I've really been wanting to do some hand quilting.
I don't have air conditioning so it gets rather warm sitting under a quilt here in the summer so I usually work on smaller projects in my time off from the paying job and working in the garden and playing with grandkids.
Lately, there's been some cooler evenings and I've noticed more than an occasional country breeze. And so I decided to take advantage of some of those occasions by getting this quilt, Petunias, ready for hand quilting.
I'm not quite sure yet how this is all going to be quilted. I do have some ideas. First, I'm starting with the octagonal rings and quilting about 1/4 inch away from both the inner and outer seams in pink hand quilting thread. We I shall see how that looks and go from there.
Now my husband asked why I would go to all the trouble to hand quilt something that is so busy.
"Good question", I say.
"If I don't care about quilting each section of each block in a different way or in a way that requires too many starts and stops and turning of the quilt this way and that then I use my DSM and quilt a quilt in an overall pattern of spirals or flowers or leaves or lines or whatever. Otherwise, I hand quilt."
"Hmmm", he says.
Slow Stitching Sunday...where others have been itchin' to do some hand stitchin'.
7 comments:
Oh I so agree with you! That is why I liked the spiral quilting on my domestic machine you can just keep going! If your going to have to start and stop too many time you might as well hand quilt. I always seem to go for big stitching on busy fabrics so the stitches are still visable.
Love all these colors. And I agree about the all-over quilting on a busy quilt.
I have never hand quilted a quilt before, I dont even know where to start, do you have to spray baste or just pin baste it? You start in the middle? I am just learning EPP, doing a "plus" quilt...yours looks amazing as usual!
I love your petunias!
I've machine quilted a couple of baby quilts (the kind that would get a lot of washing and hard use), and made several QAYG Log Cabins back in the day, but I started my quilting career hand quilting and I'm still more comfortable doing it that way. If I really love a quilt, I want to hand quilt it.
Great reasoning!
A lady I know does hand quilting all year long. She doesn't have A/C either. Instead she lays the bulk of the quilt on a table and quilts with a hoop. She then place a fan on the floor so she get the air to circulate. I guess if there is a will there is a way.
Exactly! A quilter understands exactly what you are saying!
ENjoy your hand quilting!
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