It’s been a few weeks since the Intro to Hand Work class finished and I miss it. I really enjoyed the freedom of sewing without a sewing machine. It meant that the class group was able to sit around the large table, chatting and working away at the same time. It also meant I was able work on my project when I was on transit or sitting in bed late at night.
We basted our final sawtooth star blocks with a layer of batting and a muslin backing, just like a mini quilt. I kept my quilting design very simple, echoing the shape of the patchwork lines. It’s cool to see the hand quilting pattern from the reverse side. I used both a round quilting hoop and a square Q-Snap frame when doing this project. I like having the flexibility to switch between the circular and square frame as I choose.
Hand quilting is amazing. I just love the way the it looks. When I see it, I unrealistically want every quilt I make to be hand quilted. The slightly uneven quality of the stitches is so charming.
Turning this one block into a pillow was so incredibly satisfying because the entire project was completed within just one month. It seems a big feat, compared to the ongoing quilt projects I have that are a year or more in the making.
I chose to use the turquoise powerlines on grey print from Repeat for the back of the pillow. It couldn’t be more perfect. I love everything about this graphic pillow. I’m so proud of it!
I’m pondering my next hand piecing/quilting project and think it’s about time I did an English Paper Pieced pillow. I created this gallery with some of my inspirations.
I took a look today and realized that I never posted my finished quilt top and quilt back for my Double Wedding Ring Quilt. I’m not sure how that happened. I love looking at this quilt, the colour combination still delights me. For the backing I used the submarine print from Tula Pink’s Neptune collection and then scrapped together the leftovers from the border and the rings.
It’s amazing how quilting projects can stretch out in time. When I started making this double wedding ring quilt, I thought I’d be done in no time. What on earth was I thinking? I was able to put the entire thing together and get it basted during the four week class. I was undecided about the quilting though. I machine quilted around the blocks and then debated if I should continue on the machine or try to hand quilt. I couldn’t decide, so I took a ‘break’ from the project instead.
In the meantime, I’ve been working on hand quilting my queen-sized quilt. Slowly. I am getting better, at least. My stitches are not perfect or even, but at least they are shorter. I’ve been experimenting with using the small little inbetween needles and I’m now using the smallest ones – size 12. In the beginning I did not understand the purpose of these teeny tiny needles, but now I’ve seen the difference in stitch length it can make.
The other night, I decided to figure out just how far along I was. When I realized that I was only about a third of the way done, I was slightly crushed. At this rate, it’s going to be a quite some time before i take my last stitch on this quilt.
Soooo.. I’m switching gears and bringing out my Double Wedding Ring quilt. When I took a look at it over the weekend, I realized that I could quite possibly hand quilt this in a relatively short time. (compared to a queen-sized) So, I’m going to do my very best to finish this quilt soon. (using my typical loose definition of ’soon’)
I have finally assembled all my ingredients for hand quilting. My thread arrived the other day – it’s a Valdani Hand Dyed Variegated cotton thread. The colour is called Silver Foam. I really love variegated threads. Why just have one thread colour, when you could have thread colour that changes as you sew? It’s way more fun.
Johanna recommended Thread Heaven which is a thread conditioner and protectant. Besides reducing hand fatigue and preventing tangling and fraying, it is acid free and perfect for machine or hand sewing. I have always used beeswax for coating thread and apparently this can have negative effects on both the thread and the piece you’re working on. Thread Heaven sounds dreamy and apparently is awesome for bookbinding, beading and embroidery too. I’ll report back with my review, but I’ve got it in the shop if you’re wanting to try it out yourself!
I’m also trying out a Q-Snap frame (17″ x 17″) for the first time. It’s a square frame that is really easy to assemble and won’t give you hoop wrinkles. I really like the square shape, especially since I’m hand quilting straight lines. I’ve also got a leather thimble, but may need to get a metal one instead. As for needles, I plan on trying the little short ‘in-betweens’ and regular needles and see what feels good to me. Considering how much time this part of the project is going to take me, surely I’m going to form some clear opinions to share with you shortly. I’ll take any hand quilting tips that you might want to share with me. I have no idea what I’m doing!
I just noticed that this my 101st post. What?! Wow, that kinda snuck up on me.
