Water Color Quilting

Published: Wed, 06/20/18

Hello my quilting friend!

: I'm following up from last week with more water color experiments, which I detail in last Wednesday's podcast.

Click Here to find this podcast episode.

I plan to offer Spoonflower fabric eventually with pretty water color themes. Stay tuned as I continue to experiment and get it just right.

Finishing the Edges of Fusible Applique

I hope you’re having a blast creating the Eternal Love quilt with me this month!

On Monday we began the quilting process as we finish all the raw edges of our fusible applique pieces with a blanket stitch or zigzag stitch.

Fusible applique is intended to be a speedier applique process.

By using a fusible web glue, we can stick the pieces of the quilt together, press her to the background, and have a beautiful quilt top ready to go in just a day or so.

Just in case you missed last week’s post, Click Here to learn how to connect your fusible applique pieces to make the goddess quilt and fuse her to the background.

I found the look of the little zigzag stitch very nice, even when my thread color contrasted with the fabric color.

For Eternal Love, I think a light zigzag is perfect for this design, but please feel free to test and play and find what works best for you.

Click Here to watch how to seal the raw edges and begin quilting.

Walking Foot Quilt Matrix Maze

A few weeks ago I shared a quilting tutorial on Matrix, a curving grid design. Now let's swap out the curving lines for zigzags to create Matrix Maze.

This design is created with two sets of evenly spaced zigzag lines.

I like starting in the center of my quilt and stitching zigzags to one side, then I rotate the quilt and start in the middle and stitch across, overlapping the first set to create an awesome grid design.

Just watch out for signs of fabric shifting and any pleats and puckers as you stitch over your lines of quilting.

Spread your fingers to flatten out the layers of the quilt so they are smooth and even as you stitch over the surface.

Some walking feet have a tendency to squish the quilt which can increase the chance of puckers and pleats.

If you have the ability to adjust your presser foot pressure, try adjusting that knob on the top of your machine to reduce the pressure caused by your walking foot.

Click Here to watch our latest walking foot tutorial on Matrix Maze.

A Very Fashionable Evening

About a week ago I learned the authors of The Tunic Bible, Sarah Gunn and Julie Starr were going to be in Charlotte sharing their "Hand Curated Wardrobe." Count me in!

Remember - I made a tunic along with Amy Johnson in 2016 and really loved this pattern. Click Here to see my finished tunic.

It was a fabulous event and I really enjoyed seeing all their garments from simple skirts to amazing dresses. I knew I would come home feeling inspired to sew and make something new to wear.

What surprised me is WHAT I'm wanting to sew and wear - a French jacket.

This is surprising because I'm not much of a fashionista and French jackets have always felt a bit... stuffy to me for lack of a better word.

Then I realized they are quilted. Ooooo... Then I saw the possibilities for decorative trims and embellishments. Ahhh... Then I realized you get to sew a chain in the back because the front is so heavy and for some reason - SOLD! Gotta make one now!

It's not immediately going to the top of my list, but it's definitely a project on the list to sew as soon as I have time.

Overall it was a terrific evening and I highly recommend attending a workshop or lecture with Sarah Gunn or Julie Starr if you're interested in learning more about sewing your own clothing.

Let's go quilt (or sew!)

Leah Day