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Sunday, October 4, 2015

hand quilting again.... Fall Tumblers

I finished sewing the fall tumblers together with EPP. I did not like glue baste as it made the fabric too tight against the paper and harder to whip stitch through. Next time I will hand baste behind the paper as I do with hexies. I wanted to hand quilt this little runner and ran into some issues I want to share.

 I started with some tracing paper over the runner and sketched out a lovely swirl with leaf pattern. Worked really well. Then to transfer the pattern to the tumblers I tried SARAL paper. Place it between the pattern and fabric and trace with pencil. Nope. Nada.
Next I tried dressmaker transfer papers...in every color... nope, nada, no marks.
Next I traced the design onto heavy paper and cut out the swirls, what a pain, so I could mark around them with wax marking pencil. Nope, nada. Tried the chalk wheel. No go, not showing up. My next attempt will be pinning the papers to the quilt and quilting around them.
The quilting I've done so far, see top photo, is done kind of by feel trying to see a hint of the traced line and mostly just winging it.
The yellow thick thread doesn't show well, so I tried this thick metallc by DMC that frays into three strands after you pull it thru a few times.
Now I am wondering why I wanted to hand quilt? Oy vey! (the process LeeAnna, and the piecing was done by hand so you thought hand quilting, and it's small, and you haven't hand quilted in a long time)
I decided to use hand dyed thick thread to embroider/quilt the leaf shape. That's not going particularly well.
Right now I am quilting through two layers, top and batting, with the plan to back it in black felt, so it will lay well on the table. I have done this before and it usually looks great. I have done one swirl with gold thread, one swirl with yellow thread, and two more to go, and the leaf.
I used to hand quilt all bed quilts, back in the 80's. Now I protect my hands for beading and hand piecing. It feels good to hand quilt but this isn't making much of an impact and it's another LALAMO  project.
Live and Learn and Move On. I'll show you the finish soon...




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19 comments:

  1. MarlyOctober 4, 2015 at 12:35 PM

    I like that LALAMO! I think I'd try drawing the swirls directly onto the fabric with a Frixion pen (chalk rubs out too easily while you're hand quilting). Rather like practising the FMQ moves with pencil on paper, only now you move from the pencil and paper to pen and fabric.
    Incidently I agree with you about using glue in EPP; I've gone back to sewing the fabric on the back too, then, when the pieces are enclosed by others, removing and reusing the papers.

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    1. LA PaylorOctober 4, 2015 at 1:32 PM

      Beware of friction pens as the gel part of the ink stays on permanently. Part of the ink disappears with heat but the gel doesn't really go away. The quilt show just had an article about this too. LA

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  2. Linda @ kokaquiltsOctober 4, 2015 at 12:50 PM

    oh dear, don't you just hate it when it's all this difficult? I too would try a marking pen, maybe before layering up, but it's been a while since I hand quilted anything more than simple outlining. Years ago we used soft pencils for marking. Good luck, you are nearly finished!

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  3. Deb @ Frugal Little BungalowOctober 4, 2015 at 1:20 PM

    I have so many stupid pencils that I'd bought to mark on dark fabric that are useless and I tried metallic thread once...same sort of issue that you had. When I was working with a dark brown on my snowball quilt I went through all of that with the pencils. This year for the dark purple in another quilt I just eyeballed and sewed a half inch in from the seams, outlining. I think that's about all that really works with dark colors....or I have seen people using painters tape, masking tape, and things like that....I am happy to be handquilting a light background quilt this time around ! :)

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  4. ThreeundertwoOctober 4, 2015 at 2:51 PM

    I'm going to add LALAMO to my vocabulary! I too, have a hundred kind of marking pencils that don't work. Have you tried cutting the shape out of freezer paper and ironing it on and then just quilting at the edge of the paper?

    Also, when I cross-stitch with metallic thread, I use thread heaven. It's still not easy.

    Good luck! It's pretty colors and fabrics so you'll enjoy it when it's done.

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  5. JulieroseOctober 4, 2015 at 3:46 PM

    Oh i like that winging it idea--no marking and very creative...hugs, Julierose

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  6. Glen QuiltSwissyOctober 4, 2015 at 5:05 PM

    You are a better woman than I........

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  7. Carla A Few Of My Favorite ThingsOctober 4, 2015 at 5:17 PM

    I use solids in my quilts for this very reason. Hand quilting prints unless you big stitch with a perle cotton seems to be a waste of time as it is so hard to see the quilting design let alone the stitches. I am glad you look it as a learning experience. I think I learn something from every project I do.

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  8. gayleOctober 4, 2015 at 6:22 PM

    I was going to suggest the freezer paper, too. I've had my issues with marking pens... 8)
    Good luck!

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  9. The Cozy QuilterOctober 4, 2015 at 6:36 PM

    Freehand quilting all the way!!!!!

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  10. Jennie in GAOctober 4, 2015 at 9:09 PM

    Sometimes you just have to wonder if it is meant to be!

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  11. easyweimaranerOctober 5, 2015 at 1:49 AM

    it's great to look at this firework of colors, that's so much fall :o) I wish I had even a morsel of talent to make such beautiful things with my own hands :o(

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  12. AlidaPOctober 5, 2015 at 7:45 AM

    Struggles with quilting, that's funny, I had horror stories with my FMQ... maybe there is something in the universe this month :) To trace quilting lines I always use crayola washable markers. I can usually find a color that shows up and all of them wash away just great (except from the purple one, that is a hard one to make it go). However not sure how this could help with the tracing from a preexisting design... thanks for sharing your story!!

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  13. LaceflowerOctober 5, 2015 at 9:19 AM

    I second the crayola washable markers, ALTHOUGH, test, test, test first. I could not wash out any colour I tried on Kona solids but the Westminster fabric I was quilting washed out everything I tried. It was quite scary making such bold, dark marks with abandon across my lovely quilt even though I had tested first.

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  14. KajaOctober 5, 2015 at 11:30 AM

    I only ever use a hera marker, which just makes a crease, but then I haven't done anything as complicated as your quilting, just lines or (once) spirals. It may well be a LALAMO project but it's jolly pretty.

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  15. JanineMarieOctober 8, 2015 at 11:43 AM

    Sometimes on quilts like this, I just meander-- no marking needed, and it still gives texture. I've had success with simple quilt patterns by making them from freezer paper and lightly pressing them onto the quilt. Otherwise, masking tape, and sometimes a hera marker. I do like your runner, though. It was worth the trouble.

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  16. JOY @ http://joysjotsshots.blogspot.com/October 9, 2015 at 11:38 AM

    Always find inspiration when I check out your blog. via Freemotion

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  17. Quilter KathyOctober 10, 2015 at 8:39 AM

    Love that you are trying new techniques and ideas for the quilting... so fun!

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  18. Connie Kresin CampbellOctober 10, 2015 at 10:56 AM

    Looks beautiful! Hand quilting is something I have done......twice.....a long time ago!

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