Embellished with Czech and Japanese seed beads, bugle beads, silver and bronze beads, vintage buttons, embroidery,sequins, tulle, fabric scraps and couching in acrylic yarn and lots of hand quilting. Batting is 1/4" thick and backed with purple and white gingham.
Posted by homuncula on 2005-09-22 19:50:06
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This page has a really simple and plain explanation of hand quilting: http://www.handquilter.com/html/newtip.html
I found it pretty helpful. I wish it had pictures, though! Good luck!
Posted by karikazo on 2004-10-06 11:48:07
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ooh, this is such an interesting question. I think about it a lot because of the quilting angle--it's certainly common, even among dedicated quilters, to pay someone else to do the quilting (a step which is VERY time-consuming if you do it by hand, and may require specialized equipment if you do it by machine).
Even a quilt artist like Nancy Crow--http://www.nancycrow.com/--usually pays someone else to quilt her tops, though she chooses the quilting design, so all the design decisions have been made by her. She's the grande dame of art quilters, and like other art quilters, when her quilts are exhibited, credit is given to the woman who did the quilting. Though it's still a "nancy crow" quilt.
I have mixed feelings about the practice.
I agree it's totally great for people to do *any* kind of crafting, and if paying someone to do the part you find tedious, or don't know how to do, will allow you to craft stuff that you wouldn't have otherwise, then yay for that. As long as any work that is sold or exhibited gives proper credit to those who contributed.
On the other hand, I think I would feel like I was "cheating" if I did it. Especially because quilting a full-size quilt is a very significant process. It's not just "oh, here's these last couple of technical steps to finish it off." The quilting designs, and the skill with which they're executed, have a significant impact on the aesthetic impact of the quilt. I make quilts partly because I love the process (including the months of hand-quilting) and partly because I want to exercise creative control over something, to make my own creative decisions.
Also, I'm still learning my craft. My hand-quilting has improved tremendously from practice, but is still nowhere near as great as those Amish ladies' quilting (sigh...). I wouldn't feel like I really "own" my craft, and my quilts, if I shirked that learning process. Having a creative vision and getting joy from the process are both very important in my quilting, but those things must be supported by technical excellence, no matter how damn long (*gritting teeth*) it takes me to learn it!
And, frankly, I also feel a tiny bit of jealously of those who can pay someone else to baste, mark, quilt, and bind their quilts. Because I could get a lot more done if I could afford to do that. I have dozens of quilts rolling around in my head that I can't start yet because I have so many other projects underway. But I can't afford to pay a nice Amish lady to quilt for me, so instead I grumble privately about how paying someone to quilt your tops is "cheating".....when really it's just another way of approaching the craft, and one that's been practiced for a long time.
oh dear god I wrote a book. Basically I think that people making stuff should be the end goal, and there's not one perfect way to do that and be a "good" crafter or quilter. Personally, I wouldn't pay someone to finish my quilts even if I could afford it, and I plan to feel proud that I do them myself. But I'm also glad that Nancy Crow is free to spend more of her time designing fantastic quilt tops, since they are a source of inspiration to me.
Posted by stella on 2005-02-09 18:49:22
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i hate quilting, so i don't have much advice. okay, well, i don't like making patchwork things or the action of hand-quilting, but i don't mind making other kinds of quilts.
if you're doing any machine sewing, invest in a walking foot for your machine. you really need one to machine-quilt, but they also make it easier to sew on bindings, etc. my walking foot broke, and i'm very sad about it, because i used that thing all the damned time, even for non-quilting projects.
Posted by bookish on 2004-06-17 13:21:45
Post Subject: thread
All of the above are good tips. If you hesitate to create your own pattern, I think Vogue or Simplicity might have a good one. For thread use upholstery thread or hand quilting thread. It doesn't come in a lot of colors but it's incredibly strong.
Posted by Schmatta on 2005-09-06 15:19:26
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I'm a quilter. Non-trad. Artsy. Mostly straight line piecing on the machine rather than curves by hand. Prefer hand quilting stitches, although I'm far from expert. Yes, Mary Ellen Hopkins' books are good. Yoshiko's work is beyond belief. Lovely but not very useful to those of us in our first/second/third reincarnations as quilters. I mean, she's from some other galaxy far far away.
I'll be glad to answer any ?? from beginners, and if I were smart enough, I'd post photos of my work so you could see if you even wanted to ask me anything.
Posted by Morgan on 2004-05-04 14:59:55
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Yeah, I meant how do they do the quilting all the layers together at the end? Sometimes they have really complex or repetitive designs. But I read the "how we make our quilts" section at funquilts.com, & it said they use a machine, which makes a lot of sense! I love the circles, too. They use them a lot at that site, too. I think I'll try hand quilting next time. The chalk pencil part seems quite logical! It might be a bit too much work for the string quilt, though... & that would probably work best with straight lines, too. So the next next quilt, then!
The Kaffe Fassett quilts are really great, too! So many rad ideas!!
I save pictures of the ones I like, too! So far, they're mostly from the internet, so I have a file on my computer for the pics.
My mom bought me a whole beginning quilting package, with a rotary cutter, a mat for underneath (although it's small), & the clear measuring thing. Very smart! It works really well!
I can't wait to get your package, Researchasaurus! I'm really excited about the fabric scraps now! Fabric is pretty expensive, especially here in Sweden. I'm going to have to stock up when I'm in the US this summer, especially with those 40% off Joanne's coupons!! I'm going to be living at home with my parents in California for four months. I don't know how much I'm going to get done, because it's like 100 degrees all summer there, which doesn't exactly inspire quilt-making. But it's a perfect craft for Swedish winters!
