Monday, January 10, 2011

Quilting "Forest Canopy" - Phase 1

I've finally decided on a name for the "Prairie Pinwheels" quilt I've been working on: "Forest Canopy." Not only that-- but I've also finally started quilting it! Yay!

A few years ago, I took a machine quilting class from Sue Nickels. She suggested quilting any long, straight lines first, so as to help stabilize the quilt and make detail work go more smoothly. Because of the size of this quilt, that seemed like an especially good idea to me! So here is my quilting plan, updated to show the straight lines I am quilting (in green):

Forest Canopy quilting plan
It is pretty slow going, not only because the quilt is huge and difficult to maneuver, but also because quilting in the ditch is hard. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job though, and it is a big confidence booster. In the picture below, you can see some of my ditch-quilting.

quliting in progress, Forest Canopy
It's not wildly exciting (heck, when I do it right, you can't even see it!), but I think doing this is going to make the next phase (when I start freemotioning) easier. So it is definitely worth it.
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8 comments:

  1. ZonnahJanuary 10, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    I love seeing how it is coming along, thanks for sharing :)

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  2. YvetteJanuary 10, 2011 at 7:13 PM

    I am going to start quilting a monster quilt too and will ditch it first like you are doing. I do not look forward to it but I didn't want to spend too much money paying someone to do it.

    Yours is coming out great! I hope I will have success like this too.

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  3. KrisJanuary 11, 2011 at 4:43 AM

    That's a great tip! I'll have to remember that for the next monster one.

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  4. Anne at Film and ThreadJanuary 11, 2011 at 4:46 AM

    I tried something new this weekend. I got out a long fold-up table with extendable legs and put my machine on it. I put the legs out at full height and did the quilting standing up. It was a lot easier on my back and the long table held the weight of the fabric after I fed it through.

    Great idea about doing the lines first.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    That's a great idea about the straight lines. I'll have to try and remember that!

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  6. ToniJanuary 11, 2011 at 7:56 PM

    I like the idea of taking picture and turning it black/white for easier visualization for quilting! I know it's hard and long going, but you will be so happy with your results!!

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  7. Carrie P.January 12, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    I have heard the same thing about doing straight stitching first. I am sure it will help you out a lot. Quilting in the ditch is so tedious.Can't wait to see the other quilting.

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  8. KarenJanuary 12, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    An excellent plan and an excellent name!!!

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