Last week I was quite pleased to finish quilting on my bear paw quilt and felt I really needed to get going on Jamaican Me Crazy. This was a quilt I started last december, I got to the quilting and just lost steam on it. I realize there are great, talented people out there who are able to feed a gigantic quilt through a 9" inch harp, but it kills my shoulders, back, and neck, I finished quilting the circular portion of this quilt on my Babylock symphony sewing machine, but I just couldn't bring myself to push this thing in and out of the DSM anymore. I loaded it on my longarm, which was a challenge, because the sewing techniques for domestic vs longarm are different. I continued to work from the center outward in hopes of keeping pleats/puckers away and so far sew good. I debated on what to quilt in the corners, I love feathers, but the whole damn thing is feathers, so I let my imagination run and came up with this.... the curved crosshatching is crooked, but this fabric is not forgiving (no ripping out stitches, as it would leave little holes) so what was sewn had to stay!
And the back... :)
Now off to watch Boardwalk Empire!!! love it. Have a great week everyone.
Hi Susan, I was just wondering where you get the inspiration for your quilts? They always seem to have very definite themes. Creative names as well.
ReplyDeleteWith this "Jamaican Me Crazy" quilt do you have a set quilting design in mind before the quilt is finished, or does it come to you after the top has been completed?
Hi Anonymous! :) I was inspired by the book "A New Spin on Curved piecing", but the technique used in the book seemed tedious and time consuming so I created my own pattern and technique which I felt was faster. I chose colors that reminded me of the bahamas, teals, greens, and sands. There were tremendous amounts of areas for quilting, I never really know what I'm going to quilt until the piecing is done, by then the quilt has "spoken" to me and I have several ideas and some I make up as I go. I created 8 circular zen doodles depicting sea life, ie waves, fish, tentacles and carried this idea out to the border corners, the curved crosshatching resembling a net with entrapped octopus tentacles. My niece, Michelle, named the quilt and it seemed right. Thanks for asking....keep watching as this quilt as much more to come!
ReplyDeleteAll your post for 2012 look fantastic. I really love what you are doing with your quilting.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joan, there's definitely a learning curve going from home machine to LA! but practice, practice, practice. BTW I really liked your quilting designs on your labyrinth quilt :)
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