Journey of a Quilter (quilting lines)

Thank you to Caron for allowing me to post on the hand quilting blog. I always enjoy reading the postings here and wanted to contribute to the blog and be part of this wonderful group of hand quilters.

I have been thinking this year about how to hand quilt straight lines.

My friend Pat always uses 1/4" marking tape to quilt her grid lines against.

In the past I have probably tried all the tools and marking devices that you have tried. On this large quilt I used pencil to mark the bows on the peach coloured border, and soap slivers to mark the bars/lines in the outside border. I enjoyed the "aromatherapy" of the soap, but found the lines quite wide, which wouldn't work for closely spaced lines.

I have also used the Hera marker, which I loved for working on white fabric because there were no lines to worry about removing (but I had to quilt under really good light).

But as I finish each hand quilted project I find myself starting to dread the marking of the next one. 

I have experimented with the technique called "no marking" or "eyeballing it"! 

I want to call it "organic" quilting design, but don't know if it really is?

I don't want to have to mark or trace any lines, or do any planning for the quilting. Am I just lazy? Maybe! But it has been soooo much fun!

The current project in my hoop is called Journey of a Quilter (pattern by Leanne Beasley) and I decided not to mark one single quilting line on it. All the quilting is intuitive, "loosey goosey" and "eye-balled". 

And I love it!

I would encourage quilters to try this method of quilting lines. It allows for more relaxation and enjoyment on the quilting journey!

Happy Quilting!
Kathy
http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.com

A New Quilt on The Frame

By: Karen

As soon as I take a large quilt off the frame I always have another one waiting in line to take it’s place as I never get caught up – I bet a lot of you have that same problem!

Just a couple days ago I took the quilt Bow Tie Medallion off of the frame and decided to put my Traditional Red and Green Applique on it. This quilt has been waiting in line for a long time.  I did the blocks in 2010 and early 2011, the border I did early 2012, so it has been waiting at least a year – I have another that has been waiting even longer!  Of course I had to get started quilting it right away even though the binding is waiting to be stitched on the Bow Tie quilt.

The quilt top was inspired by 3 different books – I took the blocks from two different books and the border from another.  I can’t for the life of me remember what book I fashioned the border from – it wasn’t an exact duplicate.  The blocks though were from Jeana Kimball’s “Red and Green, An Applique Tradition” and Marsha D. Radtke’s “A Baltimore Album”.

So quilting begins --  I will be quilting around the applique shapes, some applique depending on the size of the piece will have some quilting in them as well.  I am using 3/4” masking tape to mark my lines – I know some do not like masking tape and think it leaves residue behind – I have used this tape off and on for years with no problems so I will keep on using it.

This much done so far – I will be working on this off and on but I must get the binding done on the Bow Tie Medallion so I can call that one finished before I work a lot on this quilt.  I expect this to be on the frame for the normal 6 months or so before it gets done.  I am inspired though to finish it a little faster as this quilt is red and green – what better season to use it for then the holiday season – so I will try to have this finished by late November at least.

I am using King Tut variegated red/green thread of course!

Spring 2013 Hand Quilting Blog Hop, Day 7

We have made it through a whole week of blog hopping around the world.  I hope you have enjoyed it! 
Since there are many of you that have a blog, and are members of the Celebrate Hand Quilting Facebook group, you do know that you can let us know when you post a great article on a quilt you are working on, right?  It’s easy to do… just copy the blog address with that particular post, and paste the address into Facebook on our group’s page.  That way everyone will know to go check it out.
If you visit one of the blogs posted below, please be sure and say hello by leaving a comment.  It’s nice to know where you are from as well, so if you could include your location (state or country) when you leave a comment, that would be fabulous!

Today’s blogs await you:

Rose Marie Castonguay, Ontario, Canada

Kate Knight, Sydney, Australia

Nita Collins, Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada)

Avery Claire, Chicago, USA

Janet Treen, New South Wales, Australia

Lori French, Michigan, USA

Jill Cross, Michigan, USA

Thanks for participating in the Spring 2013 Blog Hop.  We hope you have enjoyed it half as much as we have! 

Keep on stitching… we’ll do this again in the fall!

Spring 2013 Hand Quilting Blog Hop, Day 6

 

Day Six of the Spring 2013 Hand Quilting Blog Hop is upon us!  This blog hop is a great way to see some blogs you might have missed, and get to know some quilters that you didn’t know before.  If you missed any of the first few “hops,” look at the top left side of your screen and you should see each day listed.  Click on any that you missed, and the link will take you right to them.

Please be sure and say hello while you are visiting a blog by leaving a comment.  It’s nice to know where you are from as well, so if you could include your location (state or country) when you leave a comment, that would be fabulous!

Today’s blogs await you:

Kathleen Baughman, Oklahoma, USA

Karen, Rhode Island, USA

Pat Taylor, Wisconsin, USA

Grace Thorne, Maine, USA

Pam Poling  (Byrd), Connecticut, USA

 

Do you like blog hops?  There is another one going on right now, but it is not limited to hand quilting. 

For information, click the button below.

 

 

Drop by tomorrow for the last day of our Blog Hop,

Day 7!

Spring 2013 Hand Quilting Blog Hop, Day 5

It’s hard to believe that we have already had four days of the Spring 2013 Hand Quilting Blog Hop!  The blog hop is a great way to see some blogs you might have missed, and get to know some quilters that you didn’t know before.  If you missed any of the first few “hops,” look at the top left side of your screen and you should see each day listed.  Click on any that you missed, and the link will take you right to them.

Yesterday, our hop took us around Europe.  Today, we are back in the United States.  Here are the blogs for Day 5.  Please be sure and say hello while you are visiting a blog by leaving a comment.  It’s nice to know where you are from as well, so if you could include your location (state or country) when you leave a comment, that would be fabulous!

Visit us on Pinterest! Click the button below.

Click on each quilter’s name to visit their blog:

Donna Stickovich, Pennsylvania, USA

Audrey Easter, Washington, USA

Tim Latimer, Michigan, USA

Emily Lewis, New Hampshire, USA

Haley A. Ping, Texas, USA

Caron Mosey, Michigan, USA

Drop by tomorrow for Blog Hop, Day 6!