Weight-Free Quilting Solution. . .

A little over a week ago, I was asked to quilt this new Bigfork Bay Cotton Company Pat Sloan quilt for Spring Market. 

Although I own a longarm quilting machine, I don't use it enough to have the control for the raw edge stitching needed for this quilt.  Therefore, I was required to quilt it on my sewing machine.  As anyone who quilts on their sewing machine knows, on a quilt of this size (62"x68"), more time is spent maneuvering the fabric than stitching.  But via a good friend, a solution to that problem came to me:  a frame to support the quilt's weight.

The instructions to build this frame are shared by Chris' Quilting Space.  Her instructions are for a frame clamped to the back of a table.  I was able to improvise because I have a quilt exhibition frame that was adapted to work.

The exciting thing about this contraption is that it works!  With the weight of the quilt off the table, the amount of fabric I had to move around was limited to just what was being stitched.  The quilting itself was a joy to do and the time it took to quilt was cut dramatically.   Quilting on my sewing machine has never been easier.  I am looking forward to putting the frame to use again in the very near future.

Until next time,

Shapes II - The Surprise of Quilting. . .

Time to begin quilting Shapes II.  I'm happy with the results so far but will the quilting make or break the quilt?  That's always the question I wrestle with.  The quilt colors gave me the impression of the cosmos or outer space so that's the direction my stitching moved towards.

I began simply by SID between the quilt center and border, and then the inside and outside edges of the square and arc matching thread color to the teal.   I next quilted the background.  Because I want to keep it behind the other quilt elements, I quilted the background the densest with a meander.

As I knew that I wanted to use gold metallic thread on the red border, I moved to that next using a free motion zig-zag stitch.

Continuing to use the gold metallic thread, I SID around the triangles and outlined the appliqued circles.  I added a few lines within the triangles to bring sparkle to them.

Final object to quilt is the square.  Not sure what I wanted, I decided to try a set of stitches I've been wanting to try.  The stitch set consists of a few straight free motion stitches, some free motion zig-zag stitches, finishing with a few more straight free motion stitches.  As I began stitching, I decided to drag the thread between the stitch sets.  I intended to clip the dragged thread once the quilting was complete.  However, as I completed one section, I realized I liked the look as it was so left threads.  Quilting done, happiness with results continues.  Binding details next.


Until next time,

Quilted Southwest Pots. . . Adding Perspective

Here is a customer quilt sent to me.  Immediately upon seeing it I felt that the quilting needed perspective added to it. . .

. . . and here's the result.  I treated the quilt as a window looking out into a courtyard.

An overhead decking was added for the pots to hang from.

A door and fountain added for the courtyard.  I drew my design full size and then traced that onto Golden Threads paper.  The suns in the border were also drawn on the paper.  I spray baste the paper onto the quilt and sewed through it.  Very easy to transfer design this way, although I do admit that it takes longer to pull off the paper than it does to sew.  The Golden Threads paper is one of the easiest papers to pull off, however.  I highly recommend it for this technique.


Until next time,

Spring Bunny hops home. . .

Spring Bunny is finished and on its way to my sister's.  It feels good to meet a deadline. LOL

My quilting was done by free-motion quilting with feed dogs down, and a darning foot attached.  My preferred needle size is a 75/11 Quilting needle.  This needle limits the fabric fraying.  The quilting was begun by stitching in the ditch around the inner borders of each of the panels.

I then outlined each individual piece of applique that had a raw edge.  I matched the thread color to each section I quilted.

The only exception to outlining each raw edge was for the word "Spring."  Because the piece is quite skinny, I choose to stitch in the middle of each letter.  This limited the possibility of fraying and kept the amount of thread from overwhelming the fabric.

I then cross-hatched the lower greens on the bunny panels.

The border was stitched with a vine of leaves all the way around.  I machine-stitched the binding to the front, pulled it to the back and machine-stitched it from the front.

This was the first time I used tabs for the sleeve.  To make the tabs I cut a 3 1/2" x WOF strip and sewed it right sides together with a 1/4" seam.  The seam was pressed open and the sleeve pulled to the right side.  It was then pressed flat with the seam centered to the back.  The strip was then cut into 5" sections.  I folded the sections in half and basted the raw edges to the top of the back of the quilt before the binding was sewn on.  I then sewed the binding on as stated above.  I like the look of the tabs and will definitely use them again.


I would love to hear your opinions of "Spring Bunny" as I am considering publishing it as a pattern.  Thanks for your input.

Another Machine Quilting Tip . . .

Well, here is "Wild Girl," another lovely new design by Toni Whitney for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.  I just completed quilting two of these designs for trunk shows.

One of the supplies I use when machine quilting are a pair of garden gloves, the ones with rubber nubs on them.  The gloves allow me to keep a grip on the fabric while pushing it under the needle.  While I used to wear both, I found that I needed to use my bare hands to perform some tasks and would have to take my gloves off.  My solution to the issue of having to stop and take the gloves on and off is to keep my left glove off (I am left-handed) and keep the right glove on.  Having one glove on provides just enough grip for quilting.  Having one glove off allows me to have the freedom of having my bare fingers available for tasks needed, i.e., threading the needle, cutting thread, etc.  There are various types of gloves out there for the quilting industry.  I have used a few.  I enjoy the garden gloves because they are just loose enough to keep my hand from sweating.  Machine quilting takes practice but can be quite enjoyable.  Be open to trying different techniques and supplies while you are coming up with your style of quilting.  Some things will work and some won't but eventually you'll find your own way.

Smooth as Silk. . .

Have you ever quilted on silk?  I have quilted on painted silk a few times now.  Here is the latest project I quilted for the Bigfork Museum of Art and History's raffle quilt in their celebration of Glacier National Park's 100th Anniversary.

The tricky thing about quilting on silk is that once a hole is made it is difficult, if not impossible, to get rid of.  So boo-boos are a no-no.  I quilted this on my Janome 6500 which has a 9-inch throat.  It is the largest quilt I have done on this machine.  The needle size used was a 75/11 quilting needle and, for the most part, 40 wt. Aurifil thread.

I find that the most difficult part of quilting larger quilts is dealing with the weight of the quilt, keeping it moving under the needle without getting any drag.  One of the ways I deal with the drag issue is to use a product known as "Grip-n-Press" available through Bigfork Bay Cotton Company and other retailers.  This product's non-stick surface allows the quilted item to slide easily on the sewing machine surface while its tacky back keeps the product in its place.  This product can also be used for pressing with fusible web to keep the web off of your ironing board.  Here is its set-up on my machine.

When purchased, drop your feed dogs, place the product on your machine bed where it will be positioned, and drop your needle to put a hole in it.  Remove it from the bed and use a small hole punch to make the hole larger.

With my "Grip-n-Press," I made the hole large enough to use with my feed dogs up as shown here.  I use this product when I am machine appliqueing as I am able to keep my stitching smoother because the fabric moves freely as I stitch circles and curves.  Using my "Grip-n-Press" assists me in keeping my free-motion quilting stitches even.

I cannot stress enough the importance of this product for making my quilting experience enjoyable.  Fighting with the quilt's drag gets tiring and frustrating, especially once you get your stitching rhythm going.

Are you seeing Spots?

I recently completed quilting Toni Whitney's Zirafah for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.  This is a beautifully designed quilt and the 4th one I have quilted.

All of the quilts from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company's pattern company are quilted using free-motion quilting and matching the thread color to the fabric.  When I began this type of quilting, I was hesitant and unpracticed.  I had often used my open-toe foot with the feed dogs up using decorative stitches to quilt.  This technique worked well and looked good but was not the accepted technique for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.  I took the challenge and began quilting with my free-motion foot and the feed dogs down and a new love bloomed.  My quilting has greatly improved with practice and I enjoy the rhythm I fall into when quilting.

When teaching students how to machine quilt, I begin by helping them to understand the importance of rhythm.  We all have a rhythm whether it be fast, slow, or in-between.  Finding your rhythm is the key.  Listen to the sound of your sewing machine. Don't let the sound scare you into quilting with it.  Instead, listen for the sound that occurs when your hands and the needle move together comfortably to produce a stitch length you like.  That sound can then lull you into the rhythm that's appropriate for you.  Be mindful that you will generally have more success quilting faster than you think you can handle.  If your quilting is too slow, the jerkiness of stop and go will not let you create a rhythm to find.  Give it a try. What's your rhythm?

If you are new to learning to free motion quilt, I strongly recommend that you practice making your stitches on the small side.  Once your small stitch length becomes consistent, it is easier to drop the stitches even smaller as was necessary for Zirafah's spots and still have them look good.  It is always easier to increase your stitch length rather than decrease your stitch length once you become comfortable with large stitches. Consistent stitch length is the important result necessary for successful quilting.

Plumeria blooming. . .

T

Here is the latest quilting of Plumeria by Brenda Yirsa that I have done for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.  This is a lovely pattern with an artist's flair to it.

I really do enjoy machine quilting and especially like lines in my quilting.  Notice how I echoed the leaf lines in the border.  I find that machine quilting takes a rhythm that each individual has to find for themselves.  On that note it is interesting how our quilting can change from day to day depending on how our rhythm changes (or we just can't find it).  Quilting does offer a continuing challenge.  At least I never have the opportunity to become bored.