I finally got around to quilting the mystery quilt. As usual, deciding how I'm going to quilt it is not easy. So I did what I usually do, I started by doing some stitch in the ditch around the main middle portion. Then, by the time I finished that, and since the blocks are rather unique, I eventually got an idea and decided to just go for it. I started by sewing a curvy line down the seam that divides the block from one corner to the opposing corner and I continued without stopping to make some loops along the edges and making swirls inside the squares. I put 3 curvy lines in the inner border and in the outer border I quilted my favorite border filler, from Angela Walters "Free-Motion Quilting" book, called the Swirl Scroll. I have used this design in lots of quilts and it is a lot easier than it looks.
Here is how the back looks.
Here is a close up on one block so you can see how I quilted it. I always have trouble when I have square blocks in a quilt because I usually don't want to do an "over all" design and then I end up doing each block by itself.
How do other quilters figure out what to do?
I love the way the professional quilters can do gorgeous, perfect designs and would love to be able to quilt that good, but it just isn't possible and I am happy that I can do my own quilting and not have to pay for someone else to do it.
One of the quilting guilds that I belong to is doing a block of the month from Minick & Simpson, called Blue Pear Block of the Month. At first I wasn't planning to participate, but when I saw some of the blocks at the last meeting, I changed my mind and I made the first 2 blocks. If you are familiar with that quilt, don't be too critical regarding the way I put my blocks together. I did them the way I liked them, or regarding the block on the left, I ran out of the fabric and had to substitute the with a different navy.
What are you working on?
Ruth, you have done a lovely design on your quilt. I’ve always admired your quilts and the quilting designs you create. It’s turned out so well. The pear block looks terrific. Great choice of fabrics , the pears look almost real.
ReplyDeleteYour mystery quilt turned out really well--such a striking design.
ReplyDeleteLove how you have quilted it. Like you, I also usually start doing some ditch stitching and hope that inspiration strikes for the rest of it before I am finished with the ditch stitching.
I don't see anything in those last two blocks that needs any critiquing.
Your quilting looks great! I've been stalling on mine, but maybe I'll steal some of your ideas to quilt it now? (That's sometimes how I decide what to do!) And I like the pear block. Very different, but I think that's why I like it - it seems so much of what I see is in the more-of-the-same category and sometimes I just need something new.
ReplyDelete