...the table runner, not 'round the clock!
I've filled the negative space around the "stars" and, as predicted, like it better and better as more thread is added. Can there ever be too much quilting? I think not!
I marked guidelines with washable fabric markers, switching back and forth from a white marker on the darker fabric to a blue one on the lighter fabric.
Now that the background and borders are finished, I will fill the stars...but how?
I'd planned to use random fillers in each star section, but now that idea doesn't feel right. I'm afraid it would muddle the graphic nature of the piecing and the stars would get lost. Hmm.
Two things I know for sure:
In other news, Amy's dino stuffie is finished!
Her nephew, Holden, loves Angry Birds, so we think he'll get a kick out of the fabric.
Spring is sprung, and it's time for yard work in this part of the world.
My first chore of the season was to rip down and rebuild a brick wall that wraps around a raised patio and acts as a planter. The wall had settled over the winter and had a distinct lean to it!
I ran into a nest of ants along the way, which was rather exciting for me as well as for them! Yuck!
I'm happy to say the fix took only six-and-a-half hours from start to finish. It seemed like a good idea for the first hour....
It would have taken longer, but my husband found me and took pity. He helped for the last 45 minutes...and was I grateful!
To erase that ugly memory, let's look at Day & Night again. I've only about 50 pictures to choose from! Ha!
Yup. That's better!
Linking up with:
Anything Goes Mondays, at Stitch by Stitch
Show and Tell Tuesday, at i have to say
Linky Tuesday, at Freemotion by the River
Fabric Tuesday, at Quilt Story
Let's Bee Social, at Sew Fresh Quilts
WIP Wednesday, at Freshly Pieced
Needle and Thread Thursday, at My Quilt Infatuation
I Quilt, at Pretty Bobbins
Try, Learn, Grow!
Carole
Comments are welcome. Thanks so much for looking around!
I've filled the negative space around the "stars" and, as predicted, like it better and better as more thread is added. Can there ever be too much quilting? I think not!
 |
| Filling the negative space |
I marked guidelines with washable fabric markers, switching back and forth from a white marker on the darker fabric to a blue one on the lighter fabric.
 |
| Marking guidelines |
 |
| Background and borders are done. Now what? |
Two things I know for sure:
- This quilt cannot handle any more swirly designs, and
- I can't take any more ruler work! So there!
In other news, Amy's dino stuffie is finished!
Her nephew, Holden, loves Angry Birds, so we think he'll get a kick out of the fabric.
 |
| Hello! |
 |
| Aren't I adorable? |
Spring is sprung, and it's time for yard work in this part of the world.
My first chore of the season was to rip down and rebuild a brick wall that wraps around a raised patio and acts as a planter. The wall had settled over the winter and had a distinct lean to it!
 |
| Yikes! Leaning wall of impending disaster. |
 |
| De-construction in progress |
I'm happy to say the fix took only six-and-a-half hours from start to finish. It seemed like a good idea for the first hour....
It would have taken longer, but my husband found me and took pity. He helped for the last 45 minutes...and was I grateful!
 |
| Level and sturdy once more |
To erase that ugly memory, let's look at Day & Night again. I've only about 50 pictures to choose from! Ha!
Yup. That's better!
Linking up with:
Anything Goes Mondays, at Stitch by Stitch
Show and Tell Tuesday, at i have to say
Linky Tuesday, at Freemotion by the River
Fabric Tuesday, at Quilt Story
Let's Bee Social, at Sew Fresh Quilts
WIP Wednesday, at Freshly Pieced
Needle and Thread Thursday, at My Quilt Infatuation
I Quilt, at Pretty Bobbins
Try, Learn, Grow!
Carole
Comments are welcome. Thanks so much for looking around!
Gorgeous quilting and quilt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I am happy with how the quilting adds to it. Results are never guaranteed when experimenting!
DeleteI'm glad I found your blog today! Your quilting is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad too, Terri! Thanks. I am experimenting with design ideas on a bunch of UFOs, so who knows what will happen next!
DeleteI'm visiting from the email discussion. :) Your quilting on Night and Day looks lovely! I haven't been brave enough to try quilting feathers yet. In terms of how to quilt the stars, I actually really like it the way it is now. But I also totally agree with you - there can never be too much quilting (can there?!?!). A bit of contrast might be nice - just some loose (aka not dense) echo lines in the stars? I'm sure whatever you do will be great, and I look forward to seeing what you decide!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you came for a visit, Yvonne! In 2010 I was scared of feathers, but started drawing variations in a notebook. After a while I learned what (I thought) looked pretty, and attempted them on my domestic machine. Turned out I liked doing feathers!
DeleteTransitioning to the long arm is what I'm working on now, and it's certainly easier because I "know" the shapes.
Contrast is definitely the answer for this table runner. It really needs a way for the eye to find the stars.
Your quilting is beautiful Carole! The repaired brick wall looks great, it seems to certainly be worth the work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marsha! The wall needed attention, that's for sure. It wasn't really in danger of toppling over, but it looked like it could! It's been there for at least a decade (maybe more? can't remember), so its done well. I'm hoping for a long, long time until the next repair! Now to fill it with flowers!
DeleteBeautiful quilting. Thanks for sharing your work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Karen. I'm finishing my old UFOs as a way to experiment with quilting, trying things I'd hesitate to do on someone else's quilts without a guarantee of good results. I'm learning a ton and having fun doing it!
DeleteLove that runner. The dinosaur is adorable, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks ,Sally...the runner is an old UFO that I'm experimenting on, so I'm happy it's turning out well. :-) The dino says, "I know. Thanks!" He isn't very modest. Ha!
DeleteYour quilting is superb!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hannele! It has been a great learning experience for me to quilt in this way. I'm happy with how it's turning out.
DeleteLove what you are doing on that runner!! I know you said you were tired of ruler work but my thought for the stars is a few straight lines in there :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vicki! I decided it did need straight lines for contrast, so tried a freehand filler that did the trick. No ruler necessary! :-) Freehand is much faster than ruler work, which made me happy as I really wanted to get 'er done!
DeleteGreat quilting going on! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks...it is fun to give myself permission to go "all out" on my old UFOs.
DeleteSuperb quilting.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm trying to have some fun (and learn a few things) while finishing old UFOs. So far, so good!
DeleteWow - you've been one busy lady! Love the dino. And your garden. As for your quilting - what's with NO MORE RULERS, lol? I'm totally laughing in empathy for you. Enough is enough. What did you decide for the stars?
ReplyDeleteLol, Barb! By that point I was looking to speed things up...if it had NEEDED ruler work, I suppose I'd have sucked it up and done it. Luckily, I found a solution that looks great and was very speedy. :-) Yay! I'll trim and bind it, and then show the final result in my next post. :-) I used a freehand back and forth design.
DeleteOh my goodness - I LOVE what you've quilted in the negative space! It really makes the stars pop and your feathers are amazing. I'm a newer quilter and I'm still trying to perfect my feathers and don't always know where to use them creatively. Just purchased Angela Walter's feather class on Craftsy so I'm hoping that helps.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm sure you will enjoy Angela's class. At least I know I did! I remember her saying something like, "and move on" as she worked. She didn't stress about absolute perfection, either. I could hear her voice in my head telling me to "move on" when I did my first long arm feathers, and it helped! I let go of being overly concerned and just did them! Another thing that helped me was drawing feathers in a note book...over and over. The repetition helped me to learn their shape, and I practiced drawing them in every direction, and from top to bottom/bottom to top, too. Good luck with your feather adventures! P.S. Sharon Schambers has some good YouTube videos that show feathers used creatively! She does everything on her domestic sewing machine - impressive stitchery.
DeleteThe quilting is lovely! I always have such a hard time deciding what to put where. You are doing such a nice job.
ReplyDeleteI'm here from the new google group. I love it!
Lin
Hi Lin! It's nice to meet you. It is taking me a while to get around to all the blogs in the group. Your batting test looks very interesting. It's a good idea to explore various options. All have their pros and cons, don't they?
DeleteThanks for the compliment! I'm experimenting with quilting on some old UFOs, and learning lots in the process...mainly trying to figure out what I like (and don't like) the look of. It's a great exercise.
The day and night is incredible! Your quilting instinct is keen. And to get at that brick wall? You did an awesome job on that! Those ants could have caused part of the problem. They did the same thing to my wall. The siding was all bulged out!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Lorna! The quilting turned out better than I'd hoped - I'll put that in the win column! The ants could well have contributed to the bulge, but it was a sinking base that caused the lean. The ants were not that far down, with no evidence of them in the ground - just in the wall itself, and only one section of it. Weird. I did use ant powder, even though it felt cruel. I really don't want to dig that up again for a while!
ReplyDeleteYour quilting is amazing and love Dino too!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Dino is happy to hear it!
DeleteYou do beautiful work!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy. I'm working hard to improve my skills. :-)
DeleteMy Day & Night will not be even close to the beauty, of yours. You're just so much farther ahead, with your quilting abilities. You've set the bar very high so I have something to aim for...with time and practice. I need to start in my garden, as well. Our weather has finally gotten nice enough to start digging.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what it is, Jo...time and practice. I'm always pushing myself to try the things that scare me most, and I believe that's why I'm improving. Isn't it lovely to get outside and feel the sun on your face and smell the soil again?
DeletePS: I absolutely LOVE Dino.
ReplyDeleteDino says, "Thanks!" :-)
Delete