Cagey Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 I thought I would share my most recent quilt that I made for the one and only teacher that taught all five of my daughters. She has been a great part of our lives for the last 13 years, and figured she deserved something special from us at the end of the year. I learned a lot trying to quilt the tree. I did it with a large number of thread breaks that took a long time to finish. An edge to edge would have been much easier and quicker. I also started out doing some meander around the left side of the small tree branches but did not like the way it looked, so changed over to mirroring the image, that I liked the look of better. I threw a few special features into the quilting, like the thank you and the lips (she had to kiss a donkey to raise funds for the school). There are a few others. After finishing the quilting, I think I need to learn how to quilt faster, and also not quilt so densely. I ended up listening to two 10-hour books on tape during my quilting. While I am happy with the outcome, I would like to be able to finish them a little more quickly. In the end, she said she loved the quilt. Though she did want to know where we had bought the quilt from. It took a few times to get her to understand that I had made it for her. Please feel free to provide input on how I can improve my quilting or speed up my quilting process. Cagey I forgot to include this photo of the back of the quilt. After soaking the quilt in water overnight and then spinning it out, this is what I opened the washer to see. I like how the newer water efficient machines spin out the wash at times. I hope you enjoy it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Row Studio Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Cagey....Great job. Looks for her to discover hidden in the quilting love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBQLTN2 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlsa3 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Wonderful quilt. I especially like what you did with the bat theme. I know she must have been excited. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted June 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Thank you for the kind comments. I too like the batt block because of the brown mountain quilting. I like the look of the circles, but it is rather labor intensive in my opinion. I would like to ask you. When you quilt feathers, do you backtrack over the previous feather to form the new one, or do you start out quilting the new feather and only backtrack over the small outside edge of the feather? When I took a class with Claudia Pfeil, she recommended the later and only backtracked the outside edge of the feather. When I took two recent classes on feathers, the two instructors suggested backtracking over both long-sides of the feather. It takes longer but it does change the look, as the quilting is slightly more pronounced. I can only quilt the Jamie Wallen Feathered Hearts by backtracking, while I can quilt long stem feathers either way. I would like to know from you folks that quilt professionally, how you go about doing it. Thank you again for your kind words. Take care and have a great day. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanbrug Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Your quilt is really pretty and love the lips in there how cute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferBernard Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Your quilt is so amazing! What a tribute for a teacher that touched so many lives. Your washing machine made some interesting art, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zora Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 The feather technique is a matter of personal preference. Whichever look you like and whichever one you are best at is what you should do. There is no right way, or better way. As for time, dense quilting takes time. The only way to spend less time is to do less quilting. I ask myself what I would do if it were my quilt. Then I adjust for it being a customer quilt. Stippling on a customer quilt is larger, crosshatching is larger, less stitch in the ditch. Maybe not outline the applique. Background fill is larger. Feathers are more casual, piano keys are more widely spaced, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibbyG Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 I do feathers both ways. It depends on the look I want. The backtracked feathers have a more formal look to them. As you gain more experience, you'll learn how to quilt less. Some quilts it's nice to practice different designs on. As a teacher for 38 years, I can tell you, I never received such a beautiful and loving gift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I again would like to thank all of you for the kind words on my quilting. Being new to this hobby/art, I truly appreciate your encouraging words. It is my goal to be able to quilt as well as all of you here. The information you freely share have helped me immensely. I will just have to continue to practice and improve my skills. I was unable to be at the school when my youngest presented the quilt to her teacher, but I got to watch the video my oldest made of the event when I got home from work. It was a pleasure to watch the joy she expressed when she opened the package and saw the gift. She kept asking where we had purchased the quilt from. She has a daughter that followed her into teaching, so she mentioned how she would love to have something made for her. She was rather shocked to learn that I had actually made the quilt. When I spoke with her on the phone after school let out, she wanted to know who had shared her favorite color; purple, and the year she first started teaching. I had to explain to her that she had told me over the years, and I had confirmed the information prior to putting the quilt together. I hope she cherishes the quilt as we cherish her for being such a wonderful teacher. In the end, this is the true reason I took up quilting. Giving part of yourself in each piece you make, and showing others what they truly mean to you. Thank you for listening, and teaching me. Cagey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marti10245 Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I love the quilt and you did a beautiful job making the quilt and quilting it, this teacher will charish this quilt. Marti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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