Here it is, Annette's Quilt is Done!
This photo cuts off the binding, but it's the same chestnut colored fabric as the 1st border.
Here's a closeup of the edge of the quilt showing the binding:
This is a closeup of the quilt center:
And a closeup of a corner:
Can't wait for Annette to see it!!
Do you get quilter's block? You know, the 'How do I quilt this?" syndrome? We all have those moments at one time or other; we've finished that beautiful quilt top that took so much time and creativity that when it's time to quilt it, we're either afraid to ruin it, or maybe just not sure what type of quilting is best.
Quilters vary in what is comfortable to them as far as the actual quilting process, but in general, what type of quilting you do depends on your skill level, the type of quilt and it's intended use. To begin, I look at how the quilt will ultimately be used. In this case, Annette's quilt is intended to be used often, so I want the quilting to be evenly spaced throughout for better wear and tear purposes. Dense quilting in some areas and light or none in others won't do here. So, freehand or pantograph is my next question. I am comfortable with and enjoy doing both types. In the end, I decided on a pantograph because it would wear the best, and would be done fairly quickly. Also, we just got in some beautiful new pantograph designs and I had been eager to try them out.
Well, 2 1/2 hours later, quilting was done! Gotta love those pantographs! And, this one has some lovely curls and feathery sections. It enhances the quilt without taking centerstage; just what I was going for! All that's left is binding and label! Finished pictures next time!-Dora
Well, this has been a great summer so far! Dora and I have been very busy lately. In the past few years we have joined 4 local quilt guilds and each one of them have some sort of a challenge to complete over the summer. The last couple of days I have been working on one that we were supposed to make something out of some "ugly" fabric we got from a game we played at one of the meetings. I liked some of the fabric I got. Fortunately, it was the largest piece from the 4 that I had gotten so I thought it would be a good idea to make a purse. I used the fabric that I liked on the outside (the yellow fabric) and the real "ugly" fabric on the inside as pockets and a stabilizer for the bottom of the purse. It's a little bright for me, but I really like the size and think it came out pretty nice.
Annette's Quilt With Borders
Did you ever plan to use a particular fabric in your quilt and then run out halfway through? Well, I had a small problem with that on this quilt. I used this lovely chestnut brown fabric in 8 blocks in the center of the quilt and planned on using it again for the first and smallest border. The color just framed out the quilt center and worked perfectly on EQ6. Of course I didn't realize I was so short on fabric, and did not have enough to make even a 1 inch border. Darn!
What to do? Of course I went directly to my stash to see what else would work, but I didn't have anything close enough to the chestnut brown color I really wanted, and any other color I chose just didn't seem to work as well. I had my heart set on that fabric, so it was hard to change gears. Well, my local quilt store was the next stop; that's usually a good way to go. If you need help matching, they are usually a great resource, plus they know their inventory. As luck would have it, I was able to find a great substitute, and it was on sale! Can't beat that!
Back in business, I was able to add the borders to the quilt and the top is now DONE!
Now it's ready for quilting!!
I love to get to this stage! I have joined all the rows together and the entire quilt center is complete. All that's left is to add the borders.
Here's the quilt without borders-What do you think?
I'm very happy with it and can't wait to see the finsihed quilt top with borders attached. I use borders as often as possible; I think they really finish off the quilt. In this case I'm using some of the focus fabric (which I really love!) in the final border and can't wait to see how it all looks!