Quick Channel Quilting

jill here... Time often moves a little too fast.  Usually, we're more than willing to take a break after piecing and send our quilt top off to the machine quilting expert!  This turn around was quicker with QuiltCon looming.  Nothing like a deadline to encourage finishing it ourselves!

Two rules for our novice machine quilting:  forgiving backgrounds (ones with lots of pattern/ texture) and simple, low contrast in the quilting thread to hide any breaks of perfection.  TV Dinners has a vertical presentation so vertical channels seemed the most obvious modern choice for quilting.  And the lines were a built-in feature (without having to draw any extra, except in the border)!

Since this is a sample display, fewer lines, irregularly spaced were stitched with a medium aqua thread.

The blocks of color on the back make it fun.

The binding was cut from the same length of fabric as the borders.  It must have been a lucky day as it sewed like butter and caught the backside of the binding just perfectly.

'Till next Tuesday...

Backing Design Cue for Graphic Quilting

jill here....  I love indigo fabrics set on white backgrounds.  It's that crisp juxtaposition that is fresh and modern.  At Houston market I discovered fat quarters at a TransPacific booth.  These were the inspiration for our newest pattern's table runner, Tasty Measures.

The middle four fabrics are portioned in the smaller segments, the outer fabrics are used in the larger.  Some are reversed (used the darker side) for value, creating more of an incremental difference from the white background.

I discovered this coordinating fabric at the Quilting Connection:  a graphic pattern for straight line quilting with my walking foot.  Perfect as the backing!  This line of fabric is now carried through
 Henry Glass.

Not to bore you with the whole process, I worked backwards starting with the top taped wrong side up.  I added a flat cotton batting that was 4 inches larger, then placed the backing, right side up.  I purposely aligned it on the sandwich so that the design was not "centered" with the top,  just a bit asymmetric.  I taped all around and then pinned every3- 4", avoiding the straight lines of the design.

I quilted, with the walking foot, both sides of the straight lines (5) the full length of the runner.  This gave the quilt enough "basting" that I removed the pins for a clear shot at the angles.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was, just had to anticipate the points to turn the pressor foot.  I did not quilt every line but I do like "channel lines" so strategically alternated for a pleasing pattern.  I took breaks for my hands and shoulders.  What a fun discovery on the other side!

I used a very light grey thread.  The design is visible but doesn't overpower the pattern of the runner.

The graphic lines are a nice counter to the indigo print's organic nature.  We'll reveal our three new samples as we leave for market next Tuesday.

We look forward to International Quilt Market in Pittsburg.  We haven't experienced a market east of the Mississippi so it will be fun and we hope to meet new customers.  Rather then our regular schoolhouse talks, we going to "Take and Teach".  We have a class, Saturday morning before market opens, where we show modern marketing ideas and make some pattern mock-ups.  The class is full but we'll share ideas and a market special if you stop by our booth #1934. We're on a corner with a great central location ...would love to meet you.

'Till next Tuesday...