Thursday 26 May 2016

No-rules hand quilting

hand quilting

In the beginning of May I set myself a goal for this month - to try hand quilting for the first time and cope with at least 1/8 of this quilt. Although I still have a lot of doubts about what I am doing, I think the goal is achieved more than enough - in fact, I quilted about half of it:

hand quilting bubbles

My fingers hurt, but I'm proud of myself - I thought it would take me ages!

As I only wanted to try hand quilting and wasn't sure I would ever want to repeat the experience, I didn't want to buy a quilting hoop and used the technique I heard about before - when the needle slides along the table or another hard surface under the quilt. It results in longer stitches than classical hand-quilting. As far as I understand, something like this is called "big stitch quilting", but big stitches usually mean using thicker thread. I was only able to find a suitable variegated thread in machine quilting cottons, so my stitches are both long and thin:
hand quilting bubbles
For comparison: the hexagon side is 1 1/4' (And the big blue stitches are basting - yes, I baste my quilts the old-fashioned way)))

On the other hand, they have some of the ethereal quality that is characteristic for soap bubbles )))



I also broke the rules by not following a pattern or the pieced shapes in my quilting design, in fact I used several freezer paper circles that I ironed to the quilt here and there and just stitched around. The effect of this is that instead of enhancing the patchwork shapes, the quilting kind of dissolves them, makes them softer:

hand quilting bubbles

I'm sorry the light in the photos is different (and neither of them quite true, I'm afraid), but I hope you can see what I mean. I'm still not sure whether this is good or bad, but the quilt is about bubbles and bubbles are supposed to move at random, so any organized quilting seemed at odds with the main idea.

I'm also not sure if I have done enough quilting - in places it' quite dense, but there are also empty areas about two inches long and almost as wide. I desperately need advice from experienced hand quilters, I'm going to take it to the IPS meeting, but would also welcome any comments with quilting advice!

Another question open for discussion is what kind of binding to choose for it. I don't have anything suitable in my stash, so will have to look for something.

So, whith mixed feelings of pride and doubt I'm linking this to the blogs that motivated me to set and achieve this goal:

BraveQuilter at Pink Doxies
One Monthly Goal at Red letter Quilts
New to me in 2016 at Celtic Thistle Stitches
Fabric, Thread and Yarn at France Nadeau








29 comments:

  1. This is beautiful. You have done an amazing job on the hand quilting. I don't think there are rules about how close to do hand quilting...how far the stitch lines are apart is usually defined by the batting and is usually printed on the packaging.

    Your hand quilting emphasizes the bubble effect very nicely.

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    1. Oh, I never knew that the batting is the main factor at play. Unfortunately, I don't have packaging for this batting but it behaved well when quilted by machine with 2-3'' gaps.

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  2. Lovely hand quilting, I wouldn't have believed it was your first time. Your stitches are such an even size which is much more important than how small they are. Great job, you should be proud of yourself.
    Smiles
    Kate

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    1. Thank you Kate, again, I didn't really thin about the stitches being even, it's kind of how the needle naturally moved through this particular thickness of materials))

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  3. Lovely hand quilting!! I love your bubbels. I never would handquilt something, but this is beautiful with so even stitches!!!

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    1. Thanks! A couple of months ago I also thought I would never hand quilt ;))

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  4. Your hand quilting is a great match for your quilt and the bubble theme. I have only hand quilted one lap quilt and that was years ago so I cannot give you any advice, but I think you have done a great job!
    Thanks for linking up to New to Me too.

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  5. Your hand quilting is a great match for your quilt and the bubble theme. I have only hand quilted one lap quilt and that was years ago so I cannot give you any advice, but I think you have done a great job!
    Thanks for linking up to New to Me too.

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  6. This looks great! Your hand quilting is creating a lovely effect :)

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  7. Great job on the quilting!
    I don't quilt by hand, but I can tell that you did a wonderful job. I love the variegated thread choice. It really adds to the bubbles!

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    1. Thank you, Jen, I was worried if other people would see the rainbow bubbles or if they were only in my head ))

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  8. I admire your quilting. I really like the long and thin stitches. (Mine are always long too, even with the embroidery loop.) And your bubbles are beautiful. So different from what we usually see for hexies (different in a good way). What a good idea to go around a template!
    I personnally don't mind the 2"-wide empty spaces. I really like the changes of density in your quilt.
    Thank you for participating to my Fabric, Thread and Yarn Link party. Have a good day!

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    1. Thank you Nadine, I'm really relieved you like it, I know you're an expert in this field!

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  9. Fantastic job. I think you are going really well for your first time. i like your idea using the freezer paper as a template.

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    1. Thanks, Cynthia, I've discovered so many uses for freezer paper in quilting, I've almost run out of it ))

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  10. Your hand-stitching looks amazing! The bubbles give great texture and the freezer paper is genius , anything to avoid marking!!

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    1. Thanks, and freezer paper IS genius in its own right ))

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  11. What a terrific goal, and you did such a great job with it! Your quilting looks awesome. I've always been told that good hand quilting has even stitches and yours are, so I would dismiss any worries you might have about length. The random bubble pattern is perfectly suited to your intent and it does soften the blocks, making them almost seem bubble-like. Such wonderful work, and a great art piece. As for your questions about the quilting, the key I think is the quilt flat? It looks like it is, so the density of the quilting throughout must be just fine. For binding, I'm thinking you might want to try some sort of yellow green although frankly any of the lovely colors in it would work. Great job!

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    1. Thank you Jennifer for such a detailed comment. It's great to get all the support. I've looked for binding in a couple of shops already, but wasn't able to see something that would be immediately "that's it".

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  12. What a neat quilting idea! First when I saw this project, I liked how it was improvisational in nature, yet I saw linking circles, and my thoughts were, "How will she quilt it?" Seeing it now, I sat with my mouth open thinking it was brilliant! I looked for the design, but had to read through to hear how you did it. Very ingenious!

    As for your thread, I wasn't looking at the thread at all because your stitches are all so uniform in length. Beautiful, and keep doing it the way you are!

    Binding, Hoffman Fabrics has a Watercolor line that would be amazing as a binding. It comes in every color imaginable, and there's variation among the fabrics so you can find a blend of two or three subtle colors. I would look at that, or even possibly a RK Quilter's Linen to add another texture along the edge. It has a hatch mark pattern that could be used as a straight cut and be perpendicular to the quilt, or cut it on the bias for a completely different appearance. I like texture with texture.

    You certainly were a #BraveQuilter, Lena, and I congratulate you on meeting your goal. I hope you have another one ready to stretch you for June. Thanks for linking up at Pink Doxies.

    Julie

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    1. Thanks Julie, I'm really glad I committed myself ti this goal, otherwise I would probably still be putting it off and off )). Thank you for the binding suggestions, I'll look for these ranges, although the choice here in Ireland is not that big really and ordering from abroad makes sense when you order some considerable quantities.

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  13. Popping over from #BraveQuilter. What a great job you have done here. The difference the quilting has made is remarkable - the two photos are a really good before and after. You must be very happy with what you have achieved.

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    1. Thank you, I really am happy with it (at least at the moment ;))

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  14. Beautiful top and beautiful quilting. Wish I have your patience. LOL

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