Well I have made a start!
Somebody very kindly gave me the tip of putting the ironing board next to my sewing table to help take the weight of it all and stop it dragging the whole thing onto the floor - so you can see from one of the pictures that I've managed to position it such that it does that - what a life saver (plus a temper saver and needle saver too) Thank you for that!
I'd love to be one of these people that quilts in such a manner that all the different designs are highlighted with different motifs - Carol Bryer Fallert is one who springs to mind (apologies if the spelling is iffy) with her beautiful bird motifs in her flying geese triangles but I'm just too impatient - I want it all done NOW!!! even if there's no deadline to put the pressure on. Maybe some day I'll make something on a smaller scale and tailor the quilting in that way but it would take an enormous amount of control and practice because I'm just no good at colouring between the lines :o(
So I've gone with the wholecloth approach - ignore what's there and just quilt wherever your needle takes you - so far this afternoon I've faffed about doing ten minutes here and ten minutes there and covered an area of about 2ft square or so. But as you can hopefully make out from the close-ups the sunflowers and continuous leaves are working out sort of okay so this one will be a case of just keep plodding along and tortoise against the hare style I will get there in the end
Mind you - God help anyone else in the house who may wish to do some ironing if they remove that board!
15 comments:
Now, because I want to try this when I sandwich my pink and green square top, I have some questions (hope you don't mind). First of all, do you have an overall design in mind when you start quilting so you know roughly what you are going to do where? If so, do you draw it out on paper first? And secondly, do you quilt in lines across the quilt or in a different way? I like your wholecloth approach as it is a bit like longarm quilting and I think it can add an extra dimension to the quilt.
Me again - when I said 'lines' I meant do you roll the quilt and work from one edge to the other, roll it again and work down again etc.
Lovely! I am so impressed with what you are able to accomplish with your home machine on such a large quilt! The whole cloth approach is working! (When I first read that I pictured something more like a stipple all over... Yours is much better than just a stipple - but they are good too.)
Now that I can see the colours of your quilt up close it looks even better than before. And you definitely have a whole lot more courage than I do when it comes to quilting something that size. Great idea using the ironing board to hold it up. I like your quilting design - very pretty.
That's looking good! I like the way the triangles tumble over the border. :)
looks great. glad you found an easier way to quilt this.
Sounds like you're getting a system down.I've got to try the ironing board thing. I like your 10 minute idea. I end up working at it too long, get tired, and get messy.
Good luck
Melanie
It looks fantastic! And I think the ironing board trick is wonderful!
That's a huge quilt to be stuffing through that little machine. I like to think that those people who do that spectacular quilting have big machines with that stitch regulator and lots of time to practice. I've heard of the ironing board idea, but never put it to use. I'm going to have to try it.
Your quilting looks great. I was picturing stipple too. I think an overall design works great because it doesn't detract from your piecing design.
I have used an ironing board that way since I read about it in a magazine. I also sometimes cover it with plastic so the quilt will slide on it better. I also put a second table or stool behind my sewing table so the quilt doesn't slide down the back and pull that way. It also helps to use bicycle clips (some quilt stores sell them) or pins to keep the quilt rolled up. One book also suggested resting the roll that is going under the machine on your shoulder. The same book also said to spend 80% of your time arranging the quilt and 20% actually sewing.
when I quilt a larger piece, I put the ironing board behind and a smaller table to the left of my machine - trying to simulte a larger space for the quilt to rest. Great job - it will feel great to have it done.
when I quilt a larger piece, I put the ironing board behind and a smaller table to the left of my machine - trying to simulte a larger space for the quilt to rest. Great job - it will feel great to have it done.
Glad the suggestion worked so well! I saw it somewhere and when I saw the size of yours I knew it would hopefully help you! I used it lots before I got a new table. I now have the area to the left, but I still set it out towards the back to catch anything wanting to fall off the table and drag down the needle.
The sunflowers is wonderful. I saved you picture to use again. I love sunflower batiks and that quilting design would be wonderful on that fabric!! It's going along just great!! Anyone who steals the ironing board will be shot!!
Our teacher told us about the ironing board trick too. One of the many reasons why I decdided to hand quilt! It's just not practical in a town house. Plus, there's all that ironing...
You mean you live in a house that has people in it who might want to do some ironing? Lucky you!!
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