Thursday, November 9, 2017

Not Quick and Simple

I wanted a quick, simple back for this quilt.  Nothing fancy because, after all, it is a scrap quilt.


I had a piece of fabric that was wide enough for the quilt itself but didn't have four extra inches on the sides.  I added a strip of fabric to make it wider, layered it, and pin basted it.  Then I started to quilt it.  Ugh.  The fabric looked like it should be easy to quilt but it wasn't.  This style of plaid/homespun has been around for a good while and I've always loved it but I'll never try it for quilting again.


Back to the drawing board, but I knew it would not be a simple, easy, quick back.  I didn't want to shop for fabric or buy fabric (time, money) and I didn't have any other red piece large enough.  So I pulled some fabrics I thought would work together.   


Yes, pieces of shirts.  In retrospect it would have taken less time to go buy fabric if I could have found fabric I thought would work for the quilt.

After a few hours I came up with this.


Now the quilt will be scrappy, both front and back.  I layered and pin basted it today and have already started quilting it.

It's hard to describe how satisfying it is to sit and hand quilt for a while each day, and how unsatisfying it is not to have a quilt ready after finishing one.  I rarely have a next one ready but I think it should become one of my goals for next year.

We visited our somewhat local historical farm, Slate Run, last week.  They had this quilt in the frame.  I thought it an interesting pattern.


All of those blue/grey squares are set in, not sewn as triangles.  I was in awe.


The farm is set in the 1890s and they try to keep thing accurate to that time period.  I don't know if they succeeded with these fabrics but even if they didn't, this will be a great quilt.

Happy sewing, quilting, or whatever you're doing.

--Nancy.
.

9 comments:

  1. Your quilt top is lovely! Impressed you are handwuilting it! What pattern of quilting are you using? I tried to zoom in on the homespun to see what kind it was so I wouldn’t try to use that kind, but I couldn’t get a better view of it (to see the weave of it). Is it loosely woven? And how was it not right? Was it slippery or too thick or what? Just curious!

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    1. Hi, Sally --
      Thank you. Most of the quilt will be outline quilting a 1/4" from the edge, but not all. I debated about using Baptist Fan but decided against it.
      The handspun seemed loosely woven, not thick, not thin, but it "grabbed" the needle as I was trying to quilt. It is similar to a coarse muslin but not the same. I wish I knew the maker but, sadly, I don't.

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  2. I tried again and was able to supersize it and it was very clear! Is it the kind of homespun that is like a course muslin?

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  3. What a super fun back!! I love using scraps...and I have enjoyed watching your creation come into being...love, love!!

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    1. Thank you, Julie. Scrappy backs are like putting puzzles together and are sometimes a challenge but I usually end up loving them. This one, included.

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  4. Interesting post about backings. I don't give them enough thought...usually sew together older fabrics for the backs of quilts. I think it is smart to reuse where we can like you did.

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    1. I like that approach to backs, too, Jocelyn, and is usually how I choose backing fabric. Older, comfortable, soft fabrics, and also reused/upcycled. I think we think alike on this!

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  5. Can you tell us why the homespun didn't work? Would it have been okay for machine quilting? I love your pieced back!

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    1. Hi, Lizzie --
      The homespun seemed to be somewhat loosely woven but it "grabbed" the needle or maybe I could say the needled got stuck/was hard to pull through. I've never machine quilted so I can't really answer that. I will say that I machine-stitched a strip of that back to another piece of fabric and didn't notice any problems but that was only 2 pieces of fabric, not 2 plus a layer of batting.

      Thanks!

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