fineseams Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I'm making progress. I finished my 2nd charity quilt - all done with CCs - my first attempt at ruler work. It was a bit of a hassle. The quilt wasn't well pieced, so I had to fight it a bit. I also tried a full float for the first time. But after I got it off the machine and looked it over, it isn't too bad - not great, but not too bad. It definitely isn't up to what I want my standards to become, but if you don't look too closely, it is just fine. I unfolded the 3rd charity quilt tonight. It is very well pieced. So now I need your ideas. What should I do that would help me improve my skills and have a nice result for this nice quilt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaii Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 How about practicing your feathers??? Piano keys in the border. Feathers probably will not show too much on the front, but if your backing reads solid, your feathering will show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Not much is going to show on that busy solid block. You could do some cross hatching if you want to practice ruler work. How about Terry Twists for the nine patches. I would do a pretty feather in the green border and some kind of swirly something in the smaller border. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Bonnie, The diagonal arrangement of the small squares open up some possibilities for practice, such as a single line using a ruler or a traveling leaf design, where you make a single leaf in each patch and with a continuous line move on to the next patch. Instead of leaves, you could do a curling tendril. The alternate blocks in mottled fabric open up a lot of possibilities for motifs. One idea is to mark the center point, and then curve over to a corner, then curve back to the center; keep doing this for each corner to form a flower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaSews Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Bonnie, is that how you guys come up with neat designs on your quilts? You get some paper, sit down while studying the quilt and start sketching idea's? Looks like the design showing would look great. But I am no expert by any means! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaSews Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Originally posted by Hawaii How about practicing your feathers??? Piano keys in the border. Feathers probably will not show too much on the front, but if your backing reads solid, your feathering will show. Just curious....on the backing if it were a tiny rose bud print, How would that look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietlifeaz Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Originally posted by LadyLake Bonnie, The diagonal arrangement of the small squares open up some possibilities for practice, such as a single line using a ruler or a traveling leaf design, where you make a single leaf in each patch and with a continuous line move on to the next patch. Instead of leaves, you could do a curling tendril. The alternate blocks in mottled fabric open up a lot of possibilities for motifs. One idea is to mark the center point, and then curve over to a corner, then curve back to the center; keep doing this for each corner to form a flower. Newbie question: would you leave the remainder of the nine patch "un-quilted"? or would you do the same diagonal line going the opposite direction making a crossing grid pattern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaSews Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I'm confused about the corner blocks. Some are calling them a nine patch and others piano keys, which is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttonflower Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks everyone for your posts that are such a great help for us newbies. Along with WHERE to SID I'm also wondering what are the guides lines for WHEN to SID. I believe the reason for SID is to stablize the quilt & keep it square. I suspect it has something to do with the type & amount of quilting that you do in the blocks, but How do you make the SID decision? TIA Buttonflower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaSews Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Originally posted by Buttonflower Thanks everyone for your posts that are such a great help for us newbies. Along with WHERE to SID I'm also wondering what are the guides lines for WHEN to SID. I believe the reason for SID is to stablize the quilt & keep it square. I suspect it has something to do with the type & amount of quilting that you do in the blocks, but How do you make the SID decision? TIA Buttonflower Good question!! And Thanks for posting Bottonflower cause I have my rail fence that needs SID finished up. But it makes perfect sense to sid on it to keep square. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeAnn Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I just took a class from Deloa Jones and I asked her that question, when to SID. Her answer was, are you being paid to SID? because it is more work. she had quilts there that weren't SID and they looked great. If it is mine I would SID but if for someone else then you have to ask "what am I being paid to do?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 You could practice your Terry Twists or Line Dancing designs in the 9 patch blocks. The open blocks are busy (as Heidi stated) so a lot of your quilting is not really going to show up much. I would do a simple open design like Joan suggested, or a medium meander stipple in that area. Re: SID: I agree with DeLoa. I don't SID unless I really feel it's important or helps accentuate the quilt. And if it's a customer quilt, this would cost more. SID is time consuming detail work. SID is not necessary for quilts, but it is a good skill to practice. If you want to practice SID you could do that around the outer edges of all of the blocks. For the two outer borders, you could practice your piano keys or bead board design. Use the 9 patch blocks as a guide for those lines. I'm glad you are having fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Anita, just for clarification. The 9-patches in the corners of the outside borders are still called 9-patches. The piano key term is for a design style used in borders. It is made by stitching a line from the inner border seam straight out to the outside edge of the outer border, then moving down about an inch or two and repeating the same straight line, continue for the length of the border until it looks like the keys of a piano. Bead board is done the same way except at each line a second line is stitched about 1/4 inch away from the first line, move an inch or two and repeat the double line stitching. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anita Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 A "Wish I'd SID'd this one" story for ya: We made a group quilt for a man in fall colors...a hunter star variation of some sort and I quilted it. I chose an oak leaf and acorn panto and guess where the acorns landed more often than not...encircling the center of the bright gold star. Made the seam poke out like perky nipples. (Sorry...I hope that doesn't offend anyone). I took it to my DSM and stitched them down. I haven't SID'd much, but think of those "unintended consequences" every time I load a quilt. Anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWBowser Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 I would not SID with a panto. Since the line of stitching of a panto goes across the quilt blocks to, it is possible to get puckers on your back if you do SID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anita Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 ooooh, I can see that happening, Charlotte. Hasn't happened to me yet though I've been mostly lazy and not SIDd very often. Actually I've had a pucker or two on the top with my pins while doing pantos. Bonnie - This quilt does offer lots of choices for practice...I like the suggestions so far. Anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Bonnie, I really like Joan's diagram with the leaf or curl in each colored block along the diagonals. That is inspired, Joan! If you opt for this easy-yet-dramatic design, those four pale squares in each nine patch can still get CC's, which can be done continuously but only in each block--no traveling to the next one. I was trying to get a feel for how large this top is and then noticed the door at the left of the photo. I figure those pale squares in the nine patches need some quilting since they are a good size. The busy alternating plain squares will not show much quilting so you can go very simple or very elaborate. Remember that when the quilting doesn't show, the quilting itself is a chore since you can't see where you are or where you've been! Great place to use a side-light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fineseams Posted October 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 OH! So many good ideas! Yesterday evening, after reading all your good suggestions I put the quilt on my table and got out my clear plastic and markers and spent an hour or so playing with designs. What fun. I can hardly wait to get it on the machine to begin. I am trying to choose things that I'm pretty sure I can do reasonably well, as I want the quilt to be nice when done. So, although I love Heidi's idea of feathers in the outer border, I think I'll wait until I have a chance to practice freehand feathers a little more before putting them on a quilt. Maybe piano keys on this one. Thanks to everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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