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First steps in machine quilting. and quilting motif ?



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 12th 05, 05:05 PM
Debra
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default First steps in machine quilting. and quilting motif ?

Yesterday I attempted to solve a thread breakage problem with my new
sewing machine so I could use it again. I had been using my machine's
problem to put off my first try at machine quilting, but I decided it
was time to get over my worries. I did several things to the machine
and nothing seemed to help. Frustrated that it was still not working
right I called Mom, the machine guru, to come over, and as soon as DH
let her in the door the machine made a final soft clunk and suddenly
began working correctly. Every stitch test run I made went smooth as
glass. Mom claimed it was the old "call the mechanic and the machine
will fix itself" magic. I'm just happy it's fixed.

While she was there I got out the walking foot, put it on, and tested
it with a folded piece of muslin. The test strip went through it like
a hot knife through butter and all the stitches were perfect! Yay!
Now most folks might practice a bit before starting on an actual
quilt, but I'm not most folks and my Pebbles and Bam Bam lap quilt is
mostly an experiment anyway, so I just jumped right in with both feet.

Many of you have said a quilt top will tell you what kind of designs
it wants to have quilted on it. Well either I'm quilt deaf or this
top isn't speaking. I simply did a SITD on both sides of the pink
frames of the blocks. Two hours later I had all the lines in one
direction done and had a good start on the other direction too. I
took a break and clipped threads while watching "Dirty Jobs" on TV. I
finished quilting all the lines, clipped the rest of the threads, and
removed the basting tacks by midnight. I will admit I did a little
dancing at that point.

Now I have to trim and bind the edges. I don't think that will be a
problem at all. But I do have one little problem. Although I don't
have to put any quilting in the center of the blocks because the
centers are about 8 inches and the batting only requires quilting
every ten inches, the unquilted space seems to be asking for something
more. But remember, I am quilt deaf. I don't know what to put there,
but I have a few ideas and would like some input. I could continue
with machine quilting and simply run diagonal lines both ways across
the Pebbles and Bam Bam cloth, or I could draw a square within each
block echoing the square framing. I'd rather hand quilt something a
little more interesting, but what? I'd love some ideas if anyone has
one. The Pebbles and Bam Bam top is in my webshots album if you would
like to see it.

Thanks for reading.

Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere
Ads
  #2  
Old October 12th 05, 06:12 PM
Marlys in Indiana
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Debra,
Since I'm pretty much quilt deaf also, the only thing I could suggest
is to, perhaps, hand quilt around the little characters in the blocks. That
would make them "pop out" a little.
Just a quick, random thought that just might not work for you. (Hands
up in the air, not really knowing how to listen to a quilt either!)
Marlys in Indiana

"Debra" wrote in message
...
Yesterday I attempted to solve a thread breakage problem with my new
sewing machine so I could use it again. I had been using my machine's
problem to put off my first try at machine quilting, but I decided it
was time to get over my worries. I did several things to the machine
and nothing seemed to help. Frustrated that it was still not working
right I called Mom, the machine guru, to come over, and as soon as DH
let her in the door the machine made a final soft clunk and suddenly
began working correctly. Every stitch test run I made went smooth as
glass. Mom claimed it was the old "call the mechanic and the machine
will fix itself" magic. I'm just happy it's fixed.

While she was there I got out the walking foot, put it on, and tested
it with a folded piece of muslin. The test strip went through it like
a hot knife through butter and all the stitches were perfect! Yay!
Now most folks might practice a bit before starting on an actual
quilt, but I'm not most folks and my Pebbles and Bam Bam lap quilt is
mostly an experiment anyway, so I just jumped right in with both feet.

Many of you have said a quilt top will tell you what kind of designs
it wants to have quilted on it. Well either I'm quilt deaf or this
top isn't speaking. I simply did a SITD on both sides of the pink
frames of the blocks. Two hours later I had all the lines in one
direction done and had a good start on the other direction too. I
took a break and clipped threads while watching "Dirty Jobs" on TV. I
finished quilting all the lines, clipped the rest of the threads, and
removed the basting tacks by midnight. I will admit I did a little
dancing at that point.

Now I have to trim and bind the edges. I don't think that will be a
problem at all. But I do have one little problem. Although I don't
have to put any quilting in the center of the blocks because the
centers are about 8 inches and the batting only requires quilting
every ten inches, the unquilted space seems to be asking for something
more. But remember, I am quilt deaf. I don't know what to put there,
but I have a few ideas and would like some input. I could continue
with machine quilting and simply run diagonal lines both ways across
the Pebbles and Bam Bam cloth, or I could draw a square within each
block echoing the square framing. I'd rather hand quilt something a
little more interesting, but what? I'd love some ideas if anyone has
one. The Pebbles and Bam Bam top is in my webshots album if you would
like to see it.

Thanks for reading.

Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere



  #3  
Old October 13th 05, 06:37 AM
Debra
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 17:12:11 GMT, "Marlys in Indiana"
wrote:

Debra,
Since I'm pretty much quilt deaf also, the only thing I could suggest
is to, perhaps, hand quilt around the little characters in the blocks. That
would make them "pop out" a little.
Just a quick, random thought that just might not work for you. (Hands
up in the air, not really knowing how to listen to a quilt either!)
Marlys in Indiana


Well I never expected help from another quilt deaf person. Just goes
to show you never know where help is going to come from, I guess. You
know, that is the same way I did the fish in my wall hanging. I had
fun doing that too, so it's a possibility. I was not bored quilting
around the fish because they were all different shapes, and it went
fairly quickly. The batting is Warm and White so they aren't going to
pop as much as with a fluffier batting, but that's not a big deal.

I thought about dinosaurs because of Dino and the other dinosaur that
Bam Bam rides. I'd have to do them by hand since they would be fairly
intricate and I can't free motion quilt yet, so they would be very
slow going.

I also thought about a simple leaf shape of the pointed oval type
because the pink fabric has tiny vines with leaves that shape. I'm
just not sure it would look right on the cartoon fabric. But I might
be able to do that by machine, one big leaf per block, so I could be
done and on to the next quilt faster. I'd have to see if I could use
the walking foot to do a slow curve or not before I try it on the
quilt though.

My Mom, who isn't quilt deaf, suggested bones because they appear in
every block; holding up Pebbles hair, as a handlebar on some of the
trikes, and as a pin on Bam Bam's diaper. I fear that would make it
look like a dog quilt from the back view so I hesitate to use them as
the only fancy motif. The other two things in every block are rocks
and wheels. A rock outline doesn't appeal to me at all, but now that
I've listed them I wonder about the wheels. One big chipped stone
type wheel on each block might be good. Maybe I'm not totally quilt
deaf after all. What do you think?

I've also been wondering if I should pick two motifs and alternate
their placement in each row, checkerboard fashion, so that I don't get
bored with any one motif while hand quilting.

I'm really racking my brain here. At first I didn't see any
possibilities and now I see many. What if I choose the wrong one and
my cute lap quilt turns out not cute at all? Is it even possible to
ruin a quilt by quilting it?

Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere
  #4  
Old October 13th 05, 08:41 AM
Patti
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I, too, am totally quilt deaf, Debra.
I've tried to absorb and print out all the sage advice I've seen on here
about choosing quilting designs!
If I make a couple of responses to your thoughts, it might help you find
what *you* like!
I like the idea of a vine winding through the quilt - but only on the
sashing.

Any motif you decide upon has to be visible and recognisable, otherwise
it's a waste of your time. I had a gardening motif quilt and quilted a
watering can in all of the blocks. It was a complete waste of time, as
I used dark green, and the colour was swallowed up wherever a dark
colour appeared on the feature blocks!

Of all the things you suggested, I like the wheels idea best. One
reason for that is that they occur so often in the print that they would
be instantly recognisable. They would also not be too difficult to do.
Do make sure any wobbly outline looks intentional - not just your hand
quilting going astray g Also, a great thing about them is that they
could be all different sizes, and they could be separate or
intersecting. They offer a lot of design scope.
..
In message , Debra
writes
Well I never expected help from another quilt deaf person. Just goes
to show you never know where help is going to come from, I guess. You
know, that is the same way I did the fish in my wall hanging. I had
fun doing that too, so it's a possibility. I was not bored quilting
around the fish because they were all different shapes, and it went
fairly quickly. The batting is Warm and White so they aren't going to
pop as much as with a fluffier batting, but that's not a big deal.

I thought about dinosaurs because of Dino and the other dinosaur that
Bam Bam rides. I'd have to do them by hand since they would be fairly
intricate and I can't free motion quilt yet, so they would be very
slow going.

I also thought about a simple leaf shape of the pointed oval type
because the pink fabric has tiny vines with leaves that shape. I'm
just not sure it would look right on the cartoon fabric. But I might
be able to do that by machine, one big leaf per block, so I could be
done and on to the next quilt faster. I'd have to see if I could use
the walking foot to do a slow curve or not before I try it on the
quilt though.

My Mom, who isn't quilt deaf, suggested bones because they appear in
every block; holding up Pebbles hair, as a handlebar on some of the
trikes, and as a pin on Bam Bam's diaper. I fear that would make it
look like a dog quilt from the back view so I hesitate to use them as
the only fancy motif. The other two things in every block are rocks
and wheels. A rock outline doesn't appeal to me at all, but now that
I've listed them I wonder about the wheels. One big chipped stone
type wheel on each block might be good. Maybe I'm not totally quilt
deaf after all. What do you think?

I've also been wondering if I should pick two motifs and alternate
their placement in each row, checkerboard fashion, so that I don't get
bored with any one motif while hand quilting.

I'm really racking my brain here. At first I didn't see any
possibilities and now I see many. What if I choose the wrong one and
my cute lap quilt turns out not cute at all? Is it even possible to
ruin a quilt by quilting it?

Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill
  #5  
Old October 13th 05, 05:53 PM
Debra
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:41:22 +0100, Patti
wrote:

I, too, am totally quilt deaf, Debra.
I've tried to absorb and print out all the sage advice I've seen on here
about choosing quilting designs!


Well, I don't feel so alone now. Both you and Marlys were on this
news group long before I, so I know it's possible to be a quilter in
spite of the quilt deafness.

If I make a couple of responses to your thoughts, it might help you find
what *you* like!
I like the idea of a vine winding through the quilt - but only on the
sashing.


Yes, that's how I felt too.

Any motif you decide upon has to be visible and recognisable, otherwise
it's a waste of your time. I had a gardening motif quilt and quilted a
watering can in all of the blocks. It was a complete waste of time, as
I used dark green, and the colour was swallowed up wherever a dark
colour appeared on the feature blocks!


No problem there. I'm using off white thread for quilting so it's
visible no matter where I quilt. I like the look of white or off
white quilting lines. The only quilt I'm planning to match thread and
fabric color is one that will have a star field on the backing and I
plan to use black for the bobbin thread and something else for the top
thread so the star field isn't spoiled by quilting lines.

Of all the things you suggested, I like the wheels idea best. One
reason for that is that they occur so often in the print that they would
be instantly recognisable. They would also not be too difficult to do.
Do make sure any wobbly outline looks intentional - not just your hand
quilting going astray g Also, a great thing about them is that they
could be all different sizes, and they could be separate or
intersecting. They offer a lot of design scope.


After sleeping on it, I like the wheels best too. They should be easy
and fast to quilt. I'm thinking of the same type of wheel as the one
so often seen in the B. C. comic strip, or scanning and enlarging one
of the wheels on the print. I think they would have an outline
obviously wobbly enough to look intentional. I hadn't thought of
using varying sizes or multiple wheels per block. I'll have to ponder
about those options for awhile.

The funny thing is that I would have never thought about the wheels if
I hadn't been writing a reply to Marlys. Whenever I looked at the
print I saw the trikes and wagons, but not really noticing the wheels
themselves. I wasn't looking at the print while writing, so I thought
"wheeled riding toys" and Bingo, the lightbulb moment.

Perhaps we are not quilt deaf. We simply need some sort of sounding
board, and to see our thoughts in print rather than just floating
around in our heads. At any rate, we three supposedly quilt deaf
people have a brilliant quilting motif idea as a result.

Thank you Marlys for helping me get the idea . I wouldn't have it
without you. And thank you too, Patti, for liking the idea and also
helping to make it more concrete. I hope I can help you two when you
need a hand. Thanks again! I've got to get to work drafting some
three quarter views of stone wheels now!
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere
  #6  
Old October 13th 05, 06:29 PM
Patti
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Glad you're feeling on the way now, Debra.
I think 'stone wheel' (in any orientation) might be something even
Google Images couldn't help with g

In message , Debra
writes
On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:41:22 +0100, Patti
wrote:

Well, I don't feel so alone now. Both you and Marlys were on this
news group long before I, so I know it's possible to be a quilter in
spite of the quilt deafness.
Yes, that's how I felt too.
No problem there. I'm using off white thread for quilting so it's
visible no matter where I quilt. I like the look of white or off
white quilting lines. The only quilt I'm planning to match thread and
fabric color is one that will have a star field on the backing and I
plan to use black for the bobbin thread and something else for the top
thread so the star field isn't spoiled by quilting lines.
After sleeping on it, I like the wheels best too. They should be easy
and fast to quilt. I'm thinking of the same type of wheel as the one
so often seen in the B. C. comic strip, or scanning and enlarging one
of the wheels on the print. I think they would have an outline
obviously wobbly enough to look intentional. I hadn't thought of
using varying sizes or multiple wheels per block. I'll have to ponder
about those options for awhile.
The funny thing is that I would have never thought about the wheels if
I hadn't been writing a reply to Marlys. Whenever I looked at the
print I saw the trikes and wagons, but not really noticing the wheels
themselves. I wasn't looking at the print while writing, so I thought
"wheeled riding toys" and Bingo, the lightbulb moment.
Perhaps we are not quilt deaf. We simply need some sort of sounding
board, and to see our thoughts in print rather than just floating
around in our heads. At any rate, we three supposedly quilt deaf
people have a brilliant quilting motif idea as a result.
Thank you Marlys for helping me get the idea . I wouldn't have it
without you. And thank you too, Patti, for liking the idea and also
helping to make it more concrete. I hope I can help you two when you
need a hand. Thanks again! I've got to get to work drafting some
three quarter views of stone wheels now!
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill
  #7  
Old October 13th 05, 07:04 PM
frood
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Flintstones car might work, tho!

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
De-STUFF email address to reply
"Patti" wrote in message
...
Glad you're feeling on the way now, Debra.
I think 'stone wheel' (in any orientation) might be something even Google
Images couldn't help with g

In message , Debra
writes
On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:41:22 +0100, Patti
wrote:

Well, I don't feel so alone now. Both you and Marlys were on this
news group long before I, so I know it's possible to be a quilter in
spite of the quilt deafness.
Yes, that's how I felt too.
No problem there. I'm using off white thread for quilting so it's
visible no matter where I quilt. I like the look of white or off
white quilting lines. The only quilt I'm planning to match thread and
fabric color is one that will have a star field on the backing and I
plan to use black for the bobbin thread and something else for the top
thread so the star field isn't spoiled by quilting lines.
After sleeping on it, I like the wheels best too. They should be easy
and fast to quilt. I'm thinking of the same type of wheel as the one
so often seen in the B. C. comic strip, or scanning and enlarging one
of the wheels on the print. I think they would have an outline
obviously wobbly enough to look intentional. I hadn't thought of
using varying sizes or multiple wheels per block. I'll have to ponder
about those options for awhile.
The funny thing is that I would have never thought about the wheels if
I hadn't been writing a reply to Marlys. Whenever I looked at the
print I saw the trikes and wagons, but not really noticing the wheels
themselves. I wasn't looking at the print while writing, so I thought
"wheeled riding toys" and Bingo, the lightbulb moment.
Perhaps we are not quilt deaf. We simply need some sort of sounding
board, and to see our thoughts in print rather than just floating
around in our heads. At any rate, we three supposedly quilt deaf
people have a brilliant quilting motif idea as a result.
Thank you Marlys for helping me get the idea . I wouldn't have it
without you. And thank you too, Patti, for liking the idea and also
helping to make it more concrete. I hope I can help you two when you
need a hand. Thanks again! I've got to get to work drafting some
three quarter views of stone wheels now!
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill



  #8  
Old October 13th 05, 07:59 PM
Pat in Virginia
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Suggestion for border or sashing quilting motif:
"Yabba Dabba Doo!"

Grins, PAT in VA/USa

Debra wrote:
....cut...
Many of you have said a quilt top will tell you what kind of designs
it wants to have quilted on it. Well either I'm quilt deaf or this
top isn't speaking. I simply did a SITD on both sides of the pink
frames of the blocks. Two hours later I had all the lines in one
direction done and had a good start on the other direction too.


....
Now I have to trim and bind the edges. I don't think that will be a
problem at all. But I do have one little problem. Although I don't
have to put any quilting in the center of the blocks because the
centers are about 8 inches and the batting only requires quilting
every ten inches, the unquilted space seems to be asking for something
more. But remember, I am quilt deaf. I don't know what to put there,
but I have a few ideas and would like some input. I could continue
with machine quilting and simply run diagonal lines both ways across
the Pebbles and Bam Bam cloth, or I could draw a square within each
block echoing the square framing. I'd rather hand quilt something a
little more interesting, but what? I'd love some ideas if anyone has
one. The Pebbles and Bam Bam top is in my webshots album if you would
like to see it.

  #9  
Old October 13th 05, 08:03 PM
Patti
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

So it might! Great idea, Wendy g
..
In message , Frood
writes
Flintstones car might work, tho!


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill
  #10  
Old October 14th 05, 04:58 PM
Debra
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 14:59:51 -0400, Pat in Virginia
wrote:

Suggestion for border or sashing quilting motif:
"Yabba Dabba Doo!"

Grins, PAT in VA/USa


Alas, all the sashing is 1 1/2 inches and probably too narrow to quilt
words upon. I did think about using it in the blocks at one time.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere
 




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