Good Morning, Quilters!
Congratulations to Andrea R (UK)! YOU have won a box of Aurifil thread in our I Love Home Quilting Sweepstakes! I will pass your email address on to Jacquelynne Steves so we can get the fabulous box of thread off to you. Enjoy!
LOOKING BACK
I am going through old quilts and old photos. Reviewing…
When I started quilting-back in the 90’s-I hand quilted all of my quilts. I still love hand quilting but I rarely do it any more.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Everything changed for me when master quilter, Diane Gaudynski came to my guild for a lecture on machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine.
I fell in love with her quilt, A Visit to Provence. and set my sites on learning everything I could about machine quilting.
First, I had to master feathers –that is when my doodling began. I doodled feathers constantly. I even traced around nickels to get the curves right-a recommended technique at the time.
Once the quilt was designed on paper, the next step was to transfer the design to fabric–always challenging. I went through a lot of the blue washout markers!
The stitching was simple-just follow the lines and concentrate of getting the stitch length even.
THREE POINT EVALUATION
I like to ask myself three questions when I finish a quilt:
What worked? What didn’t work? What would I do differently next time?
What Worked: I think the end result is beautiful! I adore classical feathers and cross hatching! I still use this quilt regularly. I love how the matching thread creates the texture and I think the batting supports the style of the quilt.
What Didn’t Work: I hated did not enjoy the excessive time it took to design and mark–more time than it took to stitch. I love to stitch. I hate to mark.
Also, I need a lesson on binding…and mitering corners.
What would I do next time? Find a binding tutorial. Now that the pattern is created…try another color fabric and perhaps a different stencil design in the center. Or use the feathers around an appliqué.
For more information about Diane Gaudynski’s techniques find Quilt Savvy HERE (affiliate link)
In the beginning….
My early quilting was very classic…feathers, cross hatching, stippling (yes, I can stipple!).
I relied heavily on stencils and patterns. And while I still love this look— it lacks personality.
My quilting style change dramatically when...
To be continued!
A BACKWARD GLANCE
What about YOU? What inspired YOU to quilt?
Has YOUR style evolved over time?
Perhaps you could take a minute to evaluate your old quilts. Write down a few notes in your quilt notebook?
We’d LOVE to hear about YOUR quilting journey!
Happy Stitching!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all the purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!