Last weekend I finished my first completely machine made quilt. I've done limited machine piecing before, but I haven't done any machine quilting. For this project, due to the quilt patterns and my beginner status, I decided to go with a basic cross hatch, using my walking foot. Boy, does the right tool for the job make all the difference.
I decided to quilt it using a cream that matched the background fabric. I knew this would show up on the darker parts of the blocks, but I really didn't want to detract from the four patch corner pieces in each block. Also changing thread colour for the quilting would've added a huge amount of time to the quilting process. Below is what the finished quilt looked like with the light quilting on the dark blocks.
However, once I saw it finished, I thought it would be better with the quilting made more invisible on the darker blocks. So, I decided the solution was to "colour in" the quilting on these darker blocks. As luck would have it, I had the exact colours I needed in my stash of scrapbooking pens - Zig Microns in Heritage Blue, Green, Brown and Red!! So after the quilt was completed, I sat and coloured in the quilting on the dark blocks. Below is a close up of what this looks like. I think it really works and because they are pigment pens, it will be waterproof.
I also made a quick label for the back. Need to come up with a standard design for me.
Congratulations on your 'first' machine finish. Looks great. I'll bet you're inspired to start something else now. That's the way patchwork works, so addictive.
ReplyDeleteGreat quilt. When I first looked at it, I didn't see that the "solid" corners of the blocks were made of 4 patches. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katie. It's such a simple thing, but I think using the four patches really adds texture to the finished quilt.
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