Monday, February 11, 2013

hand quilting

 I really love hand quilting, but reserved it for only those times when I am traveling and need something to do with my hands...until now! I need to hand quilt at home too, with Kathy's encouragement!  I find it so relaxing and fun, so why should I only do it so rarely?  Above is my plaid churn dash quilt, and I have started the hand quilting on it.  The edge is done, and as the plaids are ravelly, I went ahead and bound it.  Kind of putting the cart before the horse, but in this case, it worked for me just perfectly.  I am hand quilted around each triangle and in the sashing, and will do the blocks last.
 Details, details!  I do something I bet would drive most of you nutty...I clip all my threads at the last, all at once.  Do any of you do this? My home-ec teacher would cringe!  but it is the best use of my time, and all the threads get thrown away in a wad, instead of floating around and getting individually stuck around the vacuum beater bar...
 Another little table runner I hand quilted this week.  Scraps, as usual!  I marked with blue wash out marker, and it came out just fine.  Black thread shows up well on this runner.
Ready to be bound!!

Thanks for looking at my hand quilting!!  And double thanks for telling me what a LOW VOLUME QUILT is!!!  I am intrigued!

Julie

25 comments:

Barb said...

love those geese flying around the pink plaid!
enjoy the quilting - cute runner!

Shari said...

Your churn dash is just lovely. Have fun with cozy times hand quilting - perfect for a quiet winter activity.

Quilter Kathy said...

Gorgeousness! Love to see the close up photos of hand quilting! And I love how you use dark thread to show the stitches! Enjoy your quilting!

Anita in Florida said...

Love your churn dash quilt! The hand quilting is going to look so pretty too.
I wash the quilt BEFORE I clip the threads...the threads 'puff up' after washing and are so much easier for me to 'grab'.

Me and My Stitches said...

I just love your churn dash quilt. Isn't hand quilting fun? I love to hand quilt, but don't have a lot of time, so I try to commit to at least one hour in the evening before I go to bed. It's amazing how much you can get done when you just do it!

Kyle said...

Your churn dash quilt is looking great. It is the perfect time of year to be hand quilting. I'm a "clip threads as you go" kind of girl. It's funny how we all have our own sequence of steps, but the quilts all look beautiful at the end.

Lori said...

Your churn dash is so adorable! I love to hand quilt, I'm just so slow at it.
Cute scrappy table runner too!!

Phyllis in Minnesota said...

Your churn dash is a real beauty. I also love to hand quilt but am forced to clip my threads immediately since I have a cat and she would LOVE to play with all those dangling toys!
Enjoy...

paulette said...

Gorgeous!!!
P

regan said...

Your quilting is fantastic! And that's a great idea about clipping threads!

Nancy said...

I like handwork, too, but rarely do it. I am a clip-as-I-go person because I can actually see my progress.

Your quilt and table runner are so colorful and make me smile. I LOVE them!

Jeanne said...

I always do the binding first on hand quilting projects, so they're portable and safely enclosed.

Jeanne :)

Loris said...

Love the plaid churn dash. I can see that just the process of quilting it would be a relaxing way to spend time fondling it.
Funny you mention the thread cutting...I clip constantly and think I'm a bit crazy doing it. But those thread ends distract and bug me even on the long arm. I've never been known for speed with my quilting though :-)

Jeanne said...

Another gorgeous plaid quilt! I love the geese borders. Your quilting is wonderful.

Janet O. said...

Oh, churn dash in plaids--two of my favorite things combined into one great quilt!
I enjoy hand quilting, too, but since I am so slow and time is so limited, it takes a couple of years for me to quilt a large quilt. I can rarely wait that long.
Your little scrappy runner is very cute. I like the black thread.

Cindy said...

I am a "churn dash" kind of gal for sure. But hand quilting for me? No way. I have my hands clapping up high for you, Julie. Job well done!!!

AnnieO said...

Beautiful work, Julie! I want to make a coin runner just like that--but there is no way I could match your hand-quilting skills :)

Libby said...

I love everything about hand quilting - I only wish there were enough time to hand quilt 'em all!

Leeanne said...

Awesome, I like the dark thread.

Merilyn said...

Wonderful quilting on this quilt! I've been known to start on the borders too and then do the blocks/sashing etc! It works....

Sandra White said...

Nice quilts and nice work! I just recently scaling down my business retiring. It's so nice to have the time for doing what I really love...hand quilting. Very nice blog too.

Sandy

Diana said...

Love your hand quilting too

Mary said...

Love your hand quilting!The churn dash is awesome! Your work is always so inspiring!

Millie said...

Gorgeous churn dash quilt and I like the hand quilting in the darker thread.

Nicky said...

I am getting so repetitive saying I love your quilts - still true though! Churndash is a favourite block of mine and plaids ones - heaven!

Puffins and purples!!

I was tempted by Puffins...a squirrelly breed!!  LOL!  This fabric was shared with me, and I have been loved these bright, candy corn colors...