The Bug Hut is FINISHED!!

It's been almost a year and a half since I showed this quilt top from a round robin group -- pieced, embellished and ready to quilt!  You can see my original post HERE.

Over the weekend, I finished the binding and added a casing -- now to figure out where to hang it!

While it does look great out in the middle of the yard, it will need to come inside!
And happily, it's finished just in time to enter into the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side -- entering it into the Small Quilts Category!!

I've been hand quilting it with big stitch in pearl cotton all summer.  Just having fun and being spontaneous on how to quilt each section.  I started in the center with the "hut" and did more embroidery than big stitch. 

Experimenting with ideas, not worrying about what it looks like on the back. 

Then I moved through the six mini-huts surrounding the center.  It's easier to see the outlining I did from the back.

These big "polka dots" seemed perfect for the sashing frame around the center hut.

I got a little carried away with this big bug and jazzed up his wings with embroidery.

My favorite blocks in this quilt are the bees -- the quilting I added defined the wings and made the strips stand out more.

The quilting I added to the fans make them look more like sunbursts -- bugs love sunshine!!

Have you noticed you rarely see pollinators on cloudy days?

Inspired by the spiders who live by my backdoor every summer, I captured the four bugs in the corners of the outer borders in webs.

I also used webs to fill the blank area in the upper and lower borders. 

This is the label that traveled around with the quilt as it was being constructed -- nice to have it incorporated right into the backing!

I love that I was able to finish this quilt.  It will be a "summer" quilt in one of the groups that I rotate on the walls in my home. 

There is so much about this quilt that makes me smile, I know I'll always enjoy looking at it!

And it makes the third finish for the third quarter from my 2016 Finish Along goals!!

You can explore the growing group of third quarter finishes HERE and explore the tutorials!

Yea!!

The Bug Hut

42" by 48"

My Round Robin quilt from a group organized by Bea at http://www.beaquilter.com/

Mary

Be sure to click through to the Blogger's Quilt Festival next week to drool over lots of great quilts and vote for your favorites!!