Quilt and embellish your Turtle on the Trot wall hanging

The quilted wall hanging filled with turtles is almost done!  Yesterday we added colorful sashing and borders and showed a trick in matching sashing up and today we’re ready to quilt and embellish!

To quilt your adorable turtles, pick a quilt pattern for the background that will enhance the turtles. I chose a white thread  for the background to blend in, and used a bright pink on the turtles to give them pop.

In the shells I did a different pattern in each and outlined the hat. This is the time to have some fun with your free motion quilting and your creativity! I did pebbles and a linear star, rolling hills, circular fun and echo quilting. Go crazy! Your turtles will thank you!

Cut 2½” wide strips from the green fabric for binding and apply. I have to say I absolutely love my Clover Wonder Clips for holding my binding in place when hand stitching the binding on the back. The reasons are simple. They slide on and off nicely. You don’t have to ‘reset’ them by pushing something in or back out, they are small, great for storing, and have a tight hold and they are a quilters’ dream on the corners! For that alone, I’d never every be without them when binding a quilt.

Now to add some fun embellishments! I chose cute polka dot buttons and attached them by hand onto the hats. Notice how they don’t sit in the same spot on each hat? I should confess I have a bit of an adoration for polka dots, but I’m pretty sure the turtles smiled a bit when I attached the buttons to their hats!

Your imagination is your best option to be creative! Make little bowties or cute pompoms. Try a ribbon or a  vintage button to brighten up your turtle. You could use fabric markers and make a little face or hand stitch using embroidery thread!