Thursday 16 June 2011

From Light to Dark And Back Again is Finished

Yay! Last Friday morning, it occurred to me that I'd like to have some handwork for the weekend (something to do during our Garage Sale and watching TV in the evening). I whipped through the housework as fast as I could  so I could finish freemotion quilting (FMQ) From Light to Dark and Back Again and get the binding on Friday afternoon. I would have gladly skipped the housework, but my in-laws were coming for the weekend and well, did I mention that I have three small boys? Like my boys, the house needs to be tamed on occasion. It was the fastest houseclean I've ever done. Nothing like a little quilting incentive. ;)

Anyways, as I'd mentioned in a previous post, I was struggling with the straight lines and corners of the Echo Maze design (from Leah Day's site). Something finally clicked though and I finished quilting it in just over an hour! I think it was the "muscle memory" that kicked in and it actually became fun. The binding was on 30 minutes later and I was ready for the weekend! Woo hoo!

I'm happy with the colour play and think this layout worked well to showcase the value transitions of the fabric (Nature's Palette by Lyndhurst Studio). I'm also happy with the pieced back that used all but one square of the remaining fabric. Do I have a purpose for this quilt? Actually, I don't. I always have a purpose for my quilts so this feels very weird. I'm sure one will come though.

Lessons learned for me:
1) Next time I want to use monofilament with a black top, I'd use smoky monofilament thread. I just had clear and had forgotten that smoky existed until I was in the store looking for items for another project. I find that the clear is too shiny on the black, but I ain't changing it now!

2) If the monofilament keeps breaking, check your tension and/or change brands of monofilament. I started with Gutterman, but switched to Unique.

3) Remember not to get too hung up on perfectly straight lines and corners during freemotion quilting. Once the quilt is washed and dried some of those imperfections will be hidden "in the valley" of the fabric. And the rest is, well, wabi-sabi, right? Yes, let's go with that. :)

And now for some photos:


From Light to Dark and Back Again - Front
From Light to Dark and Back Again - Full View
Corner Detail
Corner Detail
From Light to Dark and Back Again - Back
Back Detail
Back Detail


6 comments:

  1. It is really gorgeous. I love the quilting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just think this quilt is stunning, but however did you get the binding done in 30m minutes? I need to know that trick!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Was this a jelly roll? Did you use a pattern or just design it yourself? My daughters have chosen some Bali Pop batik packs that they really like and I think this might be an option for showing off the fabric well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Was this a jelly roll? Did you use a pattern or just design it yourself? My daughters have chosen some Bali Pop batik packs that they really like and I think this might be an option for showing off the fabric well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Was this a jelly roll? Did you use a pattern or just design it yourself? My daughters have chosen some Bali Pop batik packs that they really like and I think this might be an option for showing off the fabric well.

    ReplyDelete

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