Obstacles

I should have gotten so much done on the Labor Day weekend. After running errands all Saturday I got home and discovered my boiler was out...no hot water or heat. I didn't really need the heat but no hot water for three days was not fun. My plumber was out of town fishing in Homer. We've had non-stop rain for 40 days and 40 nights...at least it feels that way. Great quilting weather. I loaded a small quilt on my frame and got started. Half way through the top I started having trouble with loops on the back...ARGH!

From my experience this is usually the result of an oddity in threading process...but after a day and a half of tinkering I can't find the culprit. Meanwhile I will rip out the offending areas and try again.

All of the backing fabrics I ordered came in on Tuesday. I'm thrilled with all of them. First, a Tonga batik, Beluga Blue from Fabric.com, to go with my Blue Reveille quilt.

Then a backing from Sew Batik, a company out of North Dakota. I have seen their booth every time 

I've visit a national quilt show. Their batik backing has a looser weave than a traditional batik. I have used their backings before and been happy with them. This is a lovely dust rose color called Hyde Park.

And finally, I am trying one of the new Hoffman 1895 backings, New Grape. I got mine from one of my favorite internet shops, Batiks Plus. They always have goodies to add to my order. A free batik fat quarter, a free quilt pattern and an 18-page printed photo sample of all the 1895 Hoffman batiks. Wow! Love getting such fun surprises with my order.

I just finished washing all of the backings and wanted to show the color-catchers that came out with them. I washed the purple twice...lots of bleeding!

Here's the front side the quilt that started out great...hopefully I will get this threading/tension issue resolved soon. Thank goodness it is just a little throw quilt.