Finished

Between marathon gardening and other chores, I finished the small quilt I last wrote about.  I am pleased with how it turned out.  But first since it is a rainy day and gardening would not be comfortable I brought a tiny bit of garden into the kitchen to brighten things up.   The iris is combined with Korean lilac unopened (um french knots) and a bloom from the chestnut tree sheltering the patio. You see these blooms from far away and see a white mass but close up they are really beautiful.  I might not think that later when they all fall and carpet the patio.

Here is the little quilt before binding.  Binding can make quite a difference to a finished piece.  I thought about the red to echo the red in the final border but opted for black.  You would think the curves would make putting the binding on harder but the curves are so gentle it was easy.  I also used Becky Goldsmith's applique stitch method to hand sew the back.  It is a small change but it does give a very nice finish on the back side.  You learn something in every class you take and it is not just what is the focus of the class.

With the binding:The binding makes quite a difference.  Using a walking foot to put on the binding made it easier.  I normally use my quarter inch foot but the walking foot keeps the parts together better.  You do have to measure where 1/4" falls on your walking foot and keep your eyes closely on that point as you stitch but it is easier.  With large quilts the slippage and weight of the quilt can present a problem staying correctly in the foot but the walking foot puts a bit more pressure where the binding is going on.  It covers more fabric.

And here is some of the quilting. I did add some hand stitching as well which added a bit of texture.  

I created the little tree/bush on my embroidery software and stitched it out.  It is fun to combine digital embroidery and quilting. I have been creating digitial designs for years and using them in this way is quite rewarding.  It takes a bit of time to ensure the design is the right size etc but I like the effect.  I raided my bead stash for the red beads.  (A pepper tree?) Overall I think I would abandon my rulers for another quilt.  There is a freedom in not using them.  We started just with some fabric.  I think what fabric you choose is important.  Like in any quilt contrasts get the eyes moving and provide depth.   I am glad I tried this new technique.  Trying new things is refreshing to your mind.

If you want to try something different do some fabric stamping.  The same stamps used for paper work quite well.  Best to go for the simple designs.  One it costs less for the stamp in case you never use it again and too many details can make it blur more easily.  It does take some practice to get the right amount of paint on the stamp. I did not go for fancy paints but used the ordinary Tulip paints you find in the craft store.  You can see from this picture that I did create a bit of a blob on one try.  Then use some of the those fancy stitches on your machine to quilt the sandwich.  I made a cover for my iPad using a bit of ugly beige fabric wrong side out.  I wanted to try it to see if I would use do fabric stamping again.  I probably will but for the first time I did not want to invest a lot of money in stamps and paints.  My iPad has had a couple of covers as I experiment with techniques to see if I would repeat the technique and to practice if I think it is worthwhile.  Little projects are great diversions when in the middle of a big quilt which I am right now.  You can see results in a matter of a couple of hours.  Now for a change of pace and do some reading.  

Thanks for stopping by.