Stepping Stones Quilt

     I started this quilt back in September. The center is made from sixteen Ahhhh's from Hillbilly Quilt Shop.  Not only does she create individual Ahhhh's, but she creates secondary settings for an interesting appliqué,  quilt or table runner.  What appears to be a Hexie with internal images becomes an amazing item to EPP.  

     The basic Ahhhh in this is called "Stepping Stones," it's Ahhhh #13.  Here is what it looks like by itself. 

     Here is a layout of the kit that I bought from Hillbilly Quilt shop.  It came with all the little papers precut.  All I had to do was pick out the fabric.

     I chose to use Jason Yenter Shangri La.  Here is a photo of a Boarder fabric I used for a lot of the Hexies and diamonds!! 

     I fussy cut all the Hexies and a few diamonds.  Tonya's (Hillbilly) plan was for you to use 3 fabrics for the Hexies and 3 fabrics for the diamonds.  That way as you went sewed them together they would match at the center points like this. 

     After I started I did not have enough of the same objects in the white so I started to use different pieces of the fabric.  The whites have Fish and hearts that were hidden in the fabric.  The Blues are a mixture of flowers and butterflies. I was still able to make all the items come together in two's and there's as the design laid out.  There are a total of 16 Ahhhh's in the design that have 3 inch sides. 

     After I hand sewed all of the Ahhhh's together, I quilted a piece of yellow blender to a matching Yenter Legendary Basic fabric as the backing.  I did it in swirls.  The entire time my machine kept catching something on the back.  My only regret that I didn't hand quilt it.  But that was done and too late to go back.  I pinned the piece on and the long boring appliqué stitching started.  

     I bound the quilt with one of the Yenter fabrics I fussy cut and hand sewed the binding down. 

     I then decided to hand quilt the Ahhhh's down.  I decided to mark them at just over 1/4 inch from the outer seams.  The Frixion Highlighter worked really well for this.  I then Quilted it with Valdani 3 string floss.  I wrote a previous blog about this experience since it was my first time hand quilting.  

     After I finished doing the inside I decided to also quilt the outside and the boarder of the quilt.  I did the same 1/4 inch and marked this time with a pink Frixion pen.  I love how they iron off!!! (I buy the pens at Hillbilly Quilt Shop too!). I love that I decided to do these 2 extra touches because they became one of my  favorite things about the quilt! 

     This quilt is going to my cousin Samantha who is now a few months old in Seattle.  I hope she enjoys it!!! 

     I am now stitching another Ahhhh project!!  I think I have found my 2 favorite things quilting!! Ahhhh's and the creativity they allow!!! Thank you Tonya for the inventions!!!