Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Workshop in Progress - February 2, 2011

Time to step back into the Workshop at Naptime Quilter!



It has taken me two weeks to decide on the border and finish the top of my disappearing nine patch quilt.


Thanks to all for the wonderful comment and suggestions!





The general consensus was that the blue was too dark


and too much of a contrast


against the explosion of color.


I whole heartedly agree.



This seemed to be the least offensive shot of all my choices.


I played with other options and found a rather nice


magenta batik that worked very well.





I also tried the piano key approach that was suggested.


I cut my 5" squares in half,


(because I wasn't cutting anymore stash!)


but they just didn't seem wide enough to make a statement.

They won't go to waste though,


I will piece them into the back of this lovely lavender


fabric to finish off this wedding quilt.



I love the hatch lines in here, looks like doodles.




So are you ready for the finished border???




Are you wondering what I choose?




Without further delay, drum roll please!




















Ta-dah! I made more disappearing nine patch blocks as suggested by one kind reader,


and they did the job! My magenta border contains the chaos,


and the extra row of blocks finishes it off nicely.





My question for you this week is about batting . . .

I usually use Warm & Natural cotton batting, but this week tried a wool batting.

I use the spray baste with the cotton and it works really well,


but on the wool, it just didn't hold at all.


Half way through quilting, I was getting puckers and sliding,


so I had to stop and pin everything in a million places.

The quilt came out better than I thought it would when I was cursing


about the sliding, so I am happy.


Here is the question, what is your preferred method of basting?








on another note . . . .


Has anyone seen the rascally ground hog?


What's the verdict?




Yeah I know dream on and don't put your shovel away!



























9 comments:

  1. Beautiful quilt! Love the magenta border.
    On basting, I only use pins. I don't like spray basting, more for environmental reasons -- toxic fumes, throwing the can away, etc.
    I like to tape my quilt back to my wood floor, and then layer the batting and top. I but on some music and start putting in pins! I often convince my mom to help me, then it goes twice as fast!

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  2. I love the final look with the magenta and the extended blocks. Have you tried cotton/poly batting? I have not but since Ricky Tims suggested it in his seminar, I'm trying that next. I assume the cotton grabs the fabric but the poly makes it lighter and easier to maneuver than Warm and Natural.

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  3. Great finish! Luv that backing. I'm a pinner; saftey pins but straight pins all around the edge which is just there till I machine baste that edge. Then I use my even feed to do any in the ditch lines and then ... the sky's the limit. I've not worked with wool.

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  4. Love the finished top! That magenta does a great job of holding it together.

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  5. Definitely like the magenta, and a great idea to just extend the quilt some outside of the border!

    As for basting, if I'm quilting it I always pin baste it. On the floor. Oh my aching knees and back. I really ought to go and borrow a quilt shop's tables for my next basting job.

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  6. who makes that lavender? I had it in pink, and I need to get more... ;-)

    I pin baste always, on the wool, and the warm and natural... looks lovely lisa!

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  7. Beautiful quilt! Good solution.

    I would also like to know who makes the lavender. It is great. It kind of looks like a new fabric, Heath, that I just got by Alexander Henry.

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  8. Great choice for that border strip!

    I always pin baste, and I pin it to death. But it is a rare, rare occurrence for me to get a pucker and have problems with sliding. I always use Quilter's Dream cotton batt.

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  9. Wonderful what a border can do! Lovely to be able to see all the options, and a super choice. Really wondering what you will do with the binding - looking forward to it!

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