Hand and machine quilting my quilt

Im quilting my Stars Upon Stars quilt using a combination of hand and machine quilting. 

I couldn't make up my mind how I wanted this quilt quilted so I'm doing both. And I am REALLY out of practice with the hand work. But that's OK...I'm willing to have this scrap quilt be less than perfect. 

The thread I'm using is a first for me. It's very rough...natural feeling...almost like burlap but in a pretty Greige color. It was a gift from a quilty friend. I've been waiting to try it out. 
 

I'm hoping I dont run out of this thread because it doesn't have a label and I haven't seen it at any stores locally. If anyone knows what it is, I love to know! So for now I'm using it just here and there. I may switch to a perle cotton to do some detail quilting later.

Finished the scrappy hexagon quilt top

The Scrappy Hexagon Quilt top is finished!

If you'd like to make a similar quilt, I have the how-to here:

Scrappy Hexagon Tutorial

I debated over adding a border, just to the top and bottom to make it longer. My daughters both decided they preferred it plain...no border. So that meant I needed to do an extra row of hexagons (2 rows of triangles). I had 22 extra triangles but needed 28 to do a row that starts and ends with a diamond.

So two nights ago I started sewing and cutting, I was determined to get 6 scrappy triangles made.

After making them I thought I would push myself to make the two rows so that they were ready to attach in the morning. Well, I couldn't stop. I stayed up until the top was done. 

And that feels SO good! Done! I'm looking through backing pieces now to see what in my stash will work. It would be wonderful to make another quilt strictly from stash and scraps. I'm sure I'll find something.

Since the top was finished the night before, I ask Al if he would like to head out for a drive.. See the coast of Michigan south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. This is less than 45 minutes from us and just a GORGEOUS area. He said SURE, why not!

His knees are acting up so he couldn't climb any steps but I just couldnt resist!

 The view was unbelievable! My heart was hammering like crazy when I got to the top (I think I need to do a bit more exercising, I'm out of shape). I wished I had counted the steps...there were SO MANY!  

Scrappy Hexagon quilt progress

The Scrappy Hexagon quilt is progressing. HOW-TO post is the one before this.

 I'm digging through the final 1-1/2" scrap strips to make enough triangles to complete the top.

I took a little time away from the quilt to make a mug rug. Ever feel the need to just have a finish? Me too. 

I had a pile of little short scraps collecting on the cutting table. I was ready to toss them in the garbage when it occured to me they might make a scrappy block. I don't need just one odd scrappy block so I decided on a new mug rug....can't have too many of those.

 So now I'm at the final part of the top. I have 5 rows of hexagons. The quilt is about 60" long and 70 wide. 

I've been looking at it, trying to decide between a top/bottom border, no border with an extra row of hexagons or something else.

My daughters both said NO BORDERS! Well, I guess I'll take their advice and do one more row of hexagons, which kind of throws off the symmetry that I usually do. The top will now end with a row that has diamonds on each end. Personally, I would of liked DIAMOND rows to be interior rows. But to do that I would have to a 7th row after this addition. Too large for my purposes and for the amount of scraps I have left.

I'll add the 6th row today and see how I like it. (I call it the 6th row even though it's really the 11th and 12th rows...2 pieced triangle rows needed to make a hexagon row)

I'll let you know how it goes🙈