There are many sets of “three little words” that freak people out. For example: Not For Sale, You Are Pregnant or what about the best one….. I Love You!
Well, quite frankly, I freak the heck out when I read these: Quilt As Desired. They are completely gut wrenching!!!! In light of that I am reaching out to y’all for some help.
I have this quilt all layered and ready for quilting but I have no idea what to do. Let me throw a disclaimer out there – I am looking for something I can do with a walking foot, not free-motion. Ok…here’s the quilt:
the overall quilt
Here are a couple of ideas (I hope you can see them as I used my “thingy” instead of my other “thingy”) hehehe:
Circles evenly spaced around the circles
X’x through each set of circles
A large wavy line avoiding the circles and going above and below each set
Of course it doesn’t have to be any of these at all – I am open to a completely different idea.
Oh, and what color? Of course because I have looked at this quilt for sooooo long (about 3 years) I am thinking white but am not opposed to a color as long as it won’t distract from the overall look of the circles. Pink? Black? or even Clear?
Can’t wait to hear what y’all think….oh and I am curious what are the words that make your hear lurch?
circles… all the way!
My first two thoughts were free-motion — meander with loops or a spiral from the center of each circle. You could do one large spiral with a walking foot. Or what about Elizabeth Hartman’s orange peels with the four leaves meeting in the center of the circle. http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2012/03/orange-peel-quilting-on-a-grid.html Good luck!!!
Circles! I went to buy clear thread for the first time the other day at my LQS and they told me it didn’t hold up as well. Your thoughts? I’d either do a varigated thread or white-ish. (Or is that print gray?)
Random Criss Crossy lines at diagnols across the quilt. Or is that all a bit to random?
Ok, Rhonda, my two penn’orth, I am thinking, wavy diagonal lines, skirting round the targets, so not dead straigh, but more ‘organic’, and in the borders, do similar wavy lines, so they amble across one another.
does that help at all?
Sorry, I rather thought not!
I’d personally go with concentric circles starting in the middle of the quilt and going out, not bothering doing each square individually. And in white, because then it won’t detract from the rest of the quilt (which is awesome!!!)
Ooh I’d do a fake cathedral windows look, but more + orientated than x. Straight line connecting the circles. So thats s shaped wave north to south of each circle, then straight line to next circle, s shape in circle etc, then same thing back up but the S opposite way to create 2 petals! Then same again west to east. Making sense? Its basically allowing you a continuous line, no tight turns or sharp edges. Pretty easy to do with a walking foot, no?
OK quilt in the same grey/aqua or whatever it is in the background, and start in circles, round the top left circle, then after a few rounds you will just be doing semicircles and not driving yourself potty trying to wrangle the whole quilt round and round – not fun – been there, done that!
Well, I would never use clear thread, if you are going to quilt, let folks see it. For this one I would probably use a version of white/ivory or a variegated white to light brown or white to light greeny gray. If it were me I would quilt it in straightish lines densely about 1/2 to 2/3″ apart, varying the distances randomly. Or I might do the lines an inch apart and then turn the quilt and do perpendicular lines too but I am thinking straightish lines would looks like corduroy like, add a lot of texture but not add more spin which the circles already give it. And that is the easiest type of quilting too, at least I think so. But in the end whatever you do will be wonderful as it is a great quilt.
I am rather inclined to go with Leanne’s idea of straight lines, but I would do them like frames with an inner bevel, do you know what I mean?, so it would be as though each set of circles is within it’s own picture frame. Isn’t it wonderful how one quilt idea can generate so many different designs depending on who is making it.
And my freaking out three words are when my dentist says”Hmmmm….oh dear me…”……which I am relieved to say rarely ever happens but in the event of a major “Hmmmmm” involving NEEDLES in the MOUTH I end up a quivering blob of jelly and my deodorant is working overtime. Just writing that has my tummy churning.
Looking forward to more comments.
Typically I t bought different than everyone else but am probably too late to this game anyway. I pictured straight lines through the centre of each circle like you have but more – so diagonals and horizontal and vertical. Basically cutting each circle into eight pieces of pie. And I would use grey thread as that would work with all the different colours there. I think white would be too stark on your vivid coloured circles.
ok, I am late to this post but I agree with Leanne. I think you have enough circles so give it some wavy, organic, dense lines.