Friday, September 21, 2012

Moving forward...

The quilt top is finally right and I have it loaded on Lola to begin the quilting process. I like it much better now as the background fabric is less distracting. You can see the pieced work which is to be the focal point along with the quilting. What do you think?
What do you think? Do you agree with me that it needed to be toned down and allow the piecing to shine? I admit that the new piece of background fabric has the right colors and minimal patterning but it doesn't have the same sheen as the original background piece. It is the same fabric, 50% bamboo/50% cotton, that we always use. I don't know if it is the difference in techniques of the ice dyeing versus the dye bath, but after 2 dye baths I wasn't going to start over again since the colors are really good in this one. I am on a deadline and I couldn't lose another day hoping to get a better piece.

In the meantime, while I was waiting for the dyeing process to process, I worked up a sample piece to try out a design motif and combination of batting.
I used a portion of the fabric that I removed from the quilt top to do this piece. I freehand drew the leaf shapes on the top. I spray basted a layer of Warm and Natural and a layer of Hobbs Heirloom wool together and spray basted the quilt sandwich. Since I used air disappearing marking pen I quilted out the outlines of the shapes so that I had time to go back and fill them in and not worry that I would not be able to see the lines. I quilted the motifs first and then I added the feathers and other grounding motifs around the base of the leaves and once that was done I put the walking foot on my machine and did the outside border lines. I did a set of double lines so that a channel would be formed between them. This gave me my defined limits to the block and I then did the background fills. On the top of the piece I used a repeating leaf motif and on the bottom I used circles and tried to vary the size of them. I used another piece of hand dyed fabric for the binding and I added just a touch of beading to the binding edge. I am really pleased with how this turned out. I am ready now to start the quilting process and incorporate a similar motif as this in it.

There is so much to do in the next week that I will be very busy trying to get it all done and remain calm and collected while doing it.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and practice something that you haven't done in a while. It can be fun when you see the results that you get with a little practice.



1 comment:

tina said...

you were so right about needing color that doesnt compete with the pieced section of this quilt. as usual. Love the leaves!!!!! soo pretty.