To Stitch, or Not To Stitch...

This silvery Wedding Quilt is Fresh off the Frame!
Inspired by Sharon's painted wedding quilt, Linda requested intertwined letters for her bride and groom.

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We discussed adding paint, but decided the letters would be perfectly visible without.

First, the entire quilt was stitched with a panto, except for the space we'd chosen for the letters.

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Using a font found in Word, I printed each letter and then used my copier to resize them. I traced the K onto tracing paper, and then I was able to position the I and trace it, too.

By pinning the traced design to the quilt, I could then "trace" again with the needle. The needle cuts the paper so there is never any to pull out of the stitches - love that!!!


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Doodling in my scribbler led to the idea of using brackets to surround the letters. I drew them freehand and joined four together to make a frame, which I then echoed. Random wavy lines filled in around the frame.

And then the question . . . do I fill in around the letters, or leave things a bit puffy?

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On one hand, the letters are clearly visible - the whole point!
On the other, my inclination was to add more quilting - it's what I love!

Time to stand back and consider the corner of the quilt in context.

Hmm.

The rest of the quilt is quite puffy.
It is meant to be a cuddle quilt.

The filler would need to be dense, which would have flattened the corner considerably. Would the corner look as if it didn't "belong" with the rest of the quilt? Would it feel like a piece of cardboard?

After a quick consultation with the quilt's maker (who helpfully said she trusts my judgement - ha!), I decided to love the puff!

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It's easier to ADD quilting than it is to remove it, so . . . if Linda ever decides it needs more, that option is always available.

This cozy "plus" quilt is also Fresh off the Frame. Here it is, laid out for trimming. The fabrics are flannels and homespuns - I just wanted to wrap it around me and never let it go! *snuggle*

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These days it's dark by the time I get to this step. Since this is my only chance to see the whole quilt, I take pictures anyway! (Apologies for the lack of focus. It looked fine on my phone, but...yeesh. And, they are all like that! Operator error strikes again.)

Frozen quilt update

Alice's Frozen quilt raised $775.00 for our local Women's Shelter!
(click the link to see the quilting in progress)

This was the third-highest price garnered at auction that night. A diamond ring and an Oilers jersey came in ahead of the quilt for top bids, so I think we did okay!

Plus, Alice got a sweet ribbon out of the deal!

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Alice blinged up the panel with crystals, which totally took care of the castle issue. A tiny crystal on each turret made it feel finished!

It was dark in the venue (Festival of Trees - lit mainly by the trees!), but I tried to take a photo of the crystals anyway. (Hey, a girl's gotta try!!) See them in the trees, on the dress, and on the castle?


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My camera could just catch the sparkle from an angle. I think they added the perfect, finishing touch.

Dayna, one of our quilting friends, created an entry for the Festival that I must share!
It is not fabric, but . . . well, take a look. Isn't it gorgeous???



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This photo absolutely does not do it justice.
The peacock feathers sparkled with colour, adding glamour to an already spectacular sculpture.

That's it for now! I hope you are having a beautiful week.

Linking up with:
Let's Bee Social, at Sew Fresh Quilts - her 100th linky party!

Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
P. S. I'm on Instagram under my blog name, FreshofftheFrame

Comments

  1. On the monogramming... I would be tempted to densely stitch inside the letters, personally, which might just be somewhere in between. It makes me think of laser cut monogrammed jewelry either way, though, and looks great!

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  2. I like Yvonne's idea!
    The crystals have definitely shown up here, and they look great. They've added some lovely sparkle to the quilt.

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  3. On the monogram, how about a cross hatching around the letters in a medium density similar to the loops on the main pantograph? Lovely work and thanks for the trunk show today.

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  4. What a lovely roundup! I agree that it's easier to add quilting than it is to take it away. I've had my fair share of time with the seam ripper recently. Embrace the puff. :)

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  5. Oh my, the wedding quilt is gorgeous. I say "embrace the puff". The plus quilt does look like the perfect cuddle quilt for a winter evening and a good book. I'm so glad Frozen, raised so much money. The crystals were a wonderful addition.

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  6. What a gorgeous wedding quilt. Absolutely love the initials and the panto quilting together, just as it is. You will definitely have one happy customer (and two happy recipients) there! You are so right.... Those crystals were just the right added touch.

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  7. Beautiful wedding quilt and those crystals made a perfect touch!

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  8. I love the sparkle added to the Frozen quilt, the monogram on the wedding quilt, and seeing the flannel plus quilt. I have some flannels put aside for a large plus quilt, so seeing this one was very helpful. :)

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  9. What an amazing wedding quilt, and your letters just finish it off beautifully. I was all for embracing the puff but I do quite like Yvonne's idea too, your clients always seem to have far too much faith in your judgement - not too much from the point of view that you ever make the wrong choices but too much from the point of view that I bet it would be lovely if you didn't always have the responsibility of making the decisions! And wow to the money raised from the Frozen quilt, that's brilliant, and those crystals were a great idea.

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