sewidahoquilts Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hi all, I sure could use some ideas about quilting this hand stitched antique quilt. My customer's mother hand-pieced this top quite a long time ago, my Customer is in her late 70's. The clover leaf patterns were all marked in pencil but her Mother hadn't finished all the embroidery on them. My Customer finished the embroidery and now it's time to have Mom's Starz quilted. As you can see, I have decided on a feather design with some flexibility for the stars as they aren't "square" either. URL=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2555706990092278028lZLkQN][/url] I thought I'd use a fill design around the outside of the embroidered Clovers and a freehand mirror of the clover design inside each element. I only plan to SID around the Muslin squares and diamonds. My indecision (1) is about how dense a fill to use on the muslin areas outside of the Embroidery. Since the inside won't be densly stitched I don't want to mess this up and create a humpy, bumpy, lumpy Clover with a dimple in the middle. My original idea was a meander/stipple, for the outside area, but now I'm leaning to a 3s & Es fill or a wandering C fill, I thought maybe 1/2" to 3/4" density, but I just can't get a confident feel for the size . . . Cross-hatching doesn't seem to be a viable alternative because the "squares" aren't square. I am also having a devil of a time deciding what stitch length to use. The hand stitching of the piecing shows and is in the 10 SPI area, should I try to match them? I'm afraid to use as small a stitch as I usually do as I think it will look too "Machine Stitched". The entire quilt is 40's-50's prints, each "Pieced Star" is different, they are cotton, not blends and the Square/Diamond fillers are vintage muslin, it's tight and fine. The backing is Muslin. I think I will use Bottom Line top and bottom to match in the muslin areas. I'm not at all sure what color to use on the stars since they're all unique. This leads to my last question, I promise . . . Would it be sacrilegious to use a monofilament on top for the feathers so as not to distract from the fabrics and piecing on the stars? I suspect this isn't really an acceptable solution to my thread color dilemma, so, I'm open to creative suggestions? I have 8 or 10 colors of Bottom Line and a large selection of 50wt. 100% cotton but the Bottom Line stitches better in Milli. I am Way Out in the Sticks, so just going to the store to purchase what I want or need isn't an option. Thanks, can't wait to hear from you about suggestions. Oh yes, I am not computerized but use Pre-Design to print patterns and follow them with my laser stylus. Havent updated my Signature yet . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Dixie Lee, This quilt is pretty and I'm sure it means an awful lot to the daughter who finished it. I personally would use an off-white to match the muslin and from what I can see it would blend in fairly well even on the stars. The key is to use a very thin thread like SoFine or Bottom Line. I have used monofilament but I'm still on the fence about using them on a family heirloom. I'm sure others would disagree with me. I like the idea of either a stipple or e's and 3's. It would fit with the quilt. I do love cross-hatching but if the blocks aren't square that might not look so good. Another option might be to do a vein with leaves to connect all the clovers. I'm sure it will be beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 What is your opinion about what stitch length to use? Should I try to match the stitch length on the piecing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Lovely quilt! I would use an off white So Fine if poss (top & bottom) but I've used off white Isacord on a feedsack too. Your fillers sound good - stipple would also be easy and appropriate for this vintage Shells would work well on the patchwork part and would ease bumpy parts in I never stitch anything less than 12 on SR anyway because I like small stitches and they don't stand a chance of coming undone This quilt could easily have been machine finished in the first place - there was an article in a recent QNN mag about the first logarm setup in 1943! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Dixie, I almost always use a 12 or smaller. I like the look better. I don't think keeping up with the hand stitching length is necessary. I'm assuming the embroidery thread will be much thicker than the thread you will quilt with. You get much smoother lines with a smaller stitch length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollyrw Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Dixie, I agree with Heidi and Linzi on the thread color. I use Bottom Line in ivory, natural white, or cream most of the time. It's thin enough that it does not distract from the colors in the blocks. If this had been hand quilted, the quilter would likely have used the same color thread throughout. I usually run my stitches at 11 per inch. Like Heidi, I like the look of the smaller stitches. I also like my quilts heavily quilted so I would lean towards the denser background fill. I would also do something in the centers of the clovers to keep them from poofing. Maybe a little swirl in each clover leaf. I love 30's quilts and I can't wait to see this one finished. Please post pictures when you are done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Oh, thank you all for your great suggestions and support. I'm getting a pretty good "feel" for how this project should go . . . now all I have to do it stitch it! Lenzi, thanks for the info about Longarming actually being available way back in 1943. Now I won't feel quite so badly about machine stitching this lovely bit of handwork. I'm running the shells idea through my head, as I write. Hmmm, not as much work as the feathers and I could do them entirely freehand and, as you mentioned it would also tie down the humpy, bumpy areas, obviously you have quilted some hand-stitched quilts. This one isn't by any means terrible, but the seams are not as smooth and precise as machine sewn piecework, and some of her seams are a little puckered. I just don't want to have to tear anything out, I'm afraid of wounding the fabric. I'm really SLOW when it comes to quilting, so don't expect any results for awhile . . . Later, Dixie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennan100 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 You could do tiny ghost shamrocks in muslin backgound, or even just cover the entire large shamrock in little ones. The big one wouldn't idsappear under the little ones because of the color of the embroidery. Similar to 3's and E's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted September 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Hello, I finally finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago but have been so busy in the interim, I haven't had time to post the finished pictures. Isn't it amazing how one week you'll be tearing your hair trying to figure out how to live on no income and the next you have 3 quilts come in all at once???? Go figure! Thanks so much for your encouragement, suggestions and ideas, I know my customer was very happy with her mother's finished quilt, she said how much she wished her Mom could see it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted September 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 And the back . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted September 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 And a close-up of the back . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae50 Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Very pretty quilt and quilting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbz98236 Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Dixie Lee, that is so pretty, I just took an antique quilt to Innovations to see an appraiser to see what I should do with it. She said the fabrics are from 1880 - 1910. She also said the quilting shouldn't be dense. It looks like yours isn't very dense. I wish I could do feathers. Your quilting is very pretty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Gorgeous finish - absloutely perfect for that quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennan100 Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Whoa, Dixie! It turned out beautifully! I do love the older quilts, and you have really done this woman's work justice. All the work the she put into this, and you've finished it for her! I bet she's doing Heavenly Happy Dances! Thank you for remembering to share! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbigailE Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 beauteous for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Dixie Lee...when you first posted this I was the land of no computer so missed your original posting. I have to say I am so in love with this quilt...your quilting for some reason really touched me...I'm not sure why, but I do know that I love the antique top and your quilting... Thanks for sharing, and am so sorry I missed it earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisae Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 WOW Dixie, this quilt turned out beautifully! I love how the antique quilts turn out. I bet your customer was thrilled! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinneaMarie Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 WOWZER!! Very nice indeedy doody daddy!! Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Perfect! And, the dense meander was perfect! I was so hoping you'd choose that over the e's and l's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 I love it. Beautiful quilting on a great quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Wow this turned out very pretty! I am partial to antique quilts as well but you did this one justice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewidahoquilts Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Oh, thank you all so much for your complements! It really means a great deal when approval and such lovely comments come from this group. You are all so very talented and creative. It took so long working on this one, I'd about lost my confidence. It really was quite a challenge. It was so amazing that eventually my "3-part" spraying, smoothing, caressing technique "blocked" out the "pucked seams" and "warped" blocks, kinda like re-blocking a wool sweater. When I took this quilt in, I never dreamed I could finish it that smooth and flat. I even cautioned my customer about how crooked and skewed the square and diamond blocks might be, I just figured I'd have to do the best I could with what I was given. I was and am still, so amazed at how malleable that old fabric really was when dampened, smoothed and allowed to air dry. The Muslin really had "a lot of shrink". Those little hand stitches were so puckered and wavy at the beginning of each new section, they scared the breath right out of me. It was truly "Magic" how it all came to be. Thank You All! Again. . . for your suggestions, support and very rewarding complements for the result of this project. I sure hope future Heirloom projects turn out as well as this one. At least now, I have some more experience and the confidence to accept them . . . rather than turn them down. I just hope I have enough judgment to know the ones I shouldn't attempt. I guess that's what experience if about and for . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy2018 Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 You have made a really beautiful quilt. The back is almost prettier than the front, I really like how well the flowers make the space between the stars stand out. Great work, Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.