"Reading" Your Quilt Top
Determining How to Best Quilt It
There are 3 ways to quilt your quilt tops; by hand, by your own sewing machine, or by hiring a professional longarm machine quilter. No matter which you choose, there is one decision that hinders finishing the quilt, one that turns pieced tops into UFO's. That decision is, "What shall I quilt on the quilt?"
Answer these 4 questions,and the decision becomes easier.
1. Is this for a child or adult?
2. Will it receive a lot of hard, constant use?
3. Was it a simple piecing pattern, or an intricate one?
4. How much are you willing to spend on this quilt?
If it is for a child's daily use, or an adult's beach parties, you will want it quilted sturdily, and at minimal cost. Hand quilters could choose straight line channel or grid stitching. Home sewing machine quilters could also choose straight line grids, or an allover meander if they are comfortable with free motion quilting. Most longarm quilters would do well choosing a simple allover pantograph or an allover simple, large, meander pattern for such quilts.
This information is for the piecer wanting to hire a professional. Many longarm operators don't like the many starts and stops that are needed for straight line grids, so they generally charge more for straight line work. Ask a professional when you call them if they have numerous options. There is no reason to be told that your quilter has only 3 or 5 patterns from which to choose. Find someone who either has a large selection or who is willing to purchase a pattern you like from a catalog or online. Many designs are available. One will surely delight your taste. An online site to see pantograph patterns is http://www.kmquiltingsupply.com
Whenever sturdiness is not the major issue, then artistry is the issue. A plain quilt made of square blocks can be made decorative by adding creative quilting designs and threads. Find either some decorative stencils with interesting motifs that can fit each square or perhaps over a group of several squares, or look for a more intricate allover design such as wholecloth patterns by Meadow Lyon designs available at http://www.meadowlyon.com
The more stitching done on the quilt, the more interest the quilt will generate even if the background itself is simple. Turn one or more outermost rows of squares into a separate border for more interest. To create the illusion of a border, use a different design such as a vining pattern that will encompass the perimeter of the quilt. Ideas for separate borders abound in Pam Clark's Borderlines books that can be purchased from www.homestitches.com
If all the piecing is made of hard angles and straight edges, consider a pattern that has a rounded theme like a Baptist Fan, or feathered wreath. This will give another dimension and movement to your quilt. A nice stencil for the wreath is available at www.longarmuniversity.com
An adult will notice overall artistry more than the child,so the artistic aspect is more important for these unless, as I said, they are using them to sit on the beach. Outlining of intricate designs will make the major design of the piecing stand out. A meander or other fill type design in the plain sections behind the major design will also enhance the major design. For instance, outlining the piecing of a Dahlia block and using a puzzle piece meander in the plain areas behind the dahlia will cause the dahlia to stand out. The background will soften because of the rounded lines used. For plain blocks between pieced blocks, trace the pieced design onto tracing paper. Tansfer the design to the empty block. Quilt as is it was the pieced block. Or choose a stencil motif that uses some of the same shaped lines as the pieced block.
For a Double Wedding ring, you might stitch a vine w. leaves in the melon shapes, and a favorite motif in the center. Let that be enough, or do a background fill of straight lines, or a ribbon flowing out to the corners to hold them down behind the central motif.
Fill a 9 patch with large leaf shapes forming a dahlia like flower, or use an intricate pantograph design. If hand quilting, choose a commercial stencil that fits the space. Hire a longarmer who is proficient in overall freehand design as this would provide art with a bit lower cost to a rather simply pieced quilt.
IF money is the issue, then you will need to complete your quilts yourself. If time is the issue, choose simple designs. A longarm quilter may be quick if he or she does not have a lot of customer quilts already. Please remember that a pattern that is simple for the had quilter may not be simple for the longarmer to execute. If time and money are not a major issue, then you will find that the sky is the limit today. Quilt fabric shops, vendors at quilt shows, and online stores offer numerous stencil patterns and design books. A good site is www.homestitches.com
If you want a longarmer to finish your quilts, search for one with a quilting style you like. Then you could leave the choosing up to him/her. Many professionals have websites and picture sites. My sites are www.kaysquiltingcorner.com and www.picturetrail.com/kaysquiltingcorner
So consider the four questions when deciding on patterns to quilt into the quilt, and you won't need to tuck that top away in a dark corner just because you don't know how you want to finish it, No more UFO's in the quilt world!
Kay
About the Author
The author is a professional longarm machine quilter. She belongs to a local quilt guild. She often hear the ladies wondering what they will do about the quilting, so it is hoped that this topic will make quilt pattern choosing an easier task.
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