For now, though, in honor of Valentine's Day, he's getting a gift from the heart. I don't know if he'll really enjoy it, but I sure enjoyed making it!
This was a printed quilt top from Pattern Jam. I purchased the "large throw" size (50"x63"), for $59 USD, which (if I'm JUST thinking of it as "fabric") seems pretty expensive. But if I think about it as a "quilt top" - one that has a really cool faux-applique pattern that I didn't have to cut or piece???? Well - what a deal! What can I say? I'm a quilter. I don't really even like piecing anymore!
I did kinda try to use my quilting choices to make it look like it was really appliqued and pieced, and I don't think the average person would notice at all. Stitched in the ditch around each deer head. Also free-handed an echo around the inside of each head. Then used a variety of fillers in each of the 12 squares. This was fun and energizing for me to work on. A real breath of fresh air.
My quilting is all free-motion, hand-guided on an APQS longarm quilting machine.
Paisley filler in background.
Cross-hatching in left square. Orange peel in right square. Used existing grids in the fabric, instead of taking the time to mark with pen.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdiab6LaRiFOw92lWl15PGJ-RG0Fyv0-P1WxbhQCEK_J5OxF6fWNyIq1F3mBm5KvK4gn3L2NhnwBxEY7sU4CNGOBhGvU2QfPfWp0iYwKMgWhObaq1xku6cjYzKz2t8upXjiU6EQBk8aGw/s640/IMG_3071c.jpg)
Woodgrain in background.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWR_UbeoobnMnkrJzvShDJjBq2ZJKSLtxjowypYB3D0qGf4pJxakZig0Y_9T7hNQMIbDSEJUqGEWDRcAcvMhVkJ8QpKBZKy_SZXCM7RixZMktKqFHcitSoObF9cOyPN9XoG6DiLEW2ik/s640/IMG_3073c.jpg)
Diagonal lines with serpentine between every other one.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJcvyKUvYP4SoWwt6AU9vCYLxWv7oG6wZy5n8Qy0gqYjiDN5QDem9u7e-XE4PNoYd4ccTD-KguFWdvxyQllbF3x0wf1uFjP9JqByF1hECBGVw_fm534rgsktLzgbrBuCZGfgYtKozdo4/s640/IMG_3075c.jpg)
Parallel lines in background, using existing pattern lines in the fabric, rather than marking.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhukl9QVKh7hOpGRC6tGqckF-gBCgCc2S7K7ICtWF8YGiuUxzyU4qgc_3k7DZ2-c8YE9HEkgOB6sZzBjv5Pj7pUgDZElqQEZJBWOXFm7MeTIKLOGOh9ARBCiuVtpAf63l8mT5D1gmF3MM/s640/IMG_3070c.jpg)
Pearls (pebbles) on a string in background.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LuQspeYt-lrBhiyFYiizf0fSF_Wy1uYZyHBA1qH0ckVMdKX0yCZjsWlTM7jcWq9cidpO2sV3VyTsqbwL8XjZ5YnKAbE3-LgrGDkLV19fi1DRBFV34qlOZNd0K7qCRYqmjuDrsrjd3cA/s640/IMG_3074c.jpg)
I had to mark a grid with water-soluble pen in this background, and then used serpentine pattern in every other square.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbP1CX4ixa2lY21Nk2svuiR3Fwku_1ezf8GIMAJwVlDlIlqcwhlp1dQU1hzrFp_ncPyxYckF2Bbc6-RU_o8guCSI-BGllDMdAP02ozFk-h_WuEKPqc_VlvrPjxYZai067-l3qEN3iYFYU/s640/IMG_3076c.jpg)
My "deer" Valentines!