New Fabrics Today! Pics ~Hand Quilting Complete!! New Pics! ~

[speckledhen]

I am making my way around those star blocks that make up the first large border. I have two of the four sides on that border finished.

Question for all you quilters: do you usually use only white thread to quilt or do you coordinate the color of the thread to the quilt? With this one, with all the deep colors and all the white, I felt that white would probably be the safest choice so went with that. What do you guys think? And it's weird that I have very little white hand quilting thread. I usually choose off white, ecru, beige, etc.

 

[NanaKat]

Most of the time, I use white, ecru or natural colored threads for hand quilting depending on the color of the light fabrics in the quilt.
On a black and white quilt, I used black even in the light print fabrics.
Sometimes, I try to match the thread used to the period of the top I'm making (ie white for 1920's to 30's feed sack repros; brown, grays, blues for Civil war prints)

For our modern quilts, I think you can use more than one color of thread for the quilting based on you choice. Varigated threads are really fun to use for a change too.

When machine quilting, I have used one color for the top and a different color for the backing.

Love the top!!! what are you using for the backing?

 

[speckledhen]

Kat, I'm using the only piece of 108" quilt backing I had on hand. I asked the customer and he said that would be just fine to do, even though, technically, it doesn't match the top. I rarely do more than use whatever I have that is large enough for the backs, but I did ask him if he wanted me to buy coordinating fabric to match and honestly, I was happy that he said to go ahead and use this. It's excellent quality, a Thimbleberries quilt backing that kathyinmo included in a box of scrumptious fabric she sent to me awhile back when we were sort of trading Delaware eggs for fabric. It is so soft, almost flannel-like and a pleasure to quilt so it should be a very cozy quilt for him. This is the fabric-sorry for the blurry pic. *oh, thanks so much for the thread suggestions, Kat!

I'll finish this border tonight and will be finished with this quilt in less than two weeks, I think. Not bad for all hand quilting--been working on it for just one week (the quilting part, that is).


On the four outer corner squares, I'm going to quilt a design using this stencil, which fits very well, but I may leave off the center flower design and just do the outer ring.

 

[sewingca]

Love, love, love what you are doing! I am so impressed with the speed of your hand quilting and the neat even stitches. If I were to try to go faster (heh, heh), I'd still get sloppy.

 

[speckledhen]

Not all mine are even, LOL. And there are mistakes in the piecing and quilting that would be worse if I tried to fix them, so it's truly a unique, handmade piece, just like the customer wanted. My fingers are awful right now--I'll have to send my hands to a spa after this.



ETA: I'll be finished with this quilt in a couple of days. I've finished the checkerboard border, am running one line of quilting around the blue border, then finishing the outside corner designs (two are complete) and then have to make binding. Yippee!

It's taken me just over two weeks to get this much quilted, which surprises me. I've never just shot through an entire bed quilt without several weeks-long breaks so I never knew how long it would really take me to do it. If there was more elaborate quilting on it, it would certainly have taken longer, but I think the colors are the star of this one, so felt really elaborate stuff would detract from it.


ETA, again, LOL: the quilting is done except for the last corner square. Will have that done and make the binding today, then post pics.

 

[speckledhen]

Finished! Now to cut and attach the blue binding....here she is, over month adhead of schedule. From start till completion today took 27 days. Thank goodness for an accommodating husband!

 

[3goodeggs]

ooh, ahh! That is beautiful! i love the colors.

 

[jojo54]

gorgeous! the colours are so vivid and wonderful.

 

[lockedhearts]

That is absolutely beautiful!

 

[sewingca]

Bravo! Encore, encore!