Quilting Density – It makes a difference!
NOTE: I’ve got another post this week here.
I’ve been working on this white silk quilt for some time, maybe a year on-and-off? I recently restarted it and I’m doing fills around the feather tips. This is a great example of how much impact dense quilting can have on what it surrounds.
Those feathers are looking pretty blah, like they are going to fade into the background. But I’m not done! BTW, those dots are trapunto’d.
Filling in those tiny areas really makes an impact.
See how those feathers tips pop with dense quilting next to them?
That is a pretty dark color and if I had used a thicker thread, this quilting would have looked pretty spider-webbish. I tried tiny bubbles as a fill but they were not nearly as effective as the stipple. I’m not a big stipple fan but in this case, it was the perfect choice. I’m using super skinny 100 wt silk thread.
I’m still not done. I’ll go back in later and add some sort of subtle color to the puffy ends of each feather to make them look more voluptuous. I’ve not yet settled on what medium I will use to get that effect.
I’ve got some problems ahead with this quilt. This is silk, and no, I did not think to color test all those swatches of fabric in the inserts. You just know there is a bleeder in there. And given that this is silk, there’s not a lot to do about a bleed. Silk cannot tolerate all the normal things you do to take a bleed out, by the way. I see the possibility of an overdye in my future.
And to add to my possible problems, I used blue wash out marker which must be washed out, meaning the quilt has to get wet, ugh. Just spraying it “away” is not enough. The marker will migrate to the batting and reappear as an ugly stain that will not come out if the quilt ever gets hot enough to set the stain (like shipping my quilt in a hot month). So it’s a crap shoot as to whether this quilt will be a go. I sure hope so, I do love it!
I’ll link up with:
It’s gorgeous! Best of luck with the washing.
Thank you Sandy. I’m gonna need that luck!
I am not a fan of stipple either but you are right, perfect here. Can you a tip test and find your bleeder? Could you replace it or mitigate it somehow? Your work is lovely and I appreciate your sharing. ??
Thank you Diana! I have so many fabrics in that, don’t think I repeated any do a test probably isn’t something I’ll do, sigh. We’ll see what happens.
I am not good about pretesting fabric, especially when red is not involved. But one fact I remember from my college education as a Clothing and Textile major is that silk is washable if you prewash it before sewing. (OK-next time). If you have been to a silk factory you see how much water is used in the pulling of silk from the cocoons. It’s the sizing they put on it that causes problems. Love your blue stippling and the added definition, or puff, that results.
Thank you Sally! Water yes, I wash my silk quilts. But it won’t tolerate the typical bleed removal process – heat, vinegar, soap/detergent or strain remover. Let’s hope I don’t have a bleed!
I think this is gorgeous. I think of stippling as a utilitarian stitch and sometimes it is the only thing that works right. Hoping you will get a non-bleed surprise. Cheers.
Thank you Betty Jo! I rarely use stipple but it really was the perfect full here. Yes, hoping against hope for a non-bleed.
I meant Q tip test. Ifyou take hot water and a Q tip and rub you might find your bleeder. Don’t you love spell check grrrrr in any case good luck with it
Lol! I don’t know that I can do anything about a bleeder, it’s silk I’m working with so not much can be done to get it out without compromising the silk.
Love how this quilt is turning out – hope that there won’t be a “bleed” problem for you! Can’t wait to see the finished quilt!
Oh Peggy, I sure hope there isn’t a bleeder!
Have you ever tried painting silk? I wonder if you could add colors by painting it and it would cover the blue marks?
The quilting really does add the the drama
Yes I have painted silk. I’m not that great at it though! I’ll have to see what happens when this thing gets wet. It’s a good thought! I’d do lots of practice before I painted.
The results you get from combining dense mini stippling and trapunto are stunning. I have confidence that if anyone can figure out a work around for bleed and permanent blue marking pen, it is you Jenny. Never thought of heat set the marker when shipping.
Oh thank you Gwyned! Oh I sure hope I don’t have to deal with a bleed. Let’s hope….
Perhaps you could make any bleed part of your design? You said you plan to do some form of coloring for the tips of feathers, but don’t know what yet. Would it be an option to wash the quilt before you do the feather-tip coloring and see what happens with bleed and blue marker game-playing, and then if you have bleed or blue migration, design your feather coloring so that it pulls any errant color into the design concept? I’m thinking of an aunt of mine who years ago looked at an arrangement of paintings on my mother’s wall, said wall also having an awkwardly placed, ugly thermostat box and light switch that grabbed your eye. My aunt tweaked the arrangement of the artworks so that they subtly incorporated the box and switch, and then your eye basically overlooked them because they were part of the design. Magic! I’ve ‘hidden’ things as large as my 42″ TV screen this way ever since.
Okay Lynne, you’ve got me thinking. I have to wait to see what, if anything, happens when I rinse it out. Those are some clever ideas. I just hope I don’t need to use them!