Scrappy Stash QAL - FINISHED!

Finished!!!  The quilt that didn't want to be finished...is FINISHED!  (and just under the wire to share over at Ellison Lane Quilts!)

So love this quilt, even though it really wanted to be the death of me!  (or my machine!).  I finished the top on November 4th.  And because I tend to procrastinate and am easily distracted...it sat there for a bit (well, I did go out of town for a few days too...) until this weekend when I told myself I HAD to get it finished!  So then began the journey of attempting to quilt this puppy (after I got enough backing fabric...but that story is so minor compared to the quilting journey!).  So I picked up some lovely variegated thread (Guterman) to quilt this one with...the backing is black, so I wanted a color that would "fade" in a bit on the front, but really pop on the back...and I thought I found it.  Well, if you've seen this post...it didn't work out...at all.  I was attempting a free motion swirly/loopy/thingy pattern...and my top thread was breaking every few minutes...so as I went, I tweaked here or there, convinced I had done something to cause the breakage...yeah...nothing was working.  So I pulled out my machine booklet and did a bit of troubleshooting...tweaked the tension, rethreaded, cleaned, rethreaded...everything.  Still kept breaking.  Last shot...figured it had to be the thread.  So I picked out (well Girl did a bunch too) all that I had managed to get done, ran to the store on Sunday, grabbed some go-to Mettler Metrosene in a nice blue shade...and back to work.  Did fine at first...and then guess what...top thread snapping all over the place!  So pulled out the manual again...and read a line I hadn't noticed before...change the needle...and I did...and it worked!  (Let's just say there was quite a bit of colorful language shared at this moment...and I'll keep it off of here to be safe!).  And it was off to the races.  So I finally got the quilting done on Tuesday (pic of back):

(the little rat's nesty spot is intentional...and a different part of the story entirely...just consider it "creative license") Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to work on the binding the same day...so I figured I'd finish on Wednesday (still plenty of time before the deadline!)...yeah...didn't get home until after 8 pm (and no way I could do binding and still get up on time this morning!)...so I figured...I can leave work early on Thursday (cause I worked late on Wednesday), and I'll have plenty of time to get the binding done...yeah...didn't get home til 4:30 (deadline to enter in the QAL finish was 6 pm)...and so...the race was on and here comes pride in the back stretch...(pic by Girl):

(at the time she took the pic, she told me I was looking "kinda intense").

And at 5:48 pm...DONE!  Binding complete!!!!  So then we had the mad rush to take pics, upload, post a quick post (to be edited after to add this story) so that I could link up in time!  (and I didn't even mention the fact that one contact lens was begging to be taken out...my left eye was twitching and itching like crazy...and apparently I've rubbed it all day so now it looks swollen...oh wait...just did mention it!).

Had a BLAST with this QAL...loved every minute of it...until it was time to quilt...and well...at least I know how fast I can actually cut and sew binding strips together, press them, and get them on a quilt when I'm really pushed for time!