A bit more about "Take It Outback". I thought you may like to see the back. I consider quilts to be sculptural. Therefore, the back should either relate to the front OR be a delightful surprise.
Then there's the consideration of the quilting pattern showing up or being low key. If it's hand quilted I definitely want all that work to be an obvious design element. However, my machine quilting is not great and I prefer for it to blend into the fabric. A fine black thread, Bottom Line, was used in the bobbin. A number of variegated heavier threads were used for the quilting on top.
To figure out quilting patterns I placed a piece of "Press'n Seal" directly over the fabric quilt block. I like that this product adheres to the fabric without stickiness and that it's translucent enough to see the fabric's pattern. I used a fat tipped permanent ink pen (Sharpie brand) to doodle designs I thought may be appropriate within each section. This variety was pleasing, so I stuck the "Press'n Seal" to a piece of foam core board that was propped up near my machine where I could see it as a reference while I was quilting.
Each section within the blocks was quilted separately ... such as all the spider webs throughout the quilt were sewn at one time with the same thread. Then I'd change the top thread and quilt all of another pattern.
I like taking a break from creating art to make a functional quilt once in awhile. It usually takes finding exciting fabric or being intrigued with a new technique or manipulation of traditional patterns. For this one it was finding that fat-quarter packet of Australian fabrics
and playing with a variation of "stacking and whacking" to make interesting blocks that are related to each other with no two alike.
Then there's the consideration of the quilting pattern showing up or being low key. If it's hand quilted I definitely want all that work to be an obvious design element. However, my machine quilting is not great and I prefer for it to blend into the fabric. A fine black thread, Bottom Line, was used in the bobbin. A number of variegated heavier threads were used for the quilting on top.
To figure out quilting patterns I placed a piece of "Press'n Seal" directly over the fabric quilt block. I like that this product adheres to the fabric without stickiness and that it's translucent enough to see the fabric's pattern. I used a fat tipped permanent ink pen (Sharpie brand) to doodle designs I thought may be appropriate within each section. This variety was pleasing, so I stuck the "Press'n Seal" to a piece of foam core board that was propped up near my machine where I could see it as a reference while I was quilting.
Each section within the blocks was quilted separately ... such as all the spider webs throughout the quilt were sewn at one time with the same thread. Then I'd change the top thread and quilt all of another pattern.
I like taking a break from creating art to make a functional quilt once in awhile. It usually takes finding exciting fabric or being intrigued with a new technique or manipulation of traditional patterns. For this one it was finding that fat-quarter packet of Australian fabrics and playing with a variation of "stacking and whacking" to make interesting blocks that are related to each other with no two alike.
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