I'm getting down to the details on this quilt. Well, actually it came off the frame a week ago so I could quilt some client pieces. I will reload it when all design decisions are finalized (as is any needed pickout!) so I don't waste valuable time. Outlining and background quilting are done. What I am waffling on is how to quilt the silk ribbons and the flowers. Some flowers really don't leave room for extraneous detail quilting, but some do.
Here are a couple options for this pink tulip-y flower, as well as the ribbon. I can maybe throw in some pretty feathers...
or do the flower simpler, just providing texture. I don't have an alternate idea for the ribbon besides just echo quilting 1/4" from the edge and then backfilling the center. This is not my favorite idea though. I lean towards the feathers shown above. They seem graceful.
Here are 2 more flowers -- the one in the upper left and the one in the bottom right. The lower left flower will get ditch stitched around each curve and that will be sufficient.
Which do you prefer?...Above is the 1/4" echo and then fill the center of the petal (upper left flower) or the spikey swirls and row of pebbles on the center circle (shown below)? I could also just do little veins (lower flower in above pic), but this seems kind of simple, and these petals may really need more quilting.
Generally speaking, I just love how this is coming out. I am motivated to finish it, which is a good thing since there's only 6 weeks left until the MQX deadline to enter it. I expect that this will be it's first showing. It is one of those quilts that for me, just came together so effortlessly. I started the piecing last March. The applique was designed by start of the summer, and all stitched by early fall. I have spent about 66 hours on the quilting thus far. Gotta say, it is refreshing not to be working on a 100" quilt this time like I was this time last year! Talk about not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This quilt has many memories for me. I went to Paducah last April, when I really didn't think I'd get to go. I found the gold/olive fabric there for the outer border after an exhaustive search for something compatible. When I saw this one, I knew it was the one. I also bought several pieces of silk, cotton and batik in various shades from soft pink to deep cranberry. The paler shades were earmarked for some appropriate dogwood blooms on the sides of this quilt. Having lived in the South for years, the dogwoods are near and dear to my heart. Fond memories, and sweet symbolisms included on this quilt. Be patient, all will be shown eventually :-)
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteRibbons ... I like the feathery swirls better than echoing.
Flower in pic 1 & 2 ... I think the feathers are a bit too much but perhaps you need a bit more detail than what you drew in pic 2.
Six petal flower .. I love the detail in pic 2 because it seems to go with the spikes in the immediate background. It flows well.
Whatever you decide will be fabulous. Too bad the ribbon can't be just trapunto to weave in and out of all the quilted goodness.
The comment posted by Tami echo my thoughts. The quilt is stunning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tami. Sometimes less is more. You want the depth of the flowers to be seen. Flattening them with to much quilting will make them disappear. Chris
ReplyDeleteFlowers need detail, but not too much . . . the one small dogwood blossom you show with simple (shorter) lines radiating from the center makes it look "real" -- and I like the softness of the un-quilted ribbon (thinking wide satin sashes in my mind) winding through the more heavily quilted surroundings. It will be interesting to see what you end up choosing!
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is spectacular as all of your quilts are! I like both of the first flower options. For the ribbon have you thought about doing the Pebble channel like you've done in that dark gold arc?
ReplyDeleteI prefer the second of each of your options for the flowers, simple to let the piecing shine. For the ribbon have you considered a braid, it would also need to twist when the ribbon does!
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ReplyDeleteI love picture 3 and the sketch you did there. Very pretty!
ReplyDeleteI like the feathers in the ribbons--quite graceful. As for the flowers, maybe the design for the tulip could have three, maybe four feathers on the outer petals, to help distinguish them from the dense feathers of the inner petals.
ReplyDeleteI like the designs for both flowers in the last picture, makes them look a bit more realistic. I'm sure whatever you choose will look beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love feathers, flowers with them become more tender.
Whichever option you choose will still be beautiful because quilt itself is very beautiful
Feathery ribbons - I don't think it's the best idea. It will deminish the shape of the ribbon, in my opinion. I would go for the lenght of ribbon, some linear, nearly paralell lines, emphasising the flow. Yeah, I would prefer echoing for this ribbon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tami on six petal flower.
All in all I just drool over these pictures, the quilt looks superb!!!!
Are the flowers too big to just quilt in the center and ditch all the petals? I really like the smooth "poof" of them with that gorgeous textured background. Your work is just outta this world and I look forward to all your blog entries. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMaggie in Arizona
GASP! DROOL! WOW, this is a gorgeous quilt, even just from these glimpses! I love what you've done with the quilting so far. I like the idea of feathering the ribbon, but NOT feathering the tulip -- I like your second, simpler choice for quilting that flower because it enhances the applique lines and won't flatten the flower as much. I really love the textural contrast that comes of dense background quilting with less quilting on the applique so it pops out -- but the ribbon needs quilting because it is all puffed up like a diva right now, trying to steal the show from the flowers. But the feather idea will be perfect there.
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