Play Time

This morning as soon as I came in from my morning constitutional, (I don't know what that means either.  I was on a bike ride.) the baby was playing with her daddy, so I ran straight downstairs and finished my quilt!  I had dreams of this becoming a UFO, and I didn't want that to happen.  Baby did help me quilt it.  Sorry for the quality of the photo:

I LOVE IT!  This is MY couch quilt!  The fabrics are Nicey Jane, Hunky Dory, Modern Meadow, and one other that I just grabbed.  I have been wanting to play with Nicey Jane and Hunky Dory for a while now.  So nice that they played together so well!  The background is a white Moda Bella Solid. I love the binding.  I didn't have enough of the pink so I put in some of the leftovers from the quilt.  I put bamboo batting in it.  I have used bamboo before, but not on a quilt that I have actually used.  So this is my test quilt to see if I like bamboo batting.

WARNING:  Scritch Scratch Ahead
A couple of you asked how I did it.  Well, I don't have time to make up a real pattern so the instructions that I am giving are not for a beginner--unless you like puzzles.  Sorry. 

Fabric Requirements:
12 jelly roll strips or 12 -- 1/8 yards cut into 12 -- 2 1/2" strips
1/4 yard for first border (4 strips at 2")
1 yard for the second border (5 strips at 5" -- there is enough extra to get one 2 1/2" strip if you want.)
1 yard background fabric

Background is cut as follows:
9 -- 2 1/2" strips from which you need:

• 40 of A -- 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
• 16 of B -- 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"
• 8 of C -- 2 1/2" x 6 1/2"
• 8 of D -- 2 1/2" x 8 1/2"

2 -- 4 1/2" strips from which you need:

• 5 of E -- 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
• 4 of F -- 4 1/2" x 8 1/2"

Okay -- so I scanned my scritch scratch.  Basically, its the EQ Diagram printed out with my instructions on it.  HERE is the link to that page.  All you need is where the letters are for placement.  (Oh, if you have a question if that is a B or a C, it's a B.  I had to change after I started.  Some of the Cs got changed to Bs and some of the Bs got split into 2 As.) 

Now aren't you grateful for real patterns?!?

Oops!  You need one more set of cutting instructions:
Divide your jelly rolls into three groups of four.  I called my sets outer, inner and middle.  Inner and outer don't work though. The middle set doesn't go all the way across. 

From those four "middle" strips you need:
2 -- 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" and
2 -- 2 1/2" x 8 1/2"

With the other strips, notice that one set has one strip that goes all the way across the block and the other doesn't.  So one set of four has the 12 1/2" strip and the other doesn't.

From the four "outer" strips (the ones WITH the 12 1/2" strip) you need:
2 -- 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
2 -- 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" and
1 -- 2 1/2" x 12 1/2"

From the four "inner" strips (the ones WITHOUT the 12 1/2" strip) you need:
3 -- 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" and
3 -- 2 1/2" x 8 1/2"

There you have it!  Start at the middle or one of the corners.  I started at the middle.  It's a 12" block (12 1/2" unfinished) just like Block 11. 

 -- The quilt turned out about 48" square.

QUESTION:
For those of you that have read this far, or skimmed down, I have a question.
I have decided to finish the binding by hand.  I have noticed that it isn't as sturdy as by machine.  Any tips for me when I finish a binding by hand.  My problem is that after use, the threads break and the binding starts coming off.  I use a single thread, but I am thinking about using a double thread.  I don't use any special type of thread.  Should I be using a sturdier thread?

Thanks in advance!  And thanks again to Jewel for a fun play time!