The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

24 Inches…..an Hour

I’m a counter-I count things, I just can’t help it. So when I was bubble quilting away on the border of my Saw Tooth Star, I kept thinking, this is taking for-ev-er. So of course, I had to measure just how slowly it was going and sure enough, my pace was exactly 24″ an hour. Keep in mind that this is only about an inch wide! Bubbling takes awhile.It’s my not be evident from the photo, but one of the great things about the close quilting done by the bubbles is that it creates dimension in the surrounding areas-they poof out. I love that look. I was beginning to wonder whether all the work I put into this “simple” quilt was worth it. I made the mistake that I warn my students about-you have to move away from the quilt before you can see how it’s really going to look to the viewer. I was pleasantly surprised to see how it looked once I stood back from it-worth the effort! I belong to a great small quilting group: Sister In Stitches-SIS. One of our members is going through an incredibly difficult time for both she and her husband. We decided that we wanted to surround her with love and made up two quilts for them, one for each! We chose a simple pattern, several of us sewed blocks, and then we got together and assembled it. I decided to use white Aurifil top and bobbin and I quilted it on my Baby Lock Jane-it’s been awhile since I used my Jane. I still have not gotten the knack of its rather tricky foot control so my stitches are uneven. But I sure like the way the whole quilt fit easily into the harp of the machine and the motor is twice as fast as my Bernina so I could really roll.The border fabric was busy enough that I could not see my stitches-it was absolutely impossible. So I turned it over and quilted with the backing up and my bobbin thread became the one that showed on the top. See how you cannot see the stitching on the border?

It may sound silly but it is very hard for me to keep it simple. So I decided I would just do “headbands” all over with no stitch in the ditch, nothing fancy, but very pretty. I kept on thinking oh, I should stitch in the ditch, maybe I should do a different motif in the border, etc.Because I was stitching from the back, I saw these words over and over and I offered up my prayers for them as I quilted: warm wishes, joyful days, friends, sunshine, and wishes glad and gay…. What a blessing to be able to take part in such a project!I kind of wanted to see how it looked as a quilt that was being used, so I couldn’t help but snap a shot of the quilt hanging around on my favorite living room chair. Oh, and the counting stats on the Friendship Quilt? Ten bobbins, 7 hours quilting, 3 squares of chocolate, and 2 lovely quilts made for a Sister In Stitches.

Comments

  2. Damn you’re good, Jenny! The Saw Tooth Star is magnificent. Will we see it next week in the show?
    I’m sure your friends will wrap themselves in all the love that is expressed in the two quilts your group made. What a lovely gift to share.

    • It won’t be at the show-I am taking a year off. I needed to make things for my trunk show and I wasn’t sure what my timeline would be. I do have a piece next door at the Sr Center. You must go-it’s a great show with Merle Axelrad Serlin featured in the main room.

  3. Your Saw Tooth Star has turned out wonderfully but I certainly did not realize how time consuming those lovely bubbles are. I love the backing fabric on the quilt your group made for your friend,

  4. I think almost all of us quilters and sewists make things for others-it’s a part of DNA that makes us sew. I was a part of a wonderful group effort.

  5. Ah! Finished quilts, beautifully made and quilting on your home sewing machine, full of feelings…. the best. I know so well the struggle to ‘keep it simple’, your quilts are great examples, and they’re done!
    As far as bubbles, well, I think 24″ an hour is pretty speedy; I find them -so- slow (and so boring) so use them very sparingly. But I love the look, the pouf they create and the contrast with other background fills. The Saw Tooth Star is looking amazing.

    • It’s great to be a part of such a caring group! At least with bubbles, I can sit down and quilt without a lot of brain power-happens a lot these days…

  7. Thanks, again for a lovely post. Being a counter, it was nice to see someone else who does it. Wonderful quilts, and I am sure you all made two people have the burden of life lifted. The wonderful thing about a quilt, is that no matter if they are wrapped in them, glance as they walk by them or pet them as they pass by, they will remember that they are loved and thought of. Great job.