Design Help Needed

[apylinski]

I have not been on this forum for a long time. We used to post pics of quilts we were struggling with and ask for quilting suggestions. Can I still do that?

[SueD]

You can do that.  There's not much activity here but there are a few "regulars" and have seen comments about design help.  

[apylinski]

Thank you Sue. It’s worth a try I guess.  Here is a quilt I am struggling with to quilt. I want feathers in the border but I can’t figure out how to quilt the body of the quilt. It’s already on the longarm so it’s hard to get a pic of the center but I tried. Thanks for any help or suggestions.

[Cagey]

Ann,

If you are going to go to all the effort to quilt feathers in the outside border, I would be sure to use a gold or brown that matches some those bright colors in the inner part of the quilt, so the feather stand out.

Concerning the inner blocks, I would either purchase the book "Shape by Shape" by Angela Walters, or go to the app store on your phone and search for the book.  Then look at the free sample.  There are a number of triangle shapes that you could use to fill the triangles.  I would suggest a feather or fern so they somewhat match the outside border.  Look at triangle #2, and #8 in the free sample 

Also, look at the Wild Feathers in the free sample of the book. 

Take a look at this video to get an idea of the blocks that you want to stand out.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-1QUaqp0P4

Here is another video that should give you some ideas;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4bjgaRLC6U  Look at the minute and 20 second mark.  Even though she is using it to fill a diamond shape, it would be the same in a triangle.

You could fill the large center square formed by the 4 triangles with this design; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1xHCRAHYtM

Hopefully those videos or some of Angela's other videos that go with those above videos/challenges will help you decide what to actually quilt in each area.  

Please post pictures of you finished quilting.  As you have asked for inputs, you should share the final product.

Best of luck and I am sure it will turn out beautiful.

Cagey

[SueD]

Cagey has some great suggestions.

My initial thought when I looked at the quilt was echo quilting the outside edges of the large half square triangles (maybe 1/2" apart).  This would accentuate the medallion look of the quilt. 

I wasn't sure where to go from there in the other pieced half of the blocks - maybe just orange peel/continuous curves around each of the pieces.  Another idea would be something more curvy to tie in with the feathers in the border.

Check out After Hours youtube from Linda's Electric Quilters.  They've done some freehand quilting videos using a basic 8 stencil and ideas from some Pam Clarke books they sell.  The videos might give you enough ideas that you wouldn't necessarily need the stencil/books.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFFEyat3Ero&list=PLVdSb7hu7qSLInNkT4mV1r6aCwDHh3w2f&index=12

Let us know what you come up with!  Good luck.

Sue

[apylinski]

Thank you both for your input. I will certainly look at the videos. Cagey I think I actually have Angela Walter’s Shape by Shape book. I will do some searching.  
when finished I will share here.