Welcome to Saturday Quilting Bring & Share 🙂 It’s a Bank Holiday weekend here in England, the sun is shining and the mercury is rising. There’s time to enjoy the outdoors and play in the sewing room too: bring along your project(s) and share in the conversations initiated by members of our Worldwide Quilting Community. Add your thoughts to the conversations by using the comments box at the bottom of this page. Thank you!
I was aiming for a finish this week but it hasn’t quite come about. My main focus has been on the quilting of one of the Square-in-a-Square quilts. Using the walking foot I stitched edge-to-edge wavy lines followed by in-the-ditch stitching around the charm squares at the centre of each block. The quilting shows up best on the back of the quilt:
I liked the squishy look this open quilting design produced – I was reminded of the eiderdowns we had on beds before duvets became the go-to bedding. But on reflection I decided a quilted design within the centre sqares would create interest whilst adding to the stability of the layers. My first choice was to mark and stitch (using a free motion set up) a design into each square using a stencil.
This didn’t work so well…
I could put up with the wobbly stitching lines and the variation in stitch size but when the beginning and end of the continuous line design didn’t meet up… Well! I got the stitch ripper out and had a re-think. I plumped for free motion feather swirls. The results are not particularly even but I am content with the overall result – imperfect feather designs are very forgiving.
I’ve completed three of the feather swirls so my aim is to complete the remaining seventeen before attaching the binding to the quilt.
I will be spending quite a bit of time outdoors too – this weekend feels like a bit of a bonus at the end of the summer season. The tomatoes are finally ripening and I am moving into phase two of the ‘battle of the bird table’ with my adversary: the ever growing population of large, greedy Woodpigeons. I wouldn’t mind them stopping by to feed once in while but these birds peck away in relentless fashion with no thought of sharing the food with smaller birds. I added some plastic mesh to the bird table to prevent them perching and reaching the food but to no avail. Still! I am ready for a fresh battle 😀 I will not be defeated by a Woodpigeon!
And so to just a few of the quilty conversations that have caught my attention this week:
Ever been on a quilt shop hop? Karen over at Tu-Na quilt set off to tour the whole of Michigan in 8 days taking in 59 shops and covering 2815 miles in the process – not to mention a Grandson’s baptism! Click here for the opening installment of her Shop Hop tales!
Yvonne Fuchs has released another of her striking quilt patterns. The solid fabrics she used for the featured ‘Wonder’ baby quilt has helped me decide on the colour scheme for a Snoopy quilt commissioned by a friend.
Cynthia challenged herself to use green fabrics. She has created a stunning improv garden quilt.
Allison’s Diagonal Seam Tape is a brilliant idea – helping accuracy and saving time by doing away with all the diagonal lines that usually have to be drawn for half square triangles or snowball corners. In fact the tape is such a great idea that Allison’s initial supplies sold out super fast!
Linking with Alycia for the first Finished or Not Finished Friday 🙂 as she takes on the baton from Myra at Busy Hands Quilts.
Happy Stitching!
Allison
I have had my eye on Allison’s diagonal seam tape. Maybe I’d better get it soon! 🙂
I missed the tape being advertised. I do hope some is shipped over to the UK.
I like your quilting – but I understand the desire to have the threads match up ha ha – so the new inner you chose is perfect!! Enjoy your weekend out side!!
Thank you! Much happier with the change of plan 🙂 And very glad of a relatively cool sewing room – it is so hot outside!