Oyster Shack Quilt

I was a few days weeks late with my Mother's Day gift this year. I had it planned early, but then "life got in the way" and I realized (too late) that I had bitten off more than I could chew. When I saw these in-the-hoop quilted wallhangings at Ananda's Divine Designs, I knew the Oyster Shack would be perfect for my Mom's house at the beach.

This is it after I finished it. The thing I love about these designs is that they are completed in 3 hoopings, but the panels are then sewn together without a satin stitch around each one. I don't like that "tiled" look so many ITH quilts have.

This is the first hooping. I used batting underneath the pieces of applique, so that it was "quilted in the hoop" as I went. I also used a sturdy stabilizer in the back. This one was 17000 stitches and went fairly quickly, so I thought "I'll be done in no time".

Here is part 2. This one was quite a bit more complex with 32000 stitches and it was made worse because I stitched the clapboard lines in the wrong color. I kept going to finish the panel, thinking I could live with it, but I should have jumped ship. I knew I would never like it, so I did it over- now that's 64000 stitches for this part.

The final section. This bit had 38000 stitches. Luckily, I got it right the first time! This one has a lot of detail, too. These last 2 panels took about an hour each.

Here it is with the panels stitched together before binding. Why did I think this was so perfect for my parents?
They love to eat oysters.
They love fish and there is a little fish market right by their house.
They have lots of pretty flowers in their yard.
The dock and ocean are just like the one by their house.
I like the yellow dish of lemons.

I look forward to seeing it on the wall when I visit. I think it will look great!!

There are many other amazing buildings by this designer. You can also use just the top and bottom level for a quicker project.  I would definitely try another when I have a chunk of free time!!