I like the blue border and brown binding. It brought some of the less prominent colors out into the edges and balanced the color distribution. Love the quilting. It's a panto design that the longarmer suggested. It's just perfect.
This is one of two little quilts I made from a jelly roll, a charm pack and some neutrals from my stash. Nothing special here - just quilted in the ditch. I'm happy about how it turned out. I'm also happy I have a small quilt on hand if someone I know is having a baby. That's where its' companion went - as a baby gift for my lawn guy's son and daughter-in-law.
This is a copy of a quilt I saw in the local quilt shop, made from a half yard of the red fabric, a jelly roll and neutrals from my stash again. Love the colors and the little blue whirligigs.
This is the back. I bought a length of the orange fabric and forgot that the quilt would come out wider than 42"! So I added the stripe. Very dashing, I think.
This is BlockCentral's 2009 BOM. I reduced the scale by a 1/3, and made a lap quilt. The fabrics reminded me of the colors on my calico cat, so I named the quilt Molly.
And this is what I found for the backing. The little calico cat standing up on its hind feet reminds me of my kitty.
Can you see the cats quilted in the border?
Finally, here's my disappointment quilt. I loved the look of the sample at SuzGuz Designs, bought her pattern (didn't really need it, but want to support independent quilt designers) and hunted down the exact fabric on Ebay. I enlarged it a bit to queen size and it went together like a charm.
Then the problem happened. I took it to a local quilting service I had used in the past and had it done with an allover larger meander pattern. The quality of the quilting is so horrible it broke my heart. The tension is all off, and the stitch lengths aren't anywhere near regular. It looks awful. Here's an example. That's a 4" x 2" patch:
There are 18 stitches in that line from one side of the patch to the other. The stitches are a quarter inch long. That, and the puckering where the machine tension was off (there are several spots where you can see the front thread pulled to the back - it's really bad), ruin the quilt. I went ahead and bound it because it's a nice wide lightweight quilt we can use on our bed, but I loved the fabric and pattern so much, I want to cry when I get it out of the closet.
I want to requilt it so badly, but probably can't find a longarmer to tackle it since it's already bound. I would pick out all the stitches, but it would take weeks. Just chalk it up to experience, I guess, and never darken that shop's door again (and warn others locally about them).
There are two more quilts waiting hand sewing on the bindings - more later, and a picture of my version of "In Lucinda's Garden" when I get further along.
There are 18 stitches in that line from one side of the patch to the other. The stitches are a quarter inch long. That, and the puckering where the machine tension was off (there are several spots where you can see the front thread pulled to the back - it's really bad), ruin the quilt. I went ahead and bound it because it's a nice wide lightweight quilt we can use on our bed, but I loved the fabric and pattern so much, I want to cry when I get it out of the closet.I want to requilt it so badly, but probably can't find a longarmer to tackle it since it's already bound. I would pick out all the stitches, but it would take weeks. Just chalk it up to experience, I guess, and never darken that shop's door again (and warn others locally about them).
There are two more quilts waiting hand sewing on the bindings - more later, and a picture of my version of "In Lucinda's Garden" when I get further along.
5 comments:
It's too bad you can't consider that 'basting' and hand quilt right beside it taking out the 'basting' as you go. This problem has happened to me, too. Although, mine was not quite that bad. I donated the quilt to charity.
LOVE the Quiltville mystery quilt. Yours came out great. I also really like "jelly roll" quilt. I know how upset you must be about the quilting on the last quilt you showed. I don't know how anyone could do a job that badly and then not fix it for you!
Wow you have been busy!! LOVe the quiltville mystery. Did you pay for the poor workmanship? I would complain very loudly to the longarmer and demand my money back. Paula has a great idea about handquilting alongside the original. If you don't fix it you can use it as a knockabout quilt....on picnics, keep in the car for cold days...anything that you wouldn't normally do with your quilts but at least you could enjoy it a bit!
Your double delight is awesome! great job...love the greens and blues!
All your quilts are so nice...you have been very busy.
So sorry to hear about the machine quilting disappointment. I like Paula's idea if you like hand quilting. I would also send a little letter to the machine quilter expressing my unhappiness with the work. If it's a good company, they may offer to make it right and re-do the quilting, but I sure wouldn't trust them with it again!!!
My Lord, your quilts are beautiful! It's something I wish I could do, and probably in the top 3 regrets of my life. When we were kids, Mamaw Bowles always wanted to teach her 3 granddaughters to quilt (my sister and I and our cousin). We thought it was boring, uncool, and took up too much time. Boy, how dumb can kids be?
I do remember loving going through her scrap basket and looking at fabric, and she made each of the 3 of us our own quilt where we got to pick out scraps she used. Mine's packed away at my folks', but I wouldn't take anything for it.
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