wip wednesday #10
Wave of manic creativity continues…
1). February 12×12x12 challenge quilt: Hand quilting with Jean Stitch did not work very well so I tried locally to find hot pink hand quilting thread. Found none in Gütermann, Coats & Clark, or DMC, at least that was in stock. Briefly considered using rayon, then came to my senses and bought a spool of hot pink cotton Gütermann machine thread. It works fairly well with three passes through Thread Heaven and 12 inch lengths. I’m quilting without a hoop or frame, which is not as precise, but I don’t have to worry about the beads getting in the way of the hoop, and it gives a nice folksy look.
Out of curiosity, any hand quilters out there: do you always stick to the nice glazed quilting threads or do you choose whatever strikes your fancy? Also, do you use the traditional colors (I found baby pink and dusty rose shades in the pink family) or do you prefer more vibrant hues?
2). March 12×12x12 sketch: I’ve been doodling quite a lot and here’s my favorite. I think I’ll use it for next month’s challenge.
3). New mini appliqué block: This is going to be part of a miniature folk art wool appliqué quilt. The finished blocks are 1 inch. I’m not sure what size the quilt will be yet. I hand appliquéd it with rayon thread, but am wondering if it would be more sturdy if I also needle felted it for good measure.
I can not wait to see the whole piece. Love the bright pink.
Wow, you really are on a roll!
I like the coffee cup – looks like it would make a great quilt design. I don’t know enough about handquilting to give advice, but I think anything that doesn’t break while you are quilting would be fine.
It’s really cute Laura.
I don’t do a lot of hand quilting any more, but when I have in the past, I’ve never limited myself to just glazed cotton thread. I use whatever works best for the look I want, including Rayons & silks. I just worked a little shorter thread for those that tend to fray more. I also don’t knot the threads, & bury a long tail in the quilt & run over it with my stitches.
I learned a neat technique of threading my needle so it can’t unthread itself, it’s the same way you’re supposed to thread silk ribbon. Hey there’s a thought! Quilting with silk ribbon!
The Oct 20th post on my blog demonstrates the needle thread method I’m talking about. It can be done even with the thinnest silk thread, just takes a little concentration!
Whenever I do handquilting, I use whatever thread I want and if I need it to be stronger/stiffer, I run it through a chunk of beeswax first. I have used all kinds of colors to complement my work. Remember–do what you want for the effect you want!