The bad weather has kept us indoors so I’ve been doing quilting and writing. On the writing front I’m preparing a couple of batches poems to submit. I’m focusing on a few of literary magazines as well as a number of on-line sites. I’ll let you know if anything gets accepted. On the quilting front I’ve moved from piecing to quilting. Quilt projects go through three stages: Top piecing, quilting and then binding.
Quilting is where you add the batting and a back to create the quilt sandwich. I decided to practice on a sample piece:
This is the practice curvy log cabin I made a few months ago. I chose a simple straight line pattern using a walking foot for this. It looks better in the picture, but I am happy with this as a first try. It’s a bit tricky to do this and lots of things to remember. One thing I’ve always liked about quilting is that this pattern you see on the front can also be seen on the back:
It’s a little hard to see in the photo, but you get the idea. This becomes an interesting point when selecting a quilting pattern – it needs to look interesting on both the front and back. Typically the backing of a quilt is just a single piece of fabric.
Finally, here are the fabrics I’ve picked for my labyrinth quilt:
The class starts tomorrow so I’ve spent the morning collecting my supplies, winding bobbins and gathering stuff together.
That’s it for this week, if you need me, I’ll be in class.
Andrew's View of the Week 
Beautiful and can’t wait to see the final outcome. Good luck on your submissions too. I’m working on some of the same and it’s mind boggling. 🙂
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It’s a crazy process.
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It really is…
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I love your colour choices! The quilting looks great, too. Only one problem: Now I’ve decided I need a walking foot for my sewing machine. (And so it begins…)
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I didn’t know I needed a walking foot, until I used a walking foot.
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I do enjoy your quilting posts. My mother and grandmother were avid quilters as were many ladies in my church when I was growing up. But back in that day, they handstitched everything even all the pieces and blocks together and they fit with utmost precision. My mom had a large stand-up quilting frame that had been my grandmother’s which Mom used to complete the quilting by hand with tiny perfect stitches. The quilt would be rolled on the frame as she completed each section. She had an artistic bent for certain and would create beautiful designs to be seen on the back of her quilts. I remember many folks in our community would pay her to make one for them. I have a few she made and they are treasures to me.
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I might get into hand stitching at some point, but for now I’m just enjoying my machine work.
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What splendid fun, Andrew. I look forward to seeing the finished quilt.
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I’m enjoying this so far.
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Good luck!! I’m really looking forward to the result. (No pressure there, then.)
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It might be a few weeks before results are picture ready.
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The designs are so beautiful. It is WordPress that I learnt about them and so photos of amazing ones. It is no nice when we can do what we enjoy.
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I love doing this.
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Enjoy seeing the photos of the process. I like the colors for your new one too.
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I also like the colors you’ve chosen for the labyrinth. I’d describe the set as “masculine”, if a quilt can be described as such. Your stitch patterns make me think quilters and LEGO model-builders have something in common. There’s an undefined satisfaction in bringing small pieces neatly together. At least, that’s my take on it, and the reason I’m willing to spend countless hours sorting LEGOs and snapping them together.
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Hi Dave, Your message about the quilt came to ME. Hopefully, he sees it. I agree, the pattern does look like Lego blocks!
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I saw it. 😉
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I think you can describe a quilt that way. When I was picking colors, I was just focusing on what I like. But, yeah I do tend towards “masculine” colors combinations. I do tend to like more geometric patterns – a lot that I learned from building Lego sets.
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Thank you!
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I really like the fabric for your new quilt. It is so smart to practice on something else. I don’t think I ever regretted doing that. It gives you a chance to address anything that may be an issue. I have only done hand-quilting, although I have sewn layers on a machine before. It isn’t always easy – that is for sure. Having the right foot is essential. Thanks for the update.
I spent the day painting because we have crappy weather here too. It is pouring cold rain now. YUCK!
Have a great rest of the week. 🙂
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We’ve had a bright sunny day here. Having the right equipment is required as is practice. I find I need to just play with a tool or machine to get the feel for it and figure out what it will and won’t do for me. It’s fun.
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The patterns and colors in your quilting and woodworking projects always intrigue me. So complicated, so much work, so much precision required. It’s mind boggling to me.
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I find there is a lot of crossover between quilting and woodworking, including precision and patterns. Colors a more difficult to match between fabric and wood, but I do tend towards similar color and contrast groupings.
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I can’t imagine how much work that is–but I suppose people say that about writing a novel, also. Kudos, Andrew.
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I will say that this kind of work is similar to what I do in woodworking with a scroll saw, but yes it is a lot of work.
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This is beautiful, Andrew!
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Thank you!
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