Halloween Projects Part 2

My tone on tone quilt backing arrived from the USA quite quickly but recent viruses with my children meant that I haven't been able to get back to piecing the back for the 2 Halloween Quilts until this week. The first is the backing for the 'Bats on Parade' quilt which features a huge panel of Halloween icons. I used some leftover solids to frame the panel before sashing it with the tone on tone black.

'Bats on Parade' Quilt back

Now the quilt back for my daughter's Halloween quilt proved to be more problematic. I realised that I could not put too much black into the design, as she is only 3 years old. So I had to make use of what ever yards and fat quarters I had.

I love using up the brightly coloured scraps from the front assembly and so I set to work making some strips about 4" tall and sewing them all together. I used the wide-back black to sash them. 

 There were a couple of other purple cat strips that were laying around and so I included them as well. So it kind of just kept growing on one half. But then I got stuck! I didn't have enough of the black cats with yellow moons to finish the other half. I did have some cute lighter purple fabric but I wasn't sure how to use it.

So I put out a "help me" call to my online Facebook quilting group, to garner their ideas. One friend suggested a more symmetrical approach and another strip. So I started stripping...not really a problem as I really like to created these...and added another.

Then quite unexpectedly a lovely mentor from our local MOPS group dropped by my house yesterday. She had done some quilting in the past and so I asked her for some opinions. Not only did she help me work through the problems...she stayed long enough to iron and sew the fabric I cut. And so with Simone and Sue's help, repectively, the quilt back was completed yesterday.

 "Jack-o-lanterns on Parade" quilt back

BTW- If you live in Australia, and would like to join a great online quilting group, look it up on Facebook under the group name 'Quilt Club Australia'. It's a friendly group of quilters from all around Australia. We are just about to start our first challenge - a mug rug - so join in soon.

I changed my mind  - August 27th

While I was piecing the 2nd quilt back for my daughter, I stumbled upon some yardage that was already pre-cut for a Halloween quilt. It got me to thinking about how I could tie the 1st and 2nd quilt backs together. The first incarnation, at the top of this post, looks more like a quilt front. And so I cut the yardage up, added a couple of strips and voila' NEW quilt back for 'Bats on Parade'!

New 'Bats on Parade' quilt back