Last Look

2 cones of Rainbows  Superior Threads - 832 Rose Garden and  814 Gypsy

I'm handing the quilt over to Jade tomorrow. So here are a few final photos of the quilting detail. The photo above shows my progressive thread choices for the Kaffe rose border. I started with the Rainbows #832 aptly named Rose Garden but had to change to the #814 Gypsy so that I could see what I was quilting.

quilting detail in each section

 I've also used the Gypsy Rainbows to quilt the hearts in the small blue border.

quilting detail Springmaid Persian paisley stripes

The Springmaid Persian Paisley fabric was interesting enough so I used a fine Kimono Silk thread #306 Buttercup to create subtle texture in the central panel. I've just accentuated parts of the paisley pattern.

I used a  bright red Bottom Line pre-wound in the bobbin. It worked well with the trilobal polyester Rainbows and the Kimono Silk. I love how the non-pil fleece that I used as backing shows off the quilting designs on the back. I let Jade choose the backing, she could have opted for the more traditional 3 layers of top, wadding and backing. But Jade wanted her quilt to be soft and cuddly and keep her nice and warm in her attic flat - so it had to be the fleece.

fleece serves as both wadding and backing

Here's the finished quilt thrown across the 8 foot NEQ2 frame. I'm trying to catch the subtle texture of the quilting with the afternoon light from the window. 

Finally here's a shot of the binding. I found this fabric in my stash. I was so pleased because the colours were just right. I cut it on the diagonal so that it would echo the chevron stripe in the central Springmaid Persian paisley panel. Rosie said yesterday, "You know mom, one of the things that I like about this quilt is that the fabric is all patterned. It shouldn't go together, but it does!" Well, I loved making this quilt and I'm glad that it's going to one of my favourite people!

diagonal stripe binding

Thread Wise

This post is about thread choices. I could have called it thread 'whys' as I'll be explaining which threads I used in this last quilt and why I used them.

I pieced the top with MasterPiece thread on top and in the bobbin. Why? Masterpiece is 100% extra-long staple , really grown in Egypt cotton. I like to match the fibre content of the thread and the fabric here in the piecing process. The pieced seams in a quilt are the weight bearing seams. Think about hanging up a completed quilt or shaking the wrinkles out of a quilt. What seams are bearing the most weight? In a house not all walls are load bearing walls. In a quilt not all stitches bear the same stress. Lots of people get their knickers in a twist about various types of quilting thread. But it is the pieced seams that are the stress bearing seams. And if we want to match the thread fibres to the fabric fibres, it is most important to do this for the pieced seams. MasterPiece will bear up well against the various stresses in the life of a quilt. With 75 gorgeous colours it's easy to get a good colour match. MasterPiece is a fine weight thread, not too heavy or bulky so it gives nice flat seams and sharp points. I find MasterPiece an ideal piecing thread.

MasterPiece comes in pre-wounds! I love pre-wounds because I hate winding bobbins. Pre-wounds can hold 3 times as much thread as the bobbins that you wind yourself and they work great in most sewing machines, my Janome Memory Craft 6600 work great with pre-wounds.

Because the cotton fibres are matched in the piecing thread I am free to use whatever threads suit my fancy for the machine quilting. For this project I've used Rainbows, a variegated trilobal polyester from Superior Threads. All the fibres that make up this thread are light reflecting which gives Rainbows a lovely shine to it. This particular thread is #803 Northern Lights.

I've used a pre-wound Bottom Line in the bobbin, a soft blue which disappears into the pieced backing fabric. Rainbows and Bottom Line are a machine quilting marriage made in heaven. They work beautifully together!

Finally, for sewing the binding by machine, I've used Sew Fine on top and a pre-wound Bottom Line in the bobbin. Then to hand sew the final stage of the binding I used a red Bottom Line to match the binding colour. The Bottom Line is just wonderful for hand sewing - it disappears into the fabric and it never knots up. I find it a real pleasure to hand sew with.

In summary, I've used a mixture of cotton and polyester threads in the quilt. The choices have to do with the piecing and quilting process as well as the look and durability of the end product. I'm confident that it will wash and wear well and I'm delighted with how it looks.

Muscle Beach

I've called this quilt Muscle Beach in honour of one of our favourite Tom and Jerry Cartoons. Of course, the mussel shell free-motion quilting design works too. Years ago, when I started quilting it was all about making the thread work with the fabric. But now sometimes, I do it backwards. Sometimes I start out liking a certain thread and end up choosing the fabric to match. For this quilt, I loved how the Rainbows #803 Northern Lights looked against the black batik. So I pieced a very simple top to show off the thread.

I've used two cones from the Rainbows range of Superior Threads. Click the image for a good close up of the threads.

Tipsy, our cat, really likes how the variegated colours of Northern Lights #803 and Jester #801 stand out against the black batik. It's such a lovely backdrop for her tortoise shell coat.

The fleece backing makes it so nice to snuggle in.

What is it with cats and quilting frames? Our cat Tipsy thinks the New English Quilter is the best hammock ever! We were considering creating special frames just for cats, but then, of course, they wouldn't use them!

Ruby Wedding

What do you do when your friend names her new baby girl Ruby? Start collecting red fabric, of course. That was over two years ago and now I have a great collection. That's good because I found out a week ago that another friend is going to celebrate her Ruby Wedding this week. I'll easily get a drag-around-the-house-quilt AND a table runner out of the red stash.

To fit in with the ruby theme I've collected intense gem like reds that go from hot orangy tones all the way to the cool purply. I speed pieced quarter square triangles for a cut gem look. I love how the colours look together such a rich plummy wine. Now I needed just the right threads. I wanted the threads to shimmer so I went for the Rainbow range from Superior Threads. I narrowed my options down to these two gorgeous spools. On the spool I couldn't decide - I loved them both.

So I took my pieced table runner top outside in the sunlight and took the spools of thread out of their wrappers. The I unwound a bit of thread and laid it against the fabric. This made the choice easy. Rose Garden, though lovely, disappeared but Gypsy shimmered and shone.

Today I needed to decide on a machine quilting pattern. I've been wanting to try a free-motion pattern that circles round the squares. But as the blocks came together I was worried about the multiple layers of fabric in the centres. This quilting pattern would have me go right through these bulky centers. I was afraid that the needle might get stuck.

So I did something that I almost never do. I made a practice block from my wonky squares. I loaded it on the frame with some wadding and backing, threaded Gypsy in my JUKI and had a trial run. It worked! I'm thrilled and I can't wait to start quilting in earnest tomorrow.

"Das-a-gulls"

What's in a name? When my daughter Rosie was very little she called these flowers "das-a gulls." It's become one of those family words that re-emerge each spring.

I've chosen a deep purple batik for the thread play - I think it will set off the yellows and oranges beautifully. Today I wanted to have a look at the threads against the fabric. In this photo you can see all the threads. Initially on the right of the photo, they're just draped across the fabric. In real life this is a great way to get a feel for the way the threads will act against the fabric. Context is everything! Threads look very different against different fabrics. So I like to audition threads before I choose what I'll be using.

Beginning at the left and working across...first I've got 3 bold and beautiful King Tut threads in variegated colours. Then there's 6 MasterPiece thread colours, a finer version of extra-long staple Egyptian grown cotton but in plain silk like colours. Next there's 2 versions of Rainbows, a shimmering variegated tri-lobal poly. After that there's 3 LAVA threads similar to Rainbows but stronger and more matt. There's an orange So Fine the most trouble free thread ever. Lastly there's 3 colours of Bottom Line an ideal bobbin thread but it can be used on top for detail quilting. Click on the images for a better look at the threads.

Beginning at the left top and working my way down, I used these same threads in the same order using just a straight stitch off the frame with my Janome 6600. Tomorrow I'll do a bit of sketching with pen and paper. Then I'll put the fabric on the frame and have a go machine quilting with my JUKI on the New English Quilting frame. The free-motion quilting will really bring out the differences in the threads.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Yes, I know it's come and gone. But I've been busy helping a new quilter quilt her first table runner. She's making a fantastic job of it too! So I'm wishing everyone a belated Happy St. Patrick's Day and in honour of the Irish, let's talk about Rainbows. One of the nice things about living here in England is the rainbows. Our weather is mostly showers and sunshine - a favourable combination for rainbows. I haven't made it across to Ireland yet but I'm sure the weather is much the same.

Rainbows is also the name of a range of thread that I use for machine quilting, created by the people at Superior Threads. In this post I'll discuss what makes this particular thread so special.

Rainbows is a premium quality, light reflecting, trilobal polyester in vivid variegated colours. If you want a gorgeous silky thread that reflects the light, this is the thread for you. Rainbows precise 1 inch colour change means you'll never get that stripy look that some variegated threads produce. I use a Schmetz Topstitch 100/16 needle for free-motion machine quilting with Rainbows.

Rainbows is a trilobal polyester; a high-sheen continuous fiber thread. Rainbows is lint free and colour-fast. But my favourite thing about Rainbows is how it reflects light - it shimmers like silk! This sparkle is created by the triangular shaped fibers that make up the multiple filaments. Rainbows are variegated in either tone on tone of the same colour or a multi coloured combination. The thread in this picture is one of the new Rainbow colours # 809 Kailua. This is a tone on tone with lots of shades of green -ideal for shamrocks. Click on the image to get a good look at all the colours. I'll post the shamrocks tomorrow.