Blogger's Quilt Festival - Hand Quilting

Double Wedding Ring

70 x 85

Started Feb 2013

Finished Apr 2014

First attempt at hand quilting.

A wedding quilt for my granddaughter's hope chest. She's 9. 

Previous post about quilt. 

I learned a lot in the making of this quilt. It was a challenge that, quite frankly, I didn't feel I was up to.   The piecing of the quilt with all it's curves and different type of construction (no even rows) was the first challenge.  The second was the hand quilting.  I had to try different types of thimbles before I found the one that worked for me.  I had to learn the proper "rocking motion" in order to get smaller, even stitches so I first stitched in the ditch around all the arch pieces. 

I used a template and experimented with different marking methods until I found chalk worked best for me with the templates I used. 

I'm pleased with the results of my first attempt and will definitely be doing more hand quilting in the future. 

I hope I'm still alive when it comes time for my granddaughter to receive her wedding quilt but if I'm not I will be at her wedding in spirit. 

And so that is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival - Hand Quilting category.  I would like to encourage you to try hand quilting. It's very relaxing after you get over the initial fears. I didn't think I could do it.  I can't believe I did it. 

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I Can't Believe I Made This!

70 x 85

Double Wedding Ring

Hand Quilted

I started this in February 2013. 

I finished it last night. 

The Back Story:  Isabelle (a.k.a.  Izzy or Belle or Bellarina), one of my granddaughters,  is 9 years old now. Several times in the last few years she has told me I'm going to live at least long enough to attend her wedding. Maybe she knows something I don't know. I hope she's not getting married for a long, long time!

On January 14, 2013 a driver talking on a cell phone ran a red light and hit me broadside - $6,000 worth of damage to the car. I tried to turn out of the path of the collision and came about an inch from hitting another car head on. I was not hurt - just shook up a little. 

After that my granddaughter's words came back to me...that I would live long enough to attend her wedding.   That got me to thinking I should start on a wedding quilt for her, finish it and store it away. That way...if I'm not able to attend her wedding I will be there in spirit.

Over the years Isabelle's favorite colors have switched between red and purple.  So, the color palette for her quilt that I chose was red, purple and blue. The idea to use yellow for the background came from a comment someone left on one of my blog posts when I was showing off my arches at the beginning of the process. 

Izzy's paternal grandmother passed away in June 2013 at the age of 58 which made me more aware than ever of my own mortality and has seemed to make more urgent my need to leave something of myself behind. 

My eyes aren't always functioning properly so I see a few arches where the fabrics are wrong side up or a couple of arches where a wrong piece of fabric was used. 

That shows it was made by me and that I'm not perfect. It also shows that little imperfections do not take away from overall beauty. 

This is my first experience with plain old-fashioned hand quilting. I learned a lot - how to bury knots, the "rocking motion", how to use a thimble, what thimble I liked best, how to make smaller and smaller stitches. I was frustrated many times but determined to overcome all the challenges. 

I now have to figure out how I'm going to store it away until a very special wedding day. 

I'm not anxious for my grandkids to grow up and get married. It may be stored away for a very long time. 

I can't get any good photos of the hand quilting. I used templates on several sections. 

 After a washing the quilt is so crinkly soft. 

A nickname we have for Isabelle is Bellerina - she loves to sing and dance.  I found this 1930s reproduction Ballerina fabric and just had to include it in her quilt for a little fun. 

I can't believe I made this.

It was a lot of work but all worth it for a very special person. 

I have two more grandchildren. Hmmmm.....

If I have any stitching time today, Slow Stitching Sunday, I'll probably be trying to catch up on my crazy quilting projects.  

Slow Stitching? 

Join the virtual sewing bee - Slow Stitching Sunday - at Kathy's Quilts. 

I Can See the Finish Line!

I've been hand quilting a  Double Wedding Ring for my granddaughter, Isabelle, who is only 9. After her paternal grandmother died two years ago Isabelle told me I would at least live until her wedding.  I decided to make a quilt for her hope chest so I could be there in spirit if not in body. 

This has been my first attempt at hand quilting with quilting thread.    Within the last couple of weeks I finished quilting the center of the rings. I used a stencil and marked with blue tailor's chalk which is slowly disappearing on its own. 

I first stitched in the ditch around the rectangles in the arches in order to practice the hand stitching and making even stitch lengths.   Then I used a stencil with hearts to mark and stitch each of the squares where the melons meet.  Then I stitched the centers. And now...

I'm stitching inside the melons about 1/4 inch from the seam line. I probably should mark the stitching line but I haven't and I'm almost finished with stitching all those centers.   I think I have about 4-5 left which I hope to finish some time today, Slow Stitching Sunday.    And then I will try to figure out what to stitch in the four corners.   And then I will try to find where I put the rest of the background fabric so I can make binding.  And then, next Slow Stitching Sunday, you may see me stitching on binding! 

Are you doing any hand work today?  If so, join our virtual Slow Stitching Sunday sewing bee. 

Hand Quilting Izzy's Wedding Quilt

Last weekend in between playing games with the grandkids and each evening after work I did some hand- quilting on a Double Wedding Ring quilt I made for my granddaughter's hope chest.  I finished all the four square patches with some hearts. 

Sorry for the lousy blurry pic today. My hands are a little stiff this afternoon. 

And now I'm working on the center sections.   I thought I was being a little ambitious with this stencil since this quilt is my first attempt at hand quilting so saved the center sections for last. 

I decided to mark the quilt with chalk. I was a little nervous about using any of the newer products for marking since this quilt will be stored away until my granddaughter gets married. She's only 9 years old now.   

I have two center sections finished and hope to finish off more tonight not that the grandkids went home. 

 The grandkids were here again this weekend and they sure love to play games. My 5 year old grandson feels left out when the two nine year old girls go off to play dolls so he helped me organize the pins in my pincushion by color and sorted through the buttons in my button tin and put his favorite buttons in a baggie. 

And, yes, I do notice that there is a mismatched piece in the arch on the left. Don't know how that happened but that's the way it is and the way it will stay. 

This is how the quilt top looked before I did any quilting. I want to get it finished before the summer months. I hand stitch on smaller projects in the summer since I don't have air-conditioning. A bit quilt on the lap in mid summer is not good. 

Are you doing some hand-stitching? Join the party at Kathy's Quilts - Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Izzy's Wedding Quilt

I'm making this Double Wedding Ring quilt for my granddaughter who is only 9.  After her paternal grandmother died last year she told me I would live long enough to see her get married. I hope I do but if not I'll be there in spirit. 

Just last night I finished hand quilting along all the seams in all the pieces in the arches.  I think there are 98 arches with 11 pieces each so that's a lot of stitching.  I did the stitch-in-the-ditch  so I could practice hand quilting before I stitched in any of the areas that would really show my novice stitches.  So far I have learned to use a thimble, how to do the "rocking" motion, how to hoop the quilt, how to bury knots and built up a callous on the finger I keep underneath the quilt.  I may not have the smallest stitches but I I think I keep them pretty consistently the same size. 

Here's what the back looks like so far. 

In the four patch sections I'm going to try to stitch some hearts like this template. I'm having a little problem marking the quilt. I tried a silver pencil but it doesn't show up well enough for my eyes and besides, I couldn't keep the pencil sharp.  Good thing is that I could easily remove the marks I did manage to make with a little water.  I'm going to try a mechanical pencil next. That's what I use on my crazy quilt stitching if I need to mark anything. 

And after that I'm going to try to stitch this in the large middle sections. I may be a little ambitious with this. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts. 

Potpourri of Hand Stitching Projects

I'm still working on hand quilting this Double Wedding Ring. I'm stitching in the ditch around the rectangles in the arches  in order to get some practice stitching. before I attempt anything in the center areas.  There are 98 arches in this quilt so I think I will be at this for awhile. 

I need to finish stitching down the binding on this 72 x 90 quilt.  I hope to finish that before end of day so I can get it washed and dried today also. I live out in the country where the electricity is expensive. We get a lower rate on the weekends so we try to get our laundry done on weekends to save money. (In the summer we hang laundry outside to dry.) 

I finished 6 more butterflies and need to cut more to work on tonight and little bit each night after work and dinner.  I need to count how many I have left to do.  I THINK I have 44 finished and need 54.  I've been using 30s reproduction fabrics on Kona Snow embroidered with black perle #8. 

If you are doing some hand stitching this fine Sunday morning why not stitch along at 

 Slow Stitching Sunday hosted by Kathy's Quilts. 

Practice, Practice, Practice and then Practice

I decided I wanted to hand quilt this Double Wedding Ring quilt. 

I've done big stitching in perle 5 on my Dandy Garden quilt. 

I've done big stitching in perle 8 on my Rainbow of Favorite Things quilt. 

I've done big stitching in perle 8 that was then laced (laced running stitch).  This quilt also had some finer hand stitching in the ditch.    (Grandma's Sewing Room/Spools quilt),

Last year I tried hand quilting with 20 wt thread on this ginormous (somewhere between queen and king sized) snowball/nine patch quilt.  I couldn't get used to using a thimble. I couldn't get the stitching motion right. I couldn't get used how the quilt should fit in a hoop.  And the stitches looked like basting when I was finished. So it sits in a crumpled heap up on the bed in the spare bedroom. 

Everytime I had a coupon I bought a different kind of thimble to try. None of them felt right. Some fell off my finger. Some slipped when I tried to push a needle with it. 

I finally found one I can work with.  It has a little ridge around the top. 

I have a hoop I like and I've learned not to pull everything taught like I do for embroidery. 

I've started out by stitching in the ditch between fabric strips on the arches.  My stitches are kind of hidden that way while I practice, practice, practice. I think I have the motions figured out and feel a little more confident.  Now if I could just see a little better...

I'm meeting up with other folks at Kathy's Quilts for some Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Izzy's Wedding Quilt - Ready for Quilting

I've finished the top for Izzy's Double Wedding Ring quilt. 

69 1/2  x  84 3/4

I used a vintage McCall's Pattern. 

For my granddaughter, Isabelle (aka Izzy or Belle)

 Last year when her paternal grandmother died my granddaughter told me I would live at least until her wedding. She's 9 so I hope she doesn't get married until she's 30 or so but that's out of my control.  I did decide then and there that  I would make a quilt for her wedding now while I'm healthy and have the means to buy fabric. And if I'm not physically in attendance at her wedding I will be there in the spirit of a quilt for her special day. 

I'm going to try my hand at hand quilting on her quilt since there is no hurry to get it completed. 

Now I'm heading over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict for a Whoop, Whoop! 

For Izzy

I only have one row left to add to the Double Wedding Ring quilt I've been making for my granddaughter Isabelle (aka Izzy).

 Last year when her paternal grandmother died she told me I would live at least until her wedding. She's 9 so I hope she doesn't get married until she's 30 or so but that's out of my control.  I did decide then and there that  I would make a quilt for her wedding now while I'm healthy and have the means to buy fabric. And if I'm not physically in attendance at her wedding I will be there in the spirit of a quilt for her special day. 

I'm going to try my hand at hand quilting on her quilt since there is no hurry to get it completed. 

Also into Izzy's hope chest will go a quilt for her High School graduation.  I am trying my hand at some patchwork words of a proverb for this one.  Hopefully it will provide a little inspiration. 

Both quilts are at a stage where they are too big for a design wall.  But if you want to see some inspiration hanging out on some some design walls out there in blog land visit Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Black Widow's Wedding Party

 Black Widow's Wedding Party

53 x 68.5

Double Wedding Ring Quilt

 NYC Mod Quilt Guild DWR Challenge

I used a vintage McCall's DWR Pattern to make my quilt. I've been working on a DWR for my granddaughter using that pattern so I'm familiar with it. I decided to join the NYC Mod Quilt Guild Challenge to practice my skills before I had to actually finish a quilt for my granddaughter who hopefully won't be getting married for quite some time. (She's only 9).

Most of the spider web, floral and insect fabrics were in my stash. I further limited the fabrics to black/white, green, orange and purple - not my normal color scheme. 

You may think spiders and their webs a bit creepy for a quilt; however, in Victorian times spiders and their webs were considered signs of good luck. 

I freemotion quilted some flowers in the arcs using my plain Jane DSM. 

And I quilted spider webs in the center webs.  

For some extra fun the quilting on the front glows in the dark. I used a combination of Superior NiteLite and Coats Glow in the Dark threads. 

I had my reservations about the quilt really glowing in the dark after all the trouble it took to use the darned thread on my machine.  (I usually quilt with cotton threads).  I don't have many vices; however, cussing when I'm frustrated or mad is one of them and boy, were the cuss words flying while I was quilting.  The threads kept breaking no matter how I adjusted the tension. Then I tried a topstitching needle and the breaks didn't occur as often.  I was going to rip out all the quilting on this section since that orange thread is actually the bottom thread you are seeing on top. But, between cuss words I decided it wasn't going to get any better than that and told myself it actually looked like dew drops on a spider web. Google "dew on spider web" images and you'll see what I mean. 

I do want to declare that the quilting really does glow in the dark and was worth all those hours spent cussing. 

And what kind of thread did I use on the back? Neon. Except that the purple isn't really neon, I guess.  These are a bit wild for me but I thought they would look good on black and add some fun. 

And they do.  You can really see the quilting that way. (And the quilting mistakes).  

This is the back but from this you can see how the quilting on the front will glow in the dark.  My husband tried to take a pic of the glowing quilt since he's a better photographer than I but he had no such luck.  

So, the back looks like a DWR too.  

The parts that look like they are missing are done in that purple thread. 

One last thing...I added some broderie perse applique butterflies to the top and bottom corners of the quilt. I was going to let them flutter free instead of tacking down the edges but I figured this will be a quilt for the grandkids to enjoy so went with tacking them down completely lest they try to rip them off - not that the darlings would dare to do such a thing. 

Oh, and the binding...it's full of spiders too. 

I'm here to tell you that making a DWR quilt is not at all as difficult as it looks although I did consider it a challenge.  But challenges always teach us new things, build new neurons in our brains, and sometimes excite us or make us stronger or give us a sense of accomplishment or confidence. 

Oh, and that leads me to wonder what category I should enter my quilt into for the NYC Mod Quilt Guild DWR Challenge...Traditional or Modern? 

I really haven't seen a good definition for a Modern Quilt. I don't even know why there is a separate distinction.  (What do you think?)

Well, this lovely Black Friday I'm linking up Black Widow's Wedding Party to the Traditional category of the NYC Mod Quilt Guild DWR Challenge.  If you want to see some beautiful DWR quilts you really need to go view all the categories of challenge quilts. 

And, after a finish like that maybe I should get a Whoop, Whoop at the linky party over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.