Finished quilting the quilting on the long-overdue Chinese Coins quilt. This top was a "scrap"quilt made with a pile of 4-inch squares cut in half, and then some ...
It took me a long time to feel like this quilt had "come together." Probably in part due to working with all the pieces so closely and for so long. I was also a little disappointed that it didn't seem to have the emotional impact that a true scrap quilt does -- where you can point to any given fabric and tell a story about where else you used that particular bit of fabric, or where it came from. I had purchased the 4-inch squares as a set -- just for the sheer variety. They were not cut from my stash from other projects.
By the time I took a photo of the completed top, and could see it at a distance, I think I finally had the "Blue Earth" effect, and it did come together for me, and I really started to like it.
I think I'm going to hang it on the wall in the new year. ;-)
Batting : Hobbs 80/20 Heirloom Batting (my stand-by because I love the way it crinkles up after it's washed and makes thinks look antique-y
Thread : Thread Art multi-colored purple and gold (Polyester embroidery thread that is strong enough to use for quilting. I love this stuff because it also has a nice shine to it. I know polyester thread is quilting is against all the rules set out by the quilt police. But I'm not making my quilts for them.
Years ago, I'd purchased some rayon thread for thread-painting and embroidery, but it rotted in about a year to the point where I couldn't sew with it without it breaking constantly. It was an expensive and short-lived investment -- I mistake I will not make again!)
Detail shot of the threads which seem to glow against the black background.
They get lost in the colored squares.
From the back.
Quilting Pattern : 2-inch grid sewn with the walking foot on a diagonal
2 comments:
Interesting observation about the different between a quilt made from someone else's collection of fabrics and one pulled from your own stash and scraps. But for all the time you put into it, I'm glad you like the finished result.
Today's polyester thread is nothing like the thread from the 60's and 70's that we used in clothing construction (fabric often polyester itself). Today it is a softer kinder thread that does not cut the cotton cloth like the old polyester threads could. So no guilt or apologies needed!
This is beautiful Michele!
--Deb K.
Post a Comment