Gears for My Gearhead - A Finish!

Yay!  I did meet my July goal for ALYOF, aka A Lovely Year of Finishes over at Sew BitterSweet Designs, so I am linking up with her!  For this linky, you link up during the first 7 days of the month to Melissa's monthly post, and then again during the last 7 days of the month with your finished project to a Finishes post.  My July project was completing this wallhanging, the pattern for which I purchased at the Sarasota Quilt Guid show in spring 2013.

Pegged onto his toolbox

My husband has a "wall of fame" behind his toolboxes where he has photos of his gearhead gramps, who was the mechanic for the motorcycles of the Windsor Police department.  This will go there.  I have a cool idea using actual gears and welding wire for hanging it.

Couldn't believe my find of this gears fabric, Free Spirit's "Be A Man", on sale in Rainbow's End Quilt Shoppe in Dunedin, FL.  I bought 2 yards, so I have nearly all of it left!  At the time I knew I would make something else for him with it as well.

Outdoor shot of the quilt, but geez Louise, I realize what good lighting he has in his garage when I see how little difference there is between the first and this shot!

I did a similar echo and spokes free-motion design for the gears as they did on the pattern, although I also outlined all the holes and knobby-things.  I decided to do Leah Day's "Circuit Board" in the background and I love how it turned out.

Here's another shot.  I used Floriani olive green rayon thread for the filler quilting and on some of the gears, as well as teal on other gears.  You can see on the shot above that I also outlined one of the gears that is drawn on the photo transfer.  I used a blanket stitch to apply both the wheat fabric and the photo transfer onto the background block.

Newsflash:  (and don't tell Avril, my Avanté, lol) but I do sooo love free-motion quilting, my Machingers on, on my Bernina.  It just feels so right.  Hopefully after 20 years on Avril, I'll feel as comfortable and at ease, as confident and at home...you get the picture.

(Update) Newsflash #2:  I was sewing just now, and it hit me, as I put away the fabrics for this little quilt, that I used several scraps!  The wheat fabric is from my brother's quilt, and except for the brown and 2 of the 3 gears, the fabrics are from previous projects.  I'm putting my scraps to work and I don't even know it!

I decided to do a facing instead of a binding.  Melanie shows a nifty way to mitre the corners on her Moda Bakeshop tutorial here.

Although the instructions were frustrating, I am very happy with the end result.  I think my gearhead husband quite likes it too.

Quilt Details:
Fabric:  100% cotton and a photo transfer
Size:  17 X 12 3/4"
Pattern: purchased
Machine appliquéd and quilted on my Bernina

Bella LOVES her present we brought home the other day.  I've had to move it to the basement as she woke us up a couple of several times over the past two nights, playing and scratching and diving and romping and catching furry mousies in it...  As Jude pointed out, we love the irony of the cat in the belly of the fish!

I am also linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for my Whoop!  Whoop! this week.