Saturday, February 28, 2015

Fixed it!

Got that corner all un-sewed and fixed up, and made a change to how I'm spacing the lines, which I like better...what do you think?

Before
After


Originally, I had two lines inside each curve, but I worried that when I repeated that on the narrower bands, it would look more like empty spaces that weren't meant to be there; in the narrowest parts, it would be lines quilted only 1/4" apart, but in the wider areas there would be 1" to 2" gaps.

I really wasn't excited about that, so after un-sewing the corner I had sewn to the back, I decided to start over with one line along each (top and bottom of each curve) and see what I thought. Now it has a line quilted 1/4" on either side of the curves created by the pattern, with empty space between, and the empty space looks and feels much more intentional. It also keeps it more in line with the rest of the quilting throughout the other sections of the quilt.

I think I like it! Turns out a mistake this time was a reason to make a needed change, for the better of the quilt. Love when that happens!

Now to finish....

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Quilting the Oceans of Love Quilt....

I have been hard at work quilting the top, trying to make the deadline for Sacred Threads. I knew what I wanted to do for most of the quilting, so it was fairly easy to manage.

I inside-echo quilted the white cross, with a pearly white thread for a little sheen.


I outlined the "drums" to make them seem more "drummish" (I think they only look like drums in my head, but that's okay...), and added radiating lines coming from the drum centers along the flesh-toned rays, and spreading out on either side of center on those. I used a Sulky gold thread for that part to add shine. 

Then I was stumped on what to do for the multi-colored portion. I toyed with quilting hearts into the sections, but after consulting with my quilty bestie, I decided to do inside-echo lines following the waves or curves of the storm at sea pattern, to enhance that aspect of things. 

I had a variegated red-blue-yellow-purple thread for that, and got to work, one corner at a time. Then had a lot of un-sewing to do after the first corner. Well, it wouldn't be one of my quilts without a few mini-disasters along the way, right? 

First I managed to sew a scrap fabric to the back of the quilt. What the heck?


Then, a new-to-me danger of quilting a small quilt: folding the front corner over into the area you're quilting. Egads. How on earth did I manage this???



More importantly, how did I manage to not notice this for three whole lines???? Good grief. 

Looks nice on the front side, though, doesn't it? 



Ah well, time to do some un-sewing.....

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Oceans of Love, coming together....

Whew! Lots of sewing, not much blogging, but blocks are getting done, and rows put together....the backing fabric was chosen, and I can see the finished line! Almost there!!!

Once I had all the blocks done, then I did move onto working section by section, which always feels easier to me than rows and rows. I divided the quilt into quadrants, sewed each quadrant, then assembled those larger "blocks" into the rows needed to make the top.
Top three individual quadrants, and the pattern for reference

row one assembled


second row of individual quadrants


The finished top!

backing fabric and thread
The back has a repeating verse about God's love....fitting for the theme of the quilt