Above, a rare sight of bats hanging out in the wild during the daytime, and below, seeking the shadow of a tree,
while here, the bats got spooked and are taking flight!
Ahh, reminds me of our visit to Noosa Heads, Australia a few years ago. Every night before sunset, the parrots would squawk like crazy while flocking to the trees, en masse, to settle into sleep. Then silence. And as the sky darkened, small, careening black shapes flew overhead as massive colonies of bats took flight in their search for food. We never tired of witnessing the brief moment of mass movement of birds every night - it's really quite the sight!
So, I have to say - I'm in love with this quilt!! Have you ever made a quilt that made your heart sing when laying out the blocks? Or feel such joy when the quilting brings it all to life? Well, that's this quilt for me, and it will be going onto my All Time Favorite list at the end of the year.
Suitable for the confident beginner quilter, Just Batty is composed of one block, and uses the same background fabric for each one. The fun part is creating a variety of bats from different blacks, and adding sparkle with several oranges - a great way to use fat quarters!
Because I want Just Batty to be one of your favorite quilts this Halloween season, the multi-sized pattern (wall, crib, lap, twin) is available at the QuiltFabrication Etsy shop. And with super easy block assembly, there's plenty of time to add bats to your Halloween decor!
Now, how about some close-ups? The background is a silver colored print, and the backing another grey full of swirls to go with the quilting.
The quilting uses a dark grey Glide thread called Anchor, and the redrawn, by me, EZ Loops pantograph.
I loved the loops and hook element in the original pantograph, but not the repetition - way too boring for this quilt!
So, with the help of the photocopier, I singled out one motif, mirrored it, rotated it, re-positioned it, and joined it to two identical motifs to create my own pantograph. I'm calling it Loops and Hooks.
Complicated, yes, but oh so worth it! These new all-over loops and hooks really accentuate the flying bats for a perfect pairing. BTW, did you know I offer longarm quilting services? I would be happy to quilt this pantograph on your Just Batty quilt - just shoot me an email: quiltfabrication (at) gmail (dot) com to discuss prices and shipping.
Happy Halloween!
My Favorite Patterns
Creating a new pantograph from an element of another was so successful. Totally different look!
ReplyDeleteSusan! You are just so creative! I have about 8 quilts to be quilted! BUT we are just too far apart! Your quilting is so beautiful and matches all the quilts you make! Love the Bat Quilt and especially the quilting design you made!
ReplyDeleteI definitely would have never guessed a bat!! So cute.
ReplyDeleteToo cute!!! That would be so fun for Halloween decorating!
ReplyDeleteThis quilt is adorable! What fun!
ReplyDeleteInstead of being dark and sinister, your Batty quilt look bright and happy!!!
ReplyDeleteI just love all things Halloween! so cute!
ReplyDeleteJust Batty is just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYour Just Batty quilt is so cute for Halloween, but it would also be fantastic for a Batman quilt for a little boy. Just choose a Batman novelty print for the backing and coordinate the quilt top colors to go with the backing fabric. Wish I'd seen this 15 years ago so I could have made it into a Batman quilt for my little boy (who is nearly 6' tall and is about to get his driver's license).
ReplyDeleteHi Susan! This is just the perfect seasonal quilt. I love, love, LOVE all the different fabrics you introduced in the quilt top. I also LOVE your quilting design and how you explained how you were able to change and make your own panto. Thank you for linking up today, too. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteFun quilt. I like your revised quilting plan. I like having a copier in the house for things like this. Ok, the copier is really a printer.
ReplyDelete