QUILTING
TEACHING &
PATTERNS
Get fresh news, tips &
inspiration from around
our creative community
If you've followed my blog for a while, you know I hate hand stitching. My binding is always machine stitched. My quilting is longarmed or domesticated. And I will never, ever handquilt a darn thing for as long as I live. Ever. Not even... um...... ok, boy was that crow surprisingly tasty! Folks, I TRIED IT. And I LIKED it! (A whole lot more than when my mom tried that trick with broccoli, too!) This mini quilt was a swap gift I made for Yvonne of Quilting JetGirl. The pattern is called Starbelt, and it was designed by one of her Quilt Theory cofounders, Michelle Bartholomew. I know Yvonne loves blues, and I had these two colors on hand in shot cotton, which paired beautifully (and are a little more blue in person than they appear here - they were hard to photograph and capture the color correctly). Once I finished piecing, I jumped right in with my trusty domestic machine to get it quilted. But after a few passes, it was obvious it needed something more. Something... BY HAND *gasp*. Fortunately, I had a little 12 wt. thread (I don't know when or where from?) and decided to give it a go. A few afternoons stitching on the porch later, and I had a first time ever handquilted project ever that I was proud of! I doubt I'll ever be sharing a full size quilt that I've hand stitched for weeks, BUT on this smaller scale, it was a really relaxing, rhythmic process, and I quite like the effect of mixing machine and hand quilting. I can definitely see myself using hand work to embellish projects in the future. What about you? Do you prefer one quilting process to the other? Like them mixed? Have a favorite thread or needle to recommend? (I really want to try Aurifil 12 wt, but I'm imagining a rainbow array of rich brights that they don't sell in a collection yet. I have a thread card coming soon, though, and then I can start putting my own set together ; ) Linking up with Let's Bee Social and Needle & Thread Thursday. Mini Quilt stats: Finished size 20" x 20"
Pattern: Starbelt by Michelle Bartholomew Fabric: (block) Kaffe Fassett's Shot Cotton in Aegean & Jade, Kona Cotton in Snow, (binding) Kaffe fassett's Shot Cotton in Magenta Batting: Warm & Natural Cotton Thread: Piecing, Aurifil 2021 (50 wt); Machine Quilting, Aurifil 4140 & 1148 (50 wt); Handquilting Sulky 1024, 1046 & 1307 (12 wt) 3/2/2017 07:58:17
That is my initial response to hand quilting as well. I have a few projects coming up that would be great to blend both machine and hand quilting. Lovely mini finish by the way. 3/2/2017 09:14:59
Thank you so much for the wonderful mini; I do love that you used Michelle's pattern. And what an honor to get your first hand quilted piece. It is beautifully done and I would never have thought it was your first hand quilting had you not said so!
janequiltsslowly
3/2/2017 09:15:08
I have done quite a bit of hand quilting using the big stitch method with 12wt Aurifil. I also mix hand and machine quilting. I have a 12wt box of Aurifil that Victoria Findlay Wolff selected. It's called Fresh Modern & Timeless. Love your mini! 💙 3/2/2017 16:58:45
It's beautiful, Sarah! The hand quilting is the perfect touch :) I used to hand quilt everything, then got away from it completely. I've started hand quilting another project, but haven't worked on it in a few weeks. 3/3/2017 20:31:11
A mini is ideal for trying out handstitching. Great job! I usually machine quilt and finish binding by hand, but am practising my machine binding technique.
Anja @ Anja Quilts
3/3/2017 21:31:57
Oh my...I don't like handquilting.....You did an amazing job. I keep seeing such wonderful projects but I haven't attempted it...yet... LOL
Ioleen
3/9/2017 10:32:26
Beautiful mini. I have not tried hand quilting but may give it a try one day.
Lace Faerie
4/6/2017 11:42:45
Love this mini! Eagerly awaiting the pattern. 4/22/2017 06:04:02
I've been Big Stitching since 1997 and I love hand quilting. I own a small quiltshop in Eastern Iowa. My preferred brand of thread is Presencia and I use a size 12, for a needle is use Richard Hemming size 5 between. Enjoy! Comments are closed.
|
Welcome! I'm Sarah. As a milmompreneur maker, wherever I go, I quilt, teach & sew! {Bio} Archives:
December 2017
|