Stitching the Background

I'm going to use this post to show how I quilted the background on my Bird of the Night piece. This is a detail that shows a little bit of the stitching that I used near the interface of the lower leaf area and the upper flower head area. I used horizontal lines around the leaves and switched to stitches in different directions above the leaves. I wanted a separation between the two areas and used directional change to help with that.

I did the parallel lines using free-motion stitches. They are not perfectly aligned and straight, but that did not make a difference in the overall look I was going for.

Since I used a black fabric, it's difficult to see the stitches.  I used my photo editing software and lightened/increased contrast on a couple of photos to help with the visibility of the stitching. Here are some other background stitching areas that are a little easier to see:

     I'm not sure if you can tell, but I used a dark blue thread instead of black. It still reads as black on the fabric, but when you are stitching, that slight amount of color difference allowed me to see what I was doing a little more easily.



I parallel stitched in varying directions all over the background. I avoided any horizontal parallel lines in the flower area because that stitch direction was used on the bottom only.




That's all I have to say about that! Next time I'll talk about the trim I used between the leaves and flower.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Quilting in Progress - Bird of the Night

Today I'm going to show some of my choices for free motion quilting. Before I did the free motion quilting I had pin basted the three layers (top, batting and back), couched the major shapes and straight stitched inside the major shapes to divide the area up. Below you see it with the pin basting done and couching in progress.



After this step was done it's time for creative free motion quilting!

Thread color choices:

A few years ago I bought some Superior Super Bright threads. They almost have a fluorescent appearance and I love them for areas that need to stand out.  These are what I used almost exclusively on this piece. The bright color against the black background was necessary for the image to been seen from a distance.  I found many other light and medium values did not stand out enough when I looked at it from a few feet away.




I had created a color plan and intended to use this as a guide for my stitching. I tested out two choices and preferred the one on the left, below. I deviated from this plan because I found that lavender and other purple colors did not stand out enough on the black background.






Below I show my criteria for free motion quilting stitch choices:


1) Choose a design that fits in the space well or adds a direction for eye movement:



I did this on the leaves. I wanted them to read like leaves, so I stitched directionally away from the center leaf vein. It also helped to give shape to the leaf.


2) Choose some designs because they are tighter and add more color:




Stitch patterns in the flower petals were done in a more dense fashion to make sure the color showed from a distance. I chose stitch patterns that are good fillers.

3) Choose some because they are fun!




I really like the alfalfa sprout-like stitch that I used on the head and on the front most petal. That is just a fun shape to me!


I'll be showing the background stitching in an upcoming post. Meanwhile, thanks for visiting my blog!

Matilda, Mary and Me - Quilting Stitches

I thought I’d show some of the quilting stitches I used on this art quilt in this post. I have some favorite stitches that I like to use in every piece, like swirls and piggy-backed shell shapes. I weave these throughout a piece to add some continuity in the stitches.

swirls

piggy-backed clam shells

In other areas I might want to emphasize a direction, such as the stitches used on my Grandmothers dress. 

directional

Or add a bit of whimsy

whimsy

If you want some ideas for quilting stitches I highly recommend Leah Day’s site (Leah Day). She has video tutorials and she did a 365 day quilt stitching project that gives you more than enough ideas.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Free Motion Quilting Tool - Super Slider

Recently I showed you my quilting machine, so I thought I would add to that by highlighting another tool that helps make the free motion quilting experience easier,  a "Super Slider".

A Super Slider is a mat the you place under the needle plate area of your machine. The mat is made of Teflon, I think, and it allows your fabric to smoothly slide over the surface. It has a hole where the needle enters the bobbin case area. I rinse it under water once or twice a year to remove dust and thread bits. I don't use soap, just water. I dry it and place it back down. It's good as new each time.

I also place a layer of clear plastic over the entire sewing machine area where the fabric slides. I use a thicker plastic, similar to the weight of a clear shower curtain. In fact, you could use a clear shower curtain for this. I cut a hole/circle where the needle goes, and place the Super Slider over the plastic. I also rub the plastic with waxed paper to reduce friction even more. Every little bit helps to prevent hang ups when you’re stitching. Instead of waxed paper you could spray a product like Glide on a cloth and rub it on the plastic. Whatever you prefer. Slippery is good!

In this photo you can see that I secure the plastic to the table top with a PVC clamp. The clamp is part of a PVC rectangular quilt frame used for hand quilting. The photo below shows the in-tact frame and the clamp section.

Here you see the clamp section on the front of the table. 

This clamp helps the fabric move smoothly across the edge and holds the plastic in place too. In the corners I use a couple of clothes pins to secure the plastic.It's a simple, inexpensive set up that works well.

Hopefully you are getting some ideas from these tips. Thanks for visiting my blog!