#nordikquilt - quilting the background and finishing the quilt

This quilt started as an idea of a Winter Quilt and a celebration of all things Scandinavian.

I made a few blocks

And a comprehensive Pinterest board and then asked my amazing bee mates in the Bee a Brit Stingy bee to make blocks for me!

I certainly threw them a bit, as up till now we had been setting blocks and colour schemes as you do!

Catherine's, Di's, Lucy's and Charlotte's blocks

Collette's blocks

Janet's, Helen's, Karen's and Sheila's blocks

Emily's blocks

This was something new and I'm delighted with what they came up with - way beyond my wildest dreams.

So then I had all these brilliant blocks and no real idea of how to put them together but I made a start 

and then had to change it quite a bit

And add more blocks..... but finally I had a quilt top

My next challenge was how do I quilt it?

It became clear that there should be hand quilting - so I used cotton perle to outline the blocks!  All 108 of them! 

But then there was all those empty spaces - and a need to quilt every 4" as the wool wadding required.  I thought snowflakes but had no real idea beyond that!

I'm glad to say that I do now!

I am quilting all sorts of motifs that are already in the quilt as I think if in doubt repeat - so there are Dala horses, stars, snowflakes, birds and there will be so much more.

I might just finish in time for Winter 2016!

Update:  I have totally finished this quilt now - labelled and bound with a delicious red/white diagonally striped binding and here is the proof!

Want a closer view?  

And one last look at the whole thing

I am linking this quilt to the Finish-A-Long 2016 quarter one

This quilt is on my FAL2016 list here