Sunday, July 27, 2014

Slow Stitching Sunday

If you are a hand quilter, do you mark your entire quilting design before you start hand quilting? I like to make it up as I go along and as I feel inspired. Right now I am hand quilting my plaid version of "Always Home" and am deciding the quilting design as I come to each block.


I decided to make some X's in each of the little windows and mark the lines when I get to them using a Frixion pen.


I like the little swirl I added here and plan to add more of these.





I need to fill in some of the light background areas with hand quilting and have been gathering ideas from quilting friends. So far the ideas include hearts, stars, birds, sun and clouds. Do you have ideas for designs I should add?? 


My biggest impediment to making progress on this project is the amazing summer weather we are enjoying. I just can't resist relaxing and soaking up the sun! 

Today I will try to do more stitching and less snoozing!
What are you working on today? Link up your blog post below and share your hand stitching project with us.





21 comments:

Dasha said...

Sunday night is over & done with & I'm about to head for bed. I have been watching an amazing doco on the lands conquered by Alexander the Great, with an intrepid reporter travelling through deepest Afghanistan trying to locate locations of ancient Greek cities. Also doing some embroidery on what will end up as Christmas decorations.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I like the idea of birds and stars etc in your quilt : )

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I have been continually working on my hexie quilt

Lisa J. said...

As you know I am pretty new at this so no great insights into marking. I was wishing that I had marked by dwr in advance of basting it.

Jo said...

I like the stars idea..
No stitching for me today.....

Dolores said...

Funny you should ask. I never thought of it before but when I quilt with the 'group,' the Champagne Quilters, we mark the whole quilt. At home, working on my own quilts, I do both. It depends on the quilt.

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I mark as I go ... but I've never made a sampler quilt, so my quilting has been consistent throughout the quilt. I'm just too anxious to get to the hand quilting to take the time to mark the entire quilt before I get going ... plus, I've been known to change my mind halfway through the first block. Thankfully it's not a problem when I mark as I go ... but I'd hate to think about remarking the entire quilt if I changed my mind after marking before I start to quilt. ;-)

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

I usually mark the whole quilt before hand since my quilts have a lot of negative space. Enjoy your slow stitches today!

Chantal said...

I've never marked an entire quilt ... so far anyway! I mark as I go. Sometimes, I do the entire quilt with one pattern and other times, the pattern changed with each block. When I have big negative space, I sometime write a secret message like No place like home or ♥ Home, and such. Enjoy the stitching. I might join in later today.

Rebecca in AK said...

I was glad to read your post and the comments above! I do not mark the whole quilt, I never have and thought I was probably breaking the rules'! I think all the ideas are good!

Created by Kathi said...

I have marked a whole quilt but prefer to stabilize then have fun with the quilting as you are doing with this one... I think clouds.. 2 lines of stitching... add a cloud in the skies where you need a little extra quilting... then the quilt will get equal quilting all over :) I am sure whatever you decide will be awesome.. glad you like using YLI thread :) It is my fave for hand quilting... can't wait to get back to my needle & thread but tops have to get made and those aren't subject matter for this linky! lol So you will see my project when I am quilting and have the same issue! ha :) Kathi

CathieJ said...

I have both marked the entire quilt prior to basting and also marked as I go. The marked the entire quilt that I am currently quilting and then had to go back and remark the last border as the markings came off. I like the ideas of birds, stars and clouds to be quilted around your buildings. The hearts don't seem right. Thanks for hosting the linkup.

Chris said...

I once marked an entire top with chalk and by the time I had it sandwiched and ready to machine quilt, the chalk was all gone. So much for marking it all before starting like the books said to do.

scraphappy said...

I really like the idea of quilting a sun and clouds into your scene. Why to a moon too? Trees are always nice next to houses. Looks like you are having fun with this one.

Kate said...

I'm always partial to butterflies and bees as quilting motives. Hope you got in lots of stitching time today.

Jill said...

Mark as I go. I don't have the patience to mark a whole quilt as I am usually anxious to start the quilting process.

Janet O. said...

Hand quilting, I mark as I go.
I am a lone voice on this here, but I love crosshatching as background quilting. Not exciting, I know. : )

margaret said...

I have some kind of a tool that makes a sort of dent in the fabric instead of using a pen or pencil. When you hand quilt do you use the same thread throughout , I am hoping to tackle one of the 7 I have ready to quilt by hand but trying to picture if the back is a plain colour what the quilting looks like if I use different colours on the different blocks on the front.

newsurfiegirl said...

I can understand why the stitching would be slow when the weather is like that! Enjoy your summer.

newsurfiegirl said...

I can understand why the stitching would be slow when the weather is like that! Enjoy your summer.

Debbie said...

I haven't marked any of my quilts so far, but I've pretty much just stitched a quarter inch or so away from the seams or to outline shapes. I've only hand quilted smaller quilts...and that works for me. I have to be outside when the weather is nice, too...enjoy!