As you read this, I am traveling home from Houston, TX after teaching 3 amazing classes to wonderful, enthusiastic quilters. Look for a big post about that next week.
Before I left, I began to machine quilt On the Lily Pond, my latest pattern and quilt class sample. I first wrote about this quilt in August, with photos of the antique quilt I own that inspired it. Find that post here:
A New Old Quilt
Here are some photos to show you the process.
1. The top is done, about 76" square:
2. On to basting with safety pins, my least favorite part of the quiltmaking process. Mr. BB often helps:
3. Bobbin thread of choice for me is Superior's Bottom Line, a color to match the back, #653. For stitch in the ditch, I use Superior's Microquilter 100 wt thread or Quilters Select 80 wt thread--depending on the color I need--here I used QS 80, color #730. For quilting motifs/designs I often use Superior's So Fine 50 wt thread--color # 491 a soft pink, blends nicely on the front:
4. First, I stitched in the ditch as the quilt was constructed. This supports and stabilizes the quilt and allows me to begin removing some pins. The empty spaces show the stitch in the ditch grid:
5. Once all the stitch in the ditch was done, I started on the pieced blocks. It took a few blocks to get the best "path" figured out. I want to minimize starts and stops and backtracking:
6. After I was satisfied with the design/path for the pieced blocks, I worked on the design for a Feathered Wreath in the 7.5" open blocks. This is where having a wide variety of stencils and quilting design books comes in handy. One for the outside ring of feathers, one for the inside ring, and I'm all set:
I am trying to get better at feathers as I LOVE them. With 25 blocks, 20 half block triangles, and 4 quarter block corners, I figured I would get better or give up. I am seeing improvement so practice does make "better". AND, the entire outer borders, pink/white, will be filled with a Feathered Vine:
7. Marking should be done as little as possible since every mark made is one that has to be removed later. I used a blue washout marker until it ran out then used a grey chalk pencil to draw a few guidelines for the feathered wreath. I was able to fill in the feathers from those guidelines much easier than trying to machine quilt on a drawn line:
8. I love ruler work and use it every chance I get. Stitch in the ditch is all ruler work using a fantastic tool, the Line Tamer by FourPawsquilting.com. The circle on the feathered wreath was done with a Good Measure Circle template. And for free motion I adore Grip-Its by sewingmates.com, two palm size "handles" with rubber grippy things on the bottom. They replace gloves, I simply rest my hands on them to guide the quilt as I stitch. They are indispensable to me:
9. There is still a good bit to go but I am on target for completion by Thanksgiving. The binding and sleeve are made, the pattern is written and all I have to do is complete the quilting, bind it, and update the pattern cover with a professional photograph of the finished quilt.
Front:
Back:
I have written about machine quilting many times. Use the SEARCH box in the upper left, the orange B, for Ruler work, machine quilting, Bernina Q20--all of those searches will bring up previous posts. Here is a good one on Ruler work, there are many more:
Stay tuned when this quilt is done for photos of the completed quilt.
I will be teaching this locally in 2024 AND on the New England/Canada cruise with Stitchin Heaven, September 4-13, 2025. Once registration opens for that cruise, I will make a big announcement--it will FILL QUICKLY, I already know several friends who plan to join me on that cruise.
My Alaska cruise, August 9-16, 2024 is SOLD OUT--there could be a Waitlist if you still hope to come on that one. See my class quilt for that trip HERE:
Let's quilt.
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