Party Time for Plus Playtime Quilt

When Sandra at mmm Quilts spoke about her Plus Playtime QAL, I wasn’t going to join in.  I saw it in the ezine #7 and thought it is beautiful, but we had enough projects to last us our lifetimes as it was.  Then I thought, wait it’s not a mystery.  We know what the end result will look like so I can raise our hands as I am apt to do (and Sue will be quick to point out).  I printed out the instructions, brought it home and said we are making this quilt in a baby size.  The deadline is July 5th – plenty of time!

Plus Quilt First

We both had a vision for this quilt right from the start.  Riley Blake #ashtag fabrics would be perfect for this.  We had them in a wide array of colors already.  There was really nothing to think about other than which colors should be the primary and secondary background pluses.  I ordered extra yardage of the navy and light yellow.  Perfect!

Plus Playtime QAL ready

Sue went to work cutting and labeling.  Good thing we had all that practice from Postcard, right?!

Finding a Plus Perfect Layout

Up next was to find just the perfect layout for these lovely hashtags.  Hmm, should the pink go next to the navy or near the yellow?  We moved plus signs around a bit and then sewed up row one.

Plus Playtime Row 1

As you can see, we had to layout all the rows to determine our perfect combination.  The navy shows up as black but you can kind of see the hashtags.  We could forge ahead and sew row two easily for the next step.

Plus Playtime row 2

Where Next – Row Three

Of course, row three follows row two!  We knew the layout and truthfully I sewed them all at one time because . . . well, why not?!  We had this lovely quilt top but maybe we want to step outside the Plus Playtime instructions and add a border.  Gasp!  Is that allowed?!  I am sure we have Sandra’s approval to make this minor, creative change.

Plus Playtime layered

How a Plus is Quilted

Once the flimsy is all together comes the next step of layering followed by quilting.  Ugg.  I had the idea to try the Baptist fan pattern.  Would that work on this piece?  I could picture it in my head but how about in practice.  First though is the backing.  Isn’t this just the most PERFECT backing?  This is actually a black, not navy, hashtag-similar fabric that we had two yards of.  Just sitting there, waiting to be used, wishing for a call to action.  You’re up buddy!

Plus backing

Here is my attempt at the Baptist fans on paper before going to the sewing machine.  I have a nifty curved ruler that would be perfect for the fan shape.  Can I and should I do it though??

Plus quilting

Nope.  I found some suggestions on Sandra’s website, and I took one of them in straight line stitching.  The two main pluses have stitching in different directions to make them stand out more.  What color thread should I use . . . there are dark colors on the front and back but I don’t want it to show on the light colors.  Yes, use your usual pale yellow thread.  Definitely.  Okay, the plan in my head came together into this closeup of the navy plus stitching.  Phew!  My absolutely favorite plus is this off-white fabric pictured below – I just LOVE that color, or non-color actually.

Plus quilting

Plus Ta-Da

Without further ado, here is our finished quilt!  Thank you Sandra for hosting this fun quilt along.  I thought it wouldn’t matter which way you looked at it, but it does look different depending on how you look at it.  I guess that rather imitates life, huh?!  It actually look like navy blue finally!

And here is a shot of the backing, which doesn’t look at that black in this photo:

Plus 8

Linky Partay

Don’t forget to check out all the different versions of this fabulous quilt in the Plus Playtime parade.  We already have plans for our second version of this quilt in very masculine colors of gray and taupe.  A friend of ours just purchased his first home and he is a mathematics major so this pattern will be perfect for him.

 

Our other Linky Parties can be found by clicking the link or along the sidebar on our website for more quilting fun – check out what our friends are up to.  Like/follow us on our Facebook page and you can share your photos of what you’re working on.  We would love to see them!

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16 Responses

  1. I think it turned out magnificent! I really like the fabric you chose for the back too. It’s right up my alley. Great choice for quilting. The quilt design is special just the way it is. No need for fancy quilting. 😊♥️

  2. Rochelle says:

    Beautiful finish and the border makes it just a bit larger! Great job.

  3. Super happy to see this beautiful quilt all quilted up and bound! I LOVE that you added a border; it makes the secondary plus shadow that much more subtle I think! Thank you for participating, for sharing your process of making it and for linking up! Wonder what prize you’ll win? I think everyone will end up with one! 🙂 AND they get a quilt too!

  4. It’s wonderful!!! What a great finish.

  5. dezertsuz says:

    Pretty amazing! Either way you hang it will look great – or any way you throw it on the back of the sofa. Is this for that cute little one who visits all the time? (But not often enough, I’m sure!)

  6. Kate says:

    Very fun! Love your color choices. I enjoyed seeing your thought process as the project developed. Congrats on a beautiful finish.

  7. Barbara Esposito, @The Quilted B says:

    Love your fabric choices and the straight line quilting. Just one thing…I am having trouble seeing the “two main pluses”. Maybe I need my glasses! Great finish.

  8. Vicki in MN says:

    It’s such a fun quilt, I don’t know which color I like the best, the hashtags make them all fabulous!

  9. Your plus quilt is beautiful, Roseanne and Sue! I really like the fabric you chose in the close-up photo, but in the finished quilt photos it is really wonderful! Very mellow colors. I like the border, too! Nice finish!

  10. Tu-Na Quilts says:

    Your plus quilt turned out fantastic from the perfect hashtag fabric to the quilting. Job well-done!!!

  11. Kathryn says:

    Oh it is just gorgeous. What a fabulous quilt and I love how it looks different two ways, I thought you had two quilts there until I read the text! Awesome work.

  12. cheriec12 says:

    That quilt turned out fantastic. Happy Weekend!

  13. Brenda Ackerman says:

    Hello Roseanne and Sue; Great job on the Plus Quilt! Incredible fabric choices for this quilt. I also want to say that I believe going with the straight line quilting was a wonderful choice for this. Why,, I just like it….a lot! LOL. I always enjoy seeing the quilt creations the two of you make. Thank you for sharing and have a fantastic day!

  14. Love your Plus Playtime! Good job on the finish!

  15. cozyquiltslb says:

    Great finish. Each finished Plus Playtime QAL quilt I see looks so different, yet the same. Amazing what a difference fabric choices makes.

  16. Shannon Fleming says:

    Your playful fabric looks fabulous in this pattern! Love your quilting too. Great job!

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