I do like my Red, White and Blue quilts it seems. This one is in a traditional log cabin pattern. Some of the fabric came from a selection of fat quarters commemmorating the centenial. The sashing is simple bands with a piano key border. I quilted this by machine
using my workhorse Viking 990 on a Handi-Quilter frame. The pattern is a stipple type meandering stitch, closely spaced. The frame functioned well for the most part, however, there are significant limitations using a standard home machine. The space from the needle to the neck of the machine is approximately 8 inches. Therefore, only 8 inches could be quilted at one time. Advancing the fabric frequently is rather annoying. The process is not difficult but stopping and starting so often is tedious because one has to avoid the dreaded thread nests on the back of the quilt. I learned to stipple in a serpentine style so that the rows would blend rather than have those defined lines of demarcation when the quilt was advanced. All in all I like the outcome, but a machine with a larger throat would be much better. The frame itself is quite large and is currently disassembled. I do plan to use it again since it was rather costly. But not money well spent on my part.
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| close up of stipple pattern on the "piano key border" |
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| the block |
The other problem with this quilting process, for me, is that I do not have a machine with a stitch regulator. That required me to stitch slowly to avoid uneven stitches. And I am sure there are quite a few on this quilt but they are hidden by the fabric pattern. There are four spools of 200 yd thread in this quilt. That's a lot of thread.
The Patriot Quilt is pinned and layered and will be quilted using a totally different method. One of my quilting friends is showing me this process. I will try to photograph her recent finished piece next week when we meet for our stitching group. Her work is wonderful, artsy and colorful.
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