The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside => Current Projects => Topic started by: Acorn on April 19, 2018, 15:56:21 PM
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I am about to start making a quilt for our caravan. It's actually going to be a quillow, a quilt which will fold up into a pocket on the back to make a pillow, thanks to Elnnina :loveit: who has sent me a lovely pattern.
Anyway, I have been collecting fabric for this quilt for a very long time, and I think I have finally found a pattern that may suit it (and me, it not being too complicated).
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I would really love any advice or comment - I can choose fabrics I love, and I can see when things clash, but I don't have the skill with colours that a lot of you do.
The idea is that where the pattern has a blue patterned strip and a white plain strip, mine will have a stripe in the sea/sky fabrics, and the next in the sandy fabrics. (I probably have more fabrics for each section, but these pictures give a good idea of the range).
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What do you think? Will that work? Anything else I should add? Should I put a white stripe in between the coloured stripes?
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I’d put in the white stripes.... it will make the other colours sing.
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Eventually I'm going to make two quillows - I could always do one in blue and white and one yellow and white. Mmmm.
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It's lights and darks which make the chevron pattern work.
Looking at the fabrics you have, the sandy colours are all light and most of the blues are darkish, but there are three of them which are light (the plain one and the two with boats on). I would take them out and maybe look for a couple more blues. Otherwise I think that the colours are all OK together.
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Eventually I'm going to make two quillows - I could always do one in blue and white and one yellow and white. Mmmm.
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I was thinking a row of sandy chevrons, a row of white and then a row of blue and so on....
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My Quillow has a patterned front think poppies on a black background and a plain black backing. The pocket part made up the same way but when sewn on to the back it has the poppy side down so when it is all folded up and the pocket is turned out the right way I see the poppies again.
Lovely colours Acorn, now why stop at just two quillows?????
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I agree with Brenda, after all she is the Goddess of Colour,
You could do a blue stripe, white stripe, sandy stripe, white stripe, blue stripe etc
The White highlights the colour ... and you must use small prints, blenders, tone on tones, batiks .... fabrics that read as the colour... anything too pictorial will detract from the overall effect.
Also if going with Blues, make sure they are of one hue ... blue blue or turquoise blue (unless you want to morph from blue into turquoise).
Its not clear in the pic but I think, as B suggests, that the chevrons are going dark to light (and probably back again) ... which is fab, giving an undulating effect, so more FQs required methinks!
When I started the HSTathon I thought 6 fabrics in each colourway would suffice ... the poor sweet fool ...
many, many, many more were required.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ak90S1kpvpeoCyZzAiee5Mr15iNY2HgtO6PVXD2RHS1x_pBwVYE3fFnEtEZox5y1jvHNRqCEng7DCFyCVoa90D8aOxJTeoP1fN1dPkJOJE-KLoQwg3EY6hHP9f4dXcWe233thC4K5tSJGDuTLWdBxoxtlExz0btoDVrKnaXo9_W05t0NxSm7esqeSvjBNE9qf9wAig0jfzA9zJa7TGW3M8azLJ4JonWtAv2-tTvrCF7r1Eb8o2wHsJQ961Q40cn1b6cQo2-eoezNFg74SnzZZNO10k8r0eCPJ5dyPrflD_qTW8AfJs7NPQB2uJ4oLbsHOgDL6uFOGGpt-CEu01Sw6RvmQ9XC2RCJEaF0pYcUDzMLc8-CIf8448dufQru-86lXcbM1cIGCfyOBf4OeMpl_Ze_lwIFndmo2VTChdZEg7eYbRhG6cpEk9X5HqlVV63lCz7EJzqGPZW1vhcH4cxTWUlr2SUQrbV3ZZQsIWwisdT_FxK5uC0GTTGw8OVwcKp5rNSFDuBzVtEdm1T-RYzbl2zhfkhyylOi0kUSYxhoUAzot7Vi5kDG0klJzgV3IGK6iO4gNfNhKv6PENg0XbEVoca8rrrgNyJV45eVNWMzRDXp83tSXWlsAJNwluXvoHMREa-W3pwr9IaB9sqGwjftiuf3JyA=w579-h770-no)
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I've just had a quick forage and have pretty much doubled the number of blues - but they are a mixture of blue blue and green blue. Maybe stick to one or the other in each stripe?
The pattern does grade from dark to light, but my fabrics are almost all at the darker end of the spectrum. I might conceivably be able to go from blue blue at one end to green blue at the other, but it wouldn't be a very gradual change. I think I would be a lot easier to alternate, given the fabrics I have. If I'm going to do that maybe I should keep the sandy ones for another quilt - might it get a bit confused otherwise? (That could just be me!)
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and you must use small prints, blenders, tone on tones, batiks .... fabrics that read as the colour... anything too pictorial will detract from the overall effect.
I agree, use those boats and deck chair prints as borders and keep the patches to small prints/blenders etc.
You don't necessarily have to blend from, say, turquise to blue, you could mix them all up, but you do need to take notice of the lights and darks.
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Not a P&Qer but the effect of the white really stands out to me. The thing that I particularly liked is that you can see the quilting so much more strongly on the white and I'm thinking without it you won't get that lovely textural contrast along with the colour/pattern.
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Could you use the boat and / or deckchair fabrics for the pillow bag bit - I'm not sure how a quillow works.
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A Quillow is like a throw, it is very lightweight, and can be folded down into an attached pocket and then it looks like a cushion. I am not very good at photos and attaching them, I am sure they could be a lot better, but here is what my Quillow looks like, It has poppies on one side, the underside is totally black, and there is a separate pocket sewn on at the bottom of the Quillow which gets turned inside out over the folded Quillow. I tried folding back the edge of the pocket so you can see there is something there poppies and black stripes. These Quillows are extremely warm yet light, and before anyone asks no I did not make mine, my sister did and she lives in Canada. She has used a very light thin batting as the filling. [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
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Something has gone wrong with trying to attach the photos, can this possibly wait until next Thursday when I will be seeing Twopence, and then perhaps she can take me through the process of attaching photos again. Sorry.
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Here's an image of a "Magic Quilt" pattern McCall's did years ago of a quillow. Simply a light weight throw sized quilt that folds into a pillow when not needed. Note the optional carrying strap on theirs. I thought of making a pair for the car, bought the pattern and hmmm.
Sorry about the size. Normally in a SMF forum you can edit the size of images in the post but it's not allowed here for some reason.
(https://ssli.ebayimg.com/images/g/oKMAAOSwLLRaUqy-/s-l640.jpg)
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Quillow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR0NwbHhEt4) :)
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Now I'm a dreadful quilter but I have a number of friends who win prizes for theirs. I'm thinking most of the blues read midtone. I would suggest considering adding in some darker than what you've got. Many of the tan/sandy colors are also midtone. When you lay all of them together next to each other, do they pop? It doesn't appear that they will. It's got a sort of nice restive midtone thing going, which if that's what you envision, it's perfect now. If you want it more vibrant adding the white cheverons would do that, or as you thought already, doing a sea & white one as well as a sand & white one. or adding in a few darker blues and stronger sands. With a dab or red or yellow in a print. My friend says all quilts benefit from a dab of bright yellow or red or purple. You've got some in some of your prints.
I do like that chevron. I'm fairly good at HST.
About half my quilts have been Hallowe'en so I favor bright orange and black. Not known for subtle in my P&Q. ><
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The silly thing is that if this was a stained glass panel I would know exactly which pieces of glass to use. Mind you, there would be far fewer colours - I think it's the wealth of choice that blinds me.
My increased selection of blues does have a few more dark toned ones. I did take a photo, but the colours have come out all wrong.
I'm thinking separate quilts for sea and sand, with white as the alternate stripe and the sea one having separate stripes fo blue-greens and blue-blues.
I have to work out the size now, and check my fat quarters, because the pattern calls for 2 10 inch squares to make 4 sets of squares (roughly 7 inch if my maths is correct). I suspect most of my FQs are 18 inches wide, so I may have to scale down to 9in squares making sets of 6 1/3 in squares - or cut out the HSTs individually. -<
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the pattern calls for 2 10 inch squares to make 4 sets of squares (roughly 7 inch if my maths is correct). I suspect most of my FQs are 18 inches wide, so I may have to scale down to 9in squares making sets of 6 1/3 in squares - or cut out the HSTs individually. -<
If the pattern is telling you to cut 10" x 10" squares into four and then sew together in pairs, it is telling you to make Quarter square triangles, not Half Square triangles. The difference being that the diagonal seams will be on-grain and stable whilst the outsides of the resulting squares will be on the bias and stretchy.
As a general rule it's better to make that sort of pattern with HSTs rather than QSTs. The only time I use QSTs is for setting triangles when making an on-point design (which this is not).
Yes, the short sides of a QST cut from a 10" x 10" square will be just over 7" and I would be cutting HSTs from 7" x 7" or whatever size is most ecconomical; depending on whether you have metric FQs (50cm/20") or Imerial FQs (18").
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@Acorn take a photo in black and white - the tones jump out at you and you can see any that don't really fit.
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Oh thank you thank you thank you @BrendaP ! That's just the sort of thing I want to know - the bias stretch bothers me greatly when using triangles. I will ignore the pattern instructions and Take Advice! :)
And I will do that @Ploshkin - thank you. I'll post some more pics later.
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I have nothing to add to the sage advice Acorn, except..... it always pays to listen to Brenda ... her ways are wise and wonderful. :angel: I'm sure you'll do a brilliant job <3
p.s. I try not to use qsts but hsts are great ;)
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I agree....HST's are "the go". I did one for each of my grandchildren a few years ago...(oh cripes...there's another grandchild now....drats, another quilt goes on the "to do" list!). I ran into all sorts of placement problems with the different shades in each colour group particularly with the purple quilt. Luckily, children can be most forgiving and by the time you throw a handful of toys, books and clothes on the bed any glaring clashes are covered!!!
Sorry, don't know why the pink quilt insists on being sideways. :angry:
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Lovely stuff Rubes and I can see no placement issues
@Acorn .... Why not do 2/3rd in blue colours and white and 1/3rd in sandy colours ...like a day at the beach ???
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They are lovely Ruby. Hey - does this mean that if I make chevron quilts I may one day find myself making bargelloes?!? :o :loveit:
Imi - I coloured in the diagram of the layout with sand, white, turquoise (sea), white, blue (sky), white yesterday and it did look good. Unfortunately I don't seem to have saved the picture.
I think the one thing that I am certain about is that I need white fabric for the alternates! Might need a trip to Calico Kate's tomorrow. 0_0
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I have Elnnina's pictures of her quillow.
The first shows the gorgeous poppy front:
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The back with the pocket showing (the pocket gets turned inside out, so the inside of the pocket is decorative):
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The quillow folded up ready to turn the pocket inside out around it:
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The final quillow as a cushion:
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Fabulous ...
and thanks for getting them up @Acorn,
I tried and tried but after saving them 6 times still couldnt get them to attach !
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take a photo in black and white - the tones jump out at you and you can see any that don't really fit.
Here are your photos edited to B&W.
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Thanks Brenda - that really shows up the lighter ones!
I've done the same for my extended set of blues - without the three paler ones from the first set.
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I think 4 of those need to come out.
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I'm jumping ahead of myself here, but I was looking at the quilting on this pattern.
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Two questions.
1. What colour thread do you think the quilter has used here? Clearly not blue, but is it white or some sort of clear thread? The pattern just says 'Quilt as desired.'
2. What would you use to do the quilting? The backing is likely to be a medium or dark blue.
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The first 2 chevron quilts I did I quilted with a white thread. I wanted to keep my plain sections (the white) white..I didn't want to interrupt their "whiteness" because they were there to provide contrast and "rest" so the coloured sections with all their different shades and patterns would shine. The white thread quilted onto the coloured chevrons looked lovely...a nice add of contrast that didn't fight with or get lost in amongst the coloured, patterned fabric. And then the white thread on the white fabric just looked serene and crisp. Now...the third quilt, the pink quilt, I did the exact opposite, using a pink thread..I'm not sure why, it was so long ago but right from the time I started quilting it I had my concerns. Now, 4 years later I still don't like it as much as the other quilts. The pink thread on the white makes the whole quilt look far too busy for my liking.
On another quilt I just finished I had a huge area of just dark brown....the patchwork and colour was in the central motif. I chose a neutral colour thread for the central motif so that it didn't interfere with the motif at all, and then used a dark red thread on my dark brown background....the red blended well with the brown but still gave a peek of "hello" and actually helped bring the brown fabric to life as it was such a large area of nothing it needed something to please the eye.
So think about what you want to achieve, what parts you want to highlight with contrast, and what parts you want to highlight with "quiet". It's your quilt, your preferences. And once you've decided, spend a few days auditioning the threads....unravel them and lay them on the quilt, and lay some other "what the heck why not" colours as well. Leave them for a day or two...look at them in different lights, and you'll find the ones that you want.
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The B&W jobby, now rechristened The Whale, was quilted on a longarm by Andrew Whittle of White Orchid Quilting.
We talked about designs, I wanted something that would bring out the spriraliness and at the last moment he came up with the design we used ... I loved it at first sight.
We discussed thread .... Black would've been hideous as was Red because exactly like Rubes I wanted the White kept clear. We tried White but it didn't work on the red (Why ??? I have no idea) and then hit on a very pale pink ... which was marvellous!
The Whale is now wrapped and ready to embark on a 1000 mile journey to its new owner ... tomorrow!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CsfsLgsBTgdEezmHvFFQytvCKwScOd3U2mE2B2cVG6edh4ypAoKp9TgiV88M-08hSF1agLU6ldE4zxA9-QTGo_lhr-GkEHIBapmIo61XDvNYkabIDbanRKflmz3yE33zraVGkjzLroumfS5_eKkfQn3VqzuIq7LTMI5hEukQdYygrWFRHxPSmOqxnNRQ9ZWINQFaWwwL5uDam9p2M5BhHtB0D3uK4kmc1mPZhyWBmHZ8xSoGBDku__-mWdYzOaYxh7j_qWKT5vURMCepdrBQKHDqkK0SuqZCS3DSaq0PE3WU67LSBwAPhsxNdy58o48Plo5yT6AJ2ZhGyivFAKEmeUIy6Uiy04Q_RP5nyRHCuDCBkm3o9KaQ44-w3aVu3wnto1Td68Ax6-DowjAraGHWfbq-fQjF1YrEBRKfobD0IRmi4DADN_1bU0pt2jme3kgOpj21V7HbkiDBxhAtxV_7Lh7SCr-d4hI1ksjtW0ZkAmafC3CxClsI8fn5l4AAfe-yBzme_UjbL0aIdGJLe7XpH7LGy61mKkKW_9_ea6j7smiQpoasKo2iIqdfxVUtwVbbobdUtYfoPgxr9LGRhg0O3HZsp9savrodnCcUasMsSVUeiHJ2L7JvIsdE159XDMEdLUiNKRyd5Ao4G2q2o07bPyCsmcw=w1032-h770-no)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bZAfXp2H2mWQghkP1uB72I8uQxXRPC6XWbxAwSOFCPOzzXy76WLVwttpevv9J-YcJHKrnUdwgEEdFXluePnnInfKSrRbCjLBVe1MmZe3t2X284G6WwSJOr-G8ewrwwwuUlVZiPIWkaUfsdYP1N4SywFiCam1GkvLUGvXkMvh_gJYDoNTjlPOOLWdKAempHXEQyoByI5PVgILomQT_pIzFUHZlmmf5XJ96Ha38xFm8XkPXOrfOcxfGOTKDdfILdD2PVErP7s3mARRdXsHhYhNoC4v9JQJhP7Wx_pWsQaeJE2jorlCLPNIN8eJwOcM4x7MdIM-7AFjPyVEcN2CfJizvpHpeKjShd4Srt2YNeIlNTVMBlKxyeApcjqg8l7GqE2xMzIGXP-7XcPmrFjfaps6Ip_VjKvbsGtN8Uu_vM_rKv0ynBEN2gDvTJEJww9J4ewmjX1z4MxFBK-UCB484QzivF9VSvKKCSXiQYOCTmiqgQ6t9oYuonyc7th1ySJHNiuwDe2O45ShIhDlHinP8zf22TixoCSImjjW2BZoTvHx6kRHadPttaFIML2gwbKi0TutACMZf778u_RZVmG0V_buKi4DwHDdb5-2tO8Cl8XETEgKb_7lheTB_V9LTA59IZkjhKF0lLS6qolDgVua2VwV9TmJmvk=w1032-h770-no)
pics at the end of the tut (https://goo.gl/photos/Beu8r1dK393w3dKx6)
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Do you (Rubes and Imi, and anyone else) use different colours for the top and bobbin threads?
This is going to be the first time I've machine quilted anything of any size, and I don't want the quilting to stand out as it is inevitably going to be chockful of wobbles.
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Certainly I do ...
In the cot quilt, (now wrapped and ready to go) I have used variegated thread in the lattices and white on the back.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pUGQVEz-unpyeWH7O_dWcooZfcG7rxSnWYETV0FhN3i637Ct0TcjJ4oIvdulBv6rIi7X24-P4lFLruZahT-_DvATDCAqN-OByLQVqgUxSO2t2abM7hCX7obREtXflwmb3opDYGJdT_V9-zof3edNT-KYrYlJXgh5hyPOvngCSBkmUPFiemQjiPLcTVJQzvirvgVUCHk_oQ2H8bmCg6XRjnpWRaGYyHOqHUBsTr0TvCgschnmsEfsIhF_5BIrSKsg81t2eqOlUAiVCiX5EZaklJ_PxRy5p8f4C5r9X941-Tb-DAeT5iCp16zUn20c8FCennKzpoZbT6ikYwttmYYROVQm-d9uXUFEZl1UH0zJvJsSsVrr-EC99Wua7EJhv5rNNRmLqAmclBhQkk5qL8piedWgpnFqvopFOwZX7Jyk7saCX8L6DNWuNaQ26qh5K1JTs88_MUNRFnephXdE2hmFMd-9vN50QQ5x-grU7DsvlHEIhKEHz6Su2Fx6Bwu5V5TdHshC0H32u7dDIooUoAhfHy1TOqE-1NCNE1x-E9uHTEPivhjW9XTPI5HvfSuvkHDTWqqgYqn2cEIWLhRRlOYsJ3GOuKhmS2meg5xl1uLapQQZjRO4yA2Gd7WTmeInr8UMFZhOK3AQaRRdvkWiW1PQirITKDI=w1032-h770-no)
You have to be a bit careful about tension, otherwise your top thread can show through on the back (bad news on a white backing) but you do generally have a tiny pin prick of colour showing (well at least I do) but it certainly not noticeable
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kJQPGPgwaR3VfFPlBlYu51p0MVLTtXpnHa52D-tSkPwTiSzxKeJLWgT0Kf64O-a_gUSArIlKcRvS3sl1kO7qhqKWtidrOivTqtxf4cW_cqPYafpoIM-sa0cbeo7T_ihB7G1M3lQe7v79UheK3JNO3sa6Yr4fxk4Y9m5yUYIME4fmxyrwjvK68mMy5mdngOBTZL-dU5c6ZVQtaufAKQBt_xc2PK8-Dn7r_Je2Mi3IaD0qh-uwdbJqTYCnJPqkPtfZTxohWdq4h3K36a3soxzl84bQIvExl_GHPqV1MiBz_QP-o48en6wEfs-EoDNPIVYg7nji5oqzz3faznA3LOa-USguVTKrD3T5obqtc2Kv83gac5neHCcBftFFDfn-_6fmTKs67UZmaX7qikcqO4Lc5iltoR7tfuPuRjEs5QgwJFz20H0-WHqGspu3FZN9PPcxPYvIQiv1I5rmTxhPSQO-M7WSngN6NfOE_BZmucwhdkS0PVv94aScvC32xbwtxftKfl5zEV90yqLRV4V0Au365-5mNdMJ1wbkEp9tPr99OVOTUhvu7xcFHXfZocweKoLu7DU0tg6q41ZLjz7Yt6xQI7TwMDBu1Qgt0UZ1Vl3z42J_64CAmQg6Ohv69_S8R8Ws56qSw9_w9NnAP1p1m0ei-zRsP3Q=w1032-h770-no)
In the pic above there is a double square of white stitching (with a diagonal run of stitching dissecting it diagonally, underneath the corner of the quilt ) that is variegated on the top, there are pin points of colour but you really cant see them.
linky (https://photos.app.goo.gl/BIPavjADP7jB0iB72)
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I always use the same colour needle and bobbin. I'm a scaredy-sook!!! I try to choose my backing fabric to suit not only my quilt top but also my thread choice. I try to use multi coloured or busy patterned backings....both types are able to hide a multitude of quilting woopsies and thread colours! I did do one quilt ages ago with different coloured threads in the top and bottom and hated the little dots of colour I got through. No matter how hard you try, as Im says, often you will get dots even if your tension is fine.
(Errrr, BTW Im..dots? .....in your pictures? Ha!.....I see no dots in your gorgeous quilt my fine feathered friend :loveit:....cripes, now I can show you dots that would make you shake your head and tut tut! :()
Another thing to consider is the weight of your thread. A thicker weight thread will stand out more in your quilting whereas a thinner/finer thread will blend into your patchwork. If you're planning to do dense quilting, perhaps a thinner thread would look better? Once again, your choice, your preference.
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I hand quilt so thread is always the same ..Perle no 8
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I sometimes use different colours for top thread and bobbin, but as Imi said you do have to be careful to get the tension just right. You still get a little dot of one colour coming through (which irritates the hell out of me :devil:) but there doesn't seem to be anything you can do about this. :S In the past I've spent more time trying to adjust the tension to get it spot-on than I have on the actual quilting - crazy, I know. :\
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Setting tension is definitely not my favourite thing, and as I'm talking about white and deepish blue, I think I'd better start looking for a blue and white batik-y backing fabric so that I can quilt in white all over. I've seen some extra wide batiks somewhere (online) in the past few days, but I don't think there was a blue and white.
It's frustrating, because I have a blue and white batik that I was thinking of using for the binding, but I don't have enough for the backing - and I've had it for a very long time, so very little chance of getting any more.
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Is there enough of your backing to piece it around a block or some such?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VQgBGzZUoujj6Jb1ZokhBrf9WTWrvKCIDhtV2KEeQStF-wcRuNy5BoFAlVZT1vWZNLYSy_ycbOr29KIhN22vGqAB3gaGUv-6PP6zaIRuGiedGXKu6oMH5YMCrHbZrvs9ajdFCOd2zo0D5dzF-EqmPL6_JXG_NrOavWlvKHPKzROak9lAPsIU_Pu1WJHSsnZAwtdPyll0ryO9m-i6crAdtBMr7p20A8gXtvuFRCpXauaR2H2mvtheBDuFGWZQR634bGfHWsV0NPNY-HiC91M61HJXu5zBQlPmsjiIYJixaKzOiBv2RvDkl_sTDqQhFSvVs9bQZ9Kk4mLH1BW5rJCXxMDGJ4JxMSB7tL5Ip_7tajBHJZ5S9IBhz5TONDxTadnUMCAwItF1nVULS7Ey-aJTunNbneKFenwDX5LWQb6cHepORzctQEShOyldUK5rMJrW7hJJh7qt-oqkt6zahnzdjkhSMc14-tl4MJT1x75fIaXFqbETKrYbEaCzpJL24tv8hu78cw28U2VCwjQsFoRs11OIXJzVNTeedvf4Zy-fIhT3wHXKzRbHyIpyTf6NpL_qxhByuhEvvy7X_UcYP15vdINhHrdBlJNN0_SF6OeCRyP2b7QJaks4bUpkWCMt4PsBWWsPxnVwClJjf_fFTKSVHJ2ciC0=w577-h770-no)
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That is an interesting idea - and, of course, there is the quillow pocket to do, which could have something else inside/underneath it. I will measure it properly and do some sums.
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I have done about half the piecing (which is very good going considering what else I've had to do this last week or so!) Maybe a picture later when my phone has charged.
I have made it a little larger than I intended (I am very bad at making quilts small), and as it needs to be able to fit into its pocket, and also needs to be quite lightweight, I am going to use polyester wadding. Can anyone tell me what weight is appropriate for a fairly thin quilt? Is 2oz so thin that it's not worth it?
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I've used Soft and Bright polyester wadding (from Cotton Patch) for the few quilts I've done. It's lightweight, not too thick or bulky but really warm. I've looked on a bag but there's no weight.
For my last one I used a Hobbs polyester one just because that's what the site I had the backing fabric from sold. It isn't a patch on the Soft and Bright which is a nice, even thickness without wrinkles.
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2oz is the standard weight for quilting. If you want thin polyester, you could try Thermore, otherwise any regular all cotton
or 80/20 will do.
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Thanks DOB - I've always bought it in a real shop before, and never paid any attention to the weight.
Thanks Plosh - the Hobbs one is the one I was about to buy, so that's very timely!
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@Acorn I cheated with my (as yet unfinished) quillow and used a little fleece throw/baby blanket which just happened to come in the perfect size. About 150 x 120cm ish. If you really want to cut corners you can use it as a backing instead. ie just two layers and not three as your normal sandwich would be. (I'm looking at you SIL!!!) :ninja:
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Well, I have competed the piecing and sewn on the borders, and I'm pretty pleased so far. I am just about ready to make the sandwich and get quilting... and I'm terrified! It's a very long time since I quilted anything large by machine, and then it was pretty basic.
While I love the all-over quilting done on the quilt shown on the pattern, in the interests of simplicity (and my sanity) I think I would like to do something that follows the zig-zags, so I am effectively doing a strip or so at a time, with a bit more control over where I'm going.
I also have to bear in mind that the pillow pocket on the back needs stitching on with straight lines, and I really don't want to spoil the appearance of the top (although that is negotiable - I would like it to be a quillow, but I can live with missing off the pocket in the interests of appearance!)
What would you experienced and wise quilters suggest?
Here is a fairly poor picture of the quilt sitting on my ironing board as a reminder.
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refresh my memory as to the final size Acorn ?!
Why not hand-sew the pocket on after the quilting and binding is complete?
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72" x 84" (ish)
I can't believe I didn't think of adding the pocket by hand... I finish almost everything I do by hand! Thank you!
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Ok that's pretty big so KISS.
Echo quilt the chevrons with either
A) Quilt straight lines down through the chevrons and echo quilt the chevrons in the background
or
B) Quilt straight lines through the background and echo quilt the chevrons in the chevrons
or
C) Use an elongated width of Serpentine stitch on your machine through the background or through the chevrons.
Resetting each time you start a new line of quilting so the serpentine stitch is parallel with the stitched line before.
Clear as mud????
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Mmm yes - moderately gloopy mud.
So echo stitching is following the line of the chevrons either down the middle of the chevrons or down the middle of the white bits? (Or both?)
And serpentine stitching would be basically doing the same but with a wiggly stitch? (See, I know all the technical terms...)
It wasn't meant to turn out this big. This always happens to my quilts. It's going to make one hell of a pillow!
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Echo stitching is following the line of the piecing at a uniform distance ... usually the width of a walking foot (makes it easy!)
You can echo stitch as much as you want ...
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TUo0UrigSWeAzx-1RD6rVMGj59dwdmGEuvZCu8rKg_csDYaZbFK0bywkloJTB0XFJEABrW8woAuqNjihDRSf5WYTaxxYJjnZdJZYRq0_LUBIQ4NIdYohmzaUgg7ACC0WGYlKrfACejSPvyHUJJEBAryxUVWgXPDc3V-Hvj8PxsudKsceCE-lyzE-HpzpKXKYZ-sgapjEETY_JUTRR498WJda2WQNP-soX2nJFU3znIdELRZDjHi-pfGX9UDN83j5Im7sPvo438eYEdC3QBtTFBEcHt-CYKi-evEolUbVSosC5nDFXJWvkr_sKxbifvjGaEQqfSqTg4ic3XcT8qKR60S9v9tBgkP8AzhvdMMcj3hjDBSB-AYV-gjzdKkwgmTVlJPhRN4sREYak73Q0v7k5Z43FfGzaj43c34FkEhy5VziPzqTQ8sKZi1EZpv3EzYmXZauhcvAOfyHuN5lxHnlmdZ7wnGdNFgPh6K425ZCq0YEUaKDew-bRrCVQTADwt0pNkd25wNJQwk9qhR0O3-ucbfEp0A3lUJ6iSndja_ZOp419gd7dhN2W-ldkzKblzFlmln_dlk46ffN-zVl1ER3vjS2hco0fR_4PE9uDl2gBAZy6mPmP3IbRFvcdNED7D0D2CWDbGD0hLWxhXXG7wD4laedh8g=w1050-h788-no)
Serpentine stitch can usually be altered in width to its widest setting. If when you start a new line you reset it (as you would the first time), it will reset itself to starting position therefore echoing perfectly the previously stitched line.
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Thank you!
I think the serpentine stitch goes nicely with the sea theme. And it validates buying my new machine, because my Pfaff doesn't seem to have it and my Husqvarna doesn't have an extension table ;)
I'll have a practice.
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That's a beautiful quilt....can't wait to see how you quilt it. I like the idea of the serpentine stitch to keep "in theme". Do keep in mind the quilting distance your batting will require as a minimum.
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Good point - I know it's with the details of the batting, but I can't remember it offhand.
Having practised with the serpentine stitch my machine doesn't seem to be resetting to the same point each time. I'll keep on trying, but I may have to accept it being a bit irregular. :[
It's also skipping stitches on the right hand curve when it's set to the sidest setting, but as I don't think I want it that wide, that isn't much of a problem. Still annoys me though.
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Really looking forward to seeing it finished Acorn....such a pretty, breezey quilt. :) What thread colour have you settled on?
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Post a pic(s) of your practice pieces !
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White thread, Ruby - and I've just realised that I need to get some quilting thread.
Possibly, Im, but only when they've got beyond their current state! I'm going to interrogate the Husqvarna to see if it has a serpentine stitch that is easier to control - I'll deal with the lack of extension table later, if necessary.
Mind you, last time I started investigating extension tables for the Husqvarna I ended up with a new sewing machine... oh dear...
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Mind you, last time I started investigating extension tables for the Husqvarna I ended up with a new sewing machine... oh dear...
Sounds perfectly logical to me 0_0
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Sod's Law!! :angry:
I have three main sewing machines. Two are supposed to be specifically quilting machines, and these two have extension tables. However, of these, one does not have a serpentine stitch, or anything like it, and the other does, but is skipping stitches at random (I have re-threaded top and bottom 3 times and tried at all different tensions - I can make it worse but not better).
The third machine, however, does a beautiful serpentine stitch with no trouble whatsoever (once I'd got the dual feed foot on correctly). But no extension table. Not without spending £77.
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I use the curved extension table (https://www.sewessential.co.uk/husqvarna-viking-extension-table-with-adjustable-guide-920361096?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIga_YtrG82wIVVPhRCh0UQwHSEAQYAyABEgKYffD_BwE) on my Husqvarna and find it well worth the money (well, not exactly my money as I got it as a present). The curved edge seems to make it easier to move the quilt so it doesn't get stuck as much as it did with a flat table.
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Until I got the extension table for my machine, I used to arrange a selection of books/boxes to the correct height and cover them with a piece of oilcloth to help with the slipperyness. It actually had it's advantages over an extension table in that it could be made large enough to cover the entire surface area of my sewing table and stored away easily on various bookshelves :D
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That's an excellent idea - no shortage of books around here either!
I just had a moan to Mr Acorn about it, and he took me out to the workshop, found a spare piece of kitchen worktop and an old curtain pole (for legs), and is going to make me one. :D I'm now working out the best size/weight ratio (worktop is heavy!)
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I rarely use my extension table as I too find the quilt gets stuck on the edge ! :angry:
Books are a well known solution.
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My extension table is on the machine at all times and has been since the day I set up the machine
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Yay to Mr.Acorn jumping to the rescue! How exciting getting a new table....won't you feel posh! 0_0 Mr.Ruby made me a ginormous sewing table from a panel of kitchen bench stuff that he ahem, stumbled upon, ahem, in the kitchen factory next door to his work factory. He is a welder so he whacked a metal frame together and hey ho........gigantic table complete with inset for sewing machine and miles of room behind and to the left of the machine. It is a dream to work at.
So..."onward McDuff"...get thee to quilting!
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Heh - it's just an extension table he's making, although it will be fairly large and extremely solid. I already have two sewing tables and the dining table, or I would suggest a nice table with a recess for the machine... better not give him any ideas, because there really is nowhere to put it... hmm... >< ;)
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I have set up the machine. I have practiced the quilting stitch. I have sandwiched the quilt. I have no more excuses for procrastination (other than possibly going out for the day...)
I am going to quilt with a serpentine stitch, horizontally, about 3 inches apart. The curves of the sewing won't be in line because my machine doesn't want to do that, but the effect on my practice piece was nicer without anyway - very sea-like.
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Go Girl, you and me both Arch Procrastinators!!!
I'll get on with the Village, you get on with the Sea!
Pics at the weekend ?
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*whimper*
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We're still on for this ... arent we @Acorn ????? :devil:
Cos I'm onto boats and balloons today, which is what I've been putting off since forever because of the scale.
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There will be, @Iminei !! Boats and balloons sound wonderful! 0_0
I have quilted!!!! My extension table is wonderful, but my harp space is not big enough. The middle bit was a nightmare. Some bits had to be undone. But it's amazing how little the bad bits show when you stand back from it...
I think my next quilt will be done in two pieces - I don't want to do the full QAYG thing, but I reckon 2 or 4 pieces could work and, just possibly, save what is left of my sanity.
My binding (actually in one with the borders) is pinned and just waiting to be sewn down by hand, but I didn't feel like sitting under a quilt last night. I have been dreaming abut how the quillow pocket is to attach.
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I don't want to do the full QAYG thing, but I reckon 2 or 4 pieces could work
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QWMNhpefeZhWwFAf-3SaHfOvftvWtRflfIpAD8hmFjuaUU9bNKnJ5riCBzdinmNh4xA8xLAiL9zIt-jfZcdkG30qsLchCVq5WAUOrtyv0Lbp20lJJpttoqgYzthZT3trW-cxYorw4GljM7Wbj6ja0zDa-XGtgC22ci74tIWRs8sxJ2_PV3ax7MxU1teixzJFT7QlSPcy3BHxExtdMAdUFZR1wew16sH1mLEYSRIUenbW4o-FoO-ITQ6P3oy200fulyPkhCMPK0_Q5oMZGkN4xOKpYziBQeCmTSIiP3cikGDj6vz5ZagiFq9k-uQSD2w4w62iAU6V0WhLbpbxY9XGyQMayTMndGJTfh__229HSSB2QF2SXxLP0zemBis2M8Z8o0xl-o-dcsr0Gxkb5Qx8nwoSbyHZudy8h9PuZIalYd91TnzJSnZt8rjd5LjxGapE2eSqI2ShazSDS-4M2xHIJFikPRXEPlpf3nyAfm9farHJhJ7qwoJYrEAL4ahEb5JeNrYlODAg8CLf4Ec3MNDtoqqXXVV7xNpfFPYdhB3cnRVMzDOsf4ib7TlbkHdcFPd5a2pK0wHa9g9nGDVULDwKB8-sehmqo9WZuzAvZ3iVENFp2xji6mPc0zws4JgbXTZO-WLGXORjvRTkoCznj_dDq6pv8tM=w387-h291-no)
The HSTathon was QAYG in 3 pieces ....
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_IB5b4NRdoaG1K58xgUL0fJwL-x1kGI9FeiOanP5X7megpzfhHbLL9EC4GqCR72dB2rJy__nDJVo8ydGNEo93_xdxdznYoRtxr34Mb2ipHoFYXnBs-lMe9wSdZzfhCRMYktCjYU6bpAm5A1UCkwSjJiuor7dwFLkDNKPl6Ae-aqb2jrTy68uKlLX3_uV9Cy7Gb-dDwlvTP9bLw3dV-BoKg2xliuCOlHTwUo0G6pBgyrHCjMOBvVSJmyrlOGdhqMwDbKAxQCEzEzb95prSUOYUziOkphcRv75Ada3iUVbD1yGo-dVDKxWsjgraHZcRIIBTsjH96qYdkIrY2l5Yt4_hzmnwpJdvsUA-NuCVR2ahgAftICsqLdpmY5J7pte8DLX-zuO2XzfgpMBl3ATVFL5I3iDQgfqFm36vhtKpHmB-O4W76jUojZHBlLOnvhJAG6jDdb1EOJExolg4BCC0HHCrCD-pkyhLQA1FKP6tp88pd9v2T0ErwagGvHfqAKI3HNlTzL__NZ4pB1LuKiwZB8oQ4HZZn89Uqh57jbNGCqAhoSRDxHIxtX2wjfCT-e_lvcYAu9TPutbClvHii8nUW51EISAuuh6gXibDtfxO4e58JlG3cuuuFwDow_CMLEsDRwGm6wCSZNQDOA-MF6coTmzGb_-GBU=w552-h733-no)
But you have to choose the right blocks/pattern
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I think my next quilt will be done in two pieces - I don't want to do the full QAYG thing, but I reckon 2 or 4 pieces could work
Do it in strips - and at least three. Don't do four 'quarters' or just two 'halves' because that would still mean machining right down the middle of the quilt.
Decide what is a comfortable width to manoever through your machine remembering that if you do it Imi's way with sashing strips you will have a full strip to the right when you are top stitching the sashing, or if you do it without sashing you will be quilting the width of the strip and an inch or so onto the previous one.
When I did the big wedding pressie quilt, IIRC, the blocks were 10" x 10" and I quilted it in 20" strips.
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Pics @BrendaP Pics!!!! before and after assembly!
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You know I don't take that many photos, I just get on and do it! I have managed to find four though.
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The blocks assembled
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Two of the borders
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Four strips ready to QAYG
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The finished quilt.
The full saga of the making of it is at
https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,1589.0.html (http://)
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Looooving it, as per usual!
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Brenda...I remember when you did this one....just stunning, very effective.
Come on Acorn....pics please :)
Boats and balloons Im? What a wonderful world you're creating :)
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It is finished... including the pillow pocket. All ready to go on holiday with us on Monday.
Here it is (the colours are much nicer than this shows, but the only tidy bedroom has yellow wallpaper, and it's interfering with the camera.) The colours alternate between blue and turquoise.
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And here it is as a pillow:
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And this photo shows the pillow pocket on the back. Seriously, it does.
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Fanbloodytastic Acorn, FBT!!!
But how does the back work ????
In the 2nd pic, is the white fabric the back of the quilt???
in the 3rd pic it looks like the back is that fab turquoise batik ???
Confused ?? (you will be!, does anyone remember that tagline from the US comedy, Soap, Billy Crystals big break???)
Sorry tangent! Ooops!
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I love that Acorn. I fancy doing a couple for our caravan. I'd never come across quillows before you started on yours.
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Fabulous Acorn, so glad that you enjoyed making this, and now it is all ready to accompany you on its first outing in the caravan. Heaven forbid that you get some cold nights, but when and if you do at least this will help keep you warm and cosy without weighing a ton.
Now I am the one that got Acorn interested in the Quillow in the first place, and with help from Imi and Acorn they managed to put up some photos of my Quillow. I should add that I did not make my Quillow, my sister who lives in Canada did and the poppy patterned fabric is all one piece of fabric with a black backing. This Quillow is extremely light and folds up easily into the pocket on the back which then turns out and shows the poppy fabric so looks like a cushion – just right for caravanning. Also it is surprising just what warmth comes from such a lightweight Quillow. I will often go and have a sleep during the day laying on top of a made bed and just throw my Quillow over the top of me and I am warm and cosy, I also use it a lot in the winter just thrown over my half of the bed and it is surprising just what a difference it makes – two duvets together as in ‘four seasons duvets’ are really too heavy, and this just bridges the difference.
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Yes - thanks are most definitely due to Elnnina, and her sister. :) I suspect we will be lying on top of our sleeping bags with just the quilt as covering next week. That's one thing I love about quilts - they can add extra warmth when it's hot, or provide a cool covering when it isn't.
@Iminei - the white fabric is just the duvet cover that's on the bed underneath. The turquoise is the backing of the quilt. I've (roughly) outlined the pocket on the back, which is there in the third picture (above), but pretty much invisible:
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The pocket is sewed down round three sides, and open on the long turquoise side.
You lie the quilt down, backing downwards, and fold each side over the centre, so that it is three thicknesses deep.
Then you fold it down from the top (the pocket being at the bottom) until the folded quilt is roughly the size of the pocket, and the pocket is underneath all the layers.
Then you turn the pocket inside out so that it encloses the whole quilt.
The middle picture on my previous post shows the whole quilt folded into the pocket to make the pillow. I am astonished at how small it has gone!
I've probably made my pocket a bit smaller than is ideal - the pillow is very firm - but I want to be able to have it out in our very small caravan without it taking up too much space. Mr Acorn is fairly brutal with cushions, but i reckon this one could fight back.
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@Acorn ... you are sooooo clever!!!
Blooming well done and I hope Mr A appreciates this joyous thing!
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Gorgeous, Acorn! :loveit:
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@Acorn it is just lovely......very "sea-ish" :) you've done such a lovely job :toast:
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Beautiful Acorn! Are you taking orders?
Jessie
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@Acorn - I'm catching up on lots of threads and have only just seen this. Your quillow is gorgeous - I love the colours and the simplicity of the design which allows the beautiful fabrics to shine. <3
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This is beautiful, @Acorn ! Am in awe (well, am always in awe of what quilters can achieve). Years ago I made a quillow out of just polar fleece for a friend's son just off to university - he still uses it <3 hmm, now I'm thinking I could do with some for round here....... definitely not going to The Dark Side though, absolutely no patience and zero notion of colours :[