The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

Yet Another Learning Curve, Sigh

I am committed to showing my learning curve on this blog. You don’t always get what you want (Rolling Stones in the background, giggle)! Case in point, I began working on this piece and ran into some…issues. It’s based on a childhood memory I have of Lilly of the Valley surrounded by ferns in my childhood home. I’m making this piece for a purpose but it’s also kind of a test for a much larger piece.

The center is wholecloth and my thought was to really focus on the puff of the quilting to tell the story, not the thread. Well, just a few choices got in my way….Yes, it’s pretty, but the central motif has become visually confusing in the area surrounded by the frond. I echo quilted in there instead of doing the bubbles and I really don’t like it. Also, the frond curls into the middle leaf and that too is a bit off-putting. Ugh. Simple little decisions, not so great results!

The echo quilting can be easily but slowly  ripped out, but I’ll have to live with the collision between the frond and the middle leaf.

I used Superior Metallic for the central motif, a size 80 titanium topstitch needle and 100 wt Superior Silk for the bobbin, bubbles and echo quilting. BTW, the Superior metallic and the 80 titanium needle worked beautifully together, nary a problem. The center fabric is purchased hand dyed Radiance (cotton/silk blend) and the border is hand dyed silk noil from Linda M Designs, pulled from the “well aged” section of my Personal Fabric Museum.It is one of my mantras that I don’t rip out my stitches unless it’s grievously wrong- I think this qualifies. I love echo quilting but it doesn’t work in the center of this piece.

I think I will rip out the center echo quilting and try again, putting bubbles in there. I’ll show my work as I go. This was supposed to be a quick little romp…

Comments

  1. Ripping out is so NOT fun! I can see what you’re saying about the visual confusion, but would the bubbles be less confusing? Your frond is made of circles…can you photoshop alternatives before you rip and re-sew? Because, of course, only you think there’s anything bad about this piece!!!!

  2. I’ve done my hour of ripping and I’m about to find out if the bubbles are less confusing. Interesting concept, PhotoShopping alternatives-don’t have the skill yet to do that. My thought is that I’ll just go forward with the bubbles, has to be better than the echo. If it’s not terrible, I’ll leave it and make different decisions the next time.

  3. Love what you’re doing!!! Nice to learn about the details and decision making that goes into your work. Too bad you had to go through the ripping out process. The worst!!! It’ll be interesting to see the “before” and “after” pictures after you’ve reworked it. Be sure to take a break before you dive back in.

  4. Yes, done my ripping, shed some blood on the back of the piece. I will document and you’ll see the improvement. Just need some time…

  5. I think you are right about the echo quilting dominating the frond. I would never have thought about it, but after reading your commentary and studying the picture, I see it as a distraction from what you are trying to have as the focal point of the piece. You are so way beyond me as an artist. I love seeing what you are working on.

  6. Glad you see it too-I’m not making this up, giggle. You would surely agree it’s very distracting if you saw it in person-the eye becomes confused.