I like it!

Getting my big quilt machine quilted by someone else!  It looks really great, and the quilter even gave me compliments like "your piecing was good" and "everything was smooth and rolled onto the machine easily", and even "nice quilt"...

I had asked her to pick the quilt motif from a few choices - something "not too girly" since it's meant to go on our bed. Though it's a little too small, but oh well...

you can see I haven't done the binding yet. Not sure what fabric to use...I have some leftover prints, but they are pretty large print patterns for a binding. Does that matter? hmmm...

can you see the quilting?  She used a variegated thread, but pretty good match/complement to the different fabrics

This is the pieced back.  One time soon I will try a less fussy back.  The quilter did comment that you could "almost use the back as a top". Yes, that was the look I was going for.

Anyway, I am seriously considering getting Megan's quilt machine quilted professionally too. I am on my way to Tucson for a business trip and then again next week to Basel and Vienna. So I could finish piecing the back and drop it off next Saturday. Even with a 3 week turnaround, the odds are I wouldn't be any faster doing it myself (though I really wanted to try the circle quilting thing).  My days of extra time have come to an abrupt end! At least for a few weeks. November should be quiet again, but it will be holiday crafting time by then.

RE: Funky Monkey quilt - it was well received at the shower on Saturday for all it's cuteness factor (who can resist sock monkeys?). But WOW!  our church ladies include some extremely talented crafters - there were 3 other quilts that were much higher quality in terms of piecing and quilting...real knockouts!! I wish I'd taken photos of them all!  Made me pretty self conscious of my puckered minky that stretched out while I was quilting it...but I'll have to live with it now!  That is what I deserve for waiting until the last minute to finish it up!