Beautiful Roses

This quilt was finished about a week ago, and will be flying its way home to CA tomorrow. My client and  maker reports this as having been started many years ago. She designed the embroidery blocks herself and then they were colored with several colors of crayon. It was a joy to work on because the ideas for the quilting just flowed so easily.

First off, she wanted me to put something pretty in all of the blank white space. That part is easy. The outer border has one of my favorites, curved crosshatching. It is combined with some feathers and linear work for visual interest.

 (DOH...just realized this is sideways!)

This quilt has a single layer of Hobbs 80/20 so it is soft and drapable. I used a 40 wt thread in a soft brassy tan for the outer border and the framework of the setting squares. The subtle color helps these designs to show more. The stipple fill and leaf fillers were quilted using a matching off-white 50wt So Fine thread. I wanted them to sink in and only show as texture. At the end, I came in with clear nylon and outline stitched the roses and leaves to give the shapes a finished look. This last step is worth the time, although many do choose not to do it.

 The setting triangles have a scalloping frame that is created with a template. This comes in a bunch of sizes and is rather pricey for templates, but I own one and love the shape it creates. Inside the frame is a smaller version of the stencil shape that was put in the squares. That is a good tip. When buying a particular stencil, purchase the same thing in 2 or 3 sizes so that similar shapes can be quilted on the same quilt to bring cohesion.

 I also "embellished" the base stencil design by adding additional leafy petal echoes and pebbles at the center. Stencils are nice, but often they don't provide as much detail to the quilting that I like.

 The fill around the roses is very textural. It is more interesting than the stippling used in other places too. I also found that the leaf fill coordinated with the leaf shape of the stencil, by pure chance though.

 It's a beautiful and old-fashioned looking quilt that my client will cherish.

Aren't solid backings just wonderful??!