use. ;-)
Anja @ Anja Quilts
It's awesome. The quilting is amazing. Well done for starting early.
sarah
Post authorThank you, Anja. I love the spiderwebs. :-)
lisa
Fantastic! Definitely this can stay out until your Thanksgiving at least.
sarah
Post authorIt just might! Thank you, Lisa.
Patty
The quilt looks wonderful and what a fun photo location. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.
sarah
Post authorMultitasking for the win! We took some photos and picked up a couple pumpkins for carving. :-) Thanks for hosting OMG!
Anita Jackson
What a Fun Quilt! The Spider Web Quilting is Fantastic!
sarah
Post authorThank you, Anita. Tami shared a bunch of options with me and the choice was clear. :-)
tisha @ quiltytherapy
That spider web quilting is what I really wanted on my Halloween quilt. Maybe the next one. Ha! Nice work on getting it done and blogged before Halloween.
sarah
Post authorThank you, Tisha. I'm really happy with my choice. Any specific plans for your next Halloween quilt? (besides the spiderweb quilting) ;-)
Patty Morris
Wow, I love this quilt! The fabrics are wonderful and showcase well with this design. I have much more Halloween in my stash and now have a great quilt pattern to scoop up and get to work. Thank you for the inspiration.
sarah
Post authorThank you, Patty! I was happy to find a quick pattern that really featured the cute prints. I hope you'll share yours with me when it's done. :-)
Cheryl Brickey
This version of Strip it Down is awesome! I love the Halloween prints and the spiderweb quilting.
sarah
Post authorThank you, Cheryl.
Abigail @ cut&alter
What a great quilt Sarah - Halloween in April did make laugh! The quilting is fantastic. Thank you for taking part in the FAL - from the FAL hosts.
sarah
Post authorThank you! Halloween in April is the only reason it got done. Many projects move very slowly around here. ;-) Thanks for hosting!