Last week, I posted a photo of my finished raw edge with free motion quilting…
After taking a second look, I thought it might benefit from more quilting and I asked YOUR opinion.
Before I had finished my breakfast, I had a resounding answer: YES it needs more quilting.
As one reader pointed out, quilts need to have an even amount of quilting–and this quilt did not.
So I took YOUR advice and I like this quilt much, much better!
LESSONS LEARNED:
- Quilting should be evenly space all over a quilt.
- When in doubt, ask 5000 friends for their opinion.
and….
- MORE free motion quilting, ALWAYS, MORE free motion quilting!
You’re MY kind of friends!
Lori
(PS–Now I need more help…all five of my daughters have declared “dibs”….)
I think there’s a lot more free motion/raw edge appliqué in my future.
PS…All tutorials, information and images are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin, share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
57 comments
ROBIN, HUNTSVILLE TX
Beautiful, as always. Really appreciate all your expertise and tutorials.
farmquilter
I’m late to the party here, but I’m here!!! WOW it looks so much better…now it looks finished! Love the quilting you chose to do. In the past I was asked to add more quilting to a quilt that another longarm quilter had quilted, so you aren’t the only one who has thought they were done when the quilt was asking for more! More is ALWAYS better…IMHO!!!
karen bennick
It is wonderful to have input from other people. My two friendship groups are so good at critiquing my art quilts. I also see a little self satisfaction in their faces when I use their suggestions. My quilts are always better when I consider their suggestions. Doesn’t mean I always do as they say.
I try to treat them right, they are my social life.
Lori Kennedy
I agree, Karen, an extra eye is often helpful. Love that your quilt group is a big part of your social life!
Hazel
Oh ya! Much more beautiful. I too believe that you knew the answer to your question before you even asked it. This is absolutely lovely!
Carole @ From My Carolina Home
Yes, you made the right decision. I fell on the floor laughing at your lesson learned “ask 5000 friends for their opinion”! The quilt is wonderful.
Paula
Love it Lori! Great job on the quilting and congrats on the finish!!
treadlemusic
Well, considering that you have “fed our addiction” to fmq, what, exactly, did you expect!!!!! LOL! LOL! LOL! It looks awesome!!!!! Now……1 down and ?# to go!!!!!??? With lots of fmq!!!!!!
theinboxjaunt
I’m so pleased to have fed your addiction! LOL!
Nikkie Colvill
Definitely looks better with more fmq, but then I love fmq and your work. You’re so inspirational thanks Lori. Xx
Nena
Let your daughters bid on it. They must bid something that will be of good help to you or an orginzation near and dear to your heart. Sealed bidding with no name on it only. Then have someone else, hubby, good quilting friend, neighbor or a combo of the group decide which bid sounds like the best one for you. Then reveal the bid and let the winner claim it!
Short of that, they can learn to do for themselves and make mom proud!
WordPress.com Support
Great idea!!!
Ana Perna
soooo much nicer that the first version… And I’m sure it did not take you long to complete it.
and it’s been a great experience for me to learn from all that has been said.
Thank you
Marta
OKaaay, now you got it !! Sweet, as my grands are fond of saying..LOL…Well, as to daughters, when I made a purse for one of my 2 daughters and 3 granddaughters , I then got 4 more requests. And also one for youngest grand’s doll. I was so glad I did it for them, each in favorite colors They are very used ! Lori, you are blessed in many ways. We are the beneficiaries of your FMQ talent. Thanks..
Lois Borton
It is soooo beautiful.
Terry Sheldon
Lori, I think you left out the background quilting on purpose, to get us to think about how to make a proper quilt! Just MHO…
WordPress.com Support
Yeah! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! LOL
Rachel
Now it looks finished, well done!
tirane
the simple solution (i have four daughters myself) is to refuse them all but teach them to quilt their own. 🙂
…and the even quilting is much better!
Wanda
Beautiful! The difference between night and day. Somehow I think you already knew the answer. Were you trying to trick us?
Luann Fischer
I noticed that you had already put the binding on when you first posted it. Did you have any difficulty putting more quilting in with the binding already in place?
WordPress.com Support
I was worried that I might create puckers but I really had no problem at all. I wouldn’t recommend doing it this way in general.
Patricia Trujillo
Thank you, Lori. I’m always impressed by your work. The thought occurred to me that this little quilt might have been a test of sorts. I’m smiling!
marlene
Quilting gives greater definition. Lovely
Shar
Hooray!! Can’t help you with the daughter dilemma… Only have boys.
Ness
Oh I can help you out there….just tell them your friend Ness had dibs last week…haha! Sounds like my girls and sisters too! I never get around to making mine! LOL!
I see you didn’t take my advice and add a row of footballs…Bahahaha! Good thing! It really is adorable. 🙂 Good job! Have a good day!
Toeti
Bravo, it looks much better! Thank you for the blogs and tutorials.
CarolH
Put their names in a hat and pick one. Every 3 months they can switch it out!! Love the “more” quilting!! You do beautiful work! Typically I don’t like raw edge applique but you may prove me wrong!!
Renee Galloway
Do you have any tutorials/blogs on how to adjust your machine tension? When experimenting for the first two times, I get a “bird’s nest” in the bobbin thread! Why???
Lori Kennedy
I am planning a few tension posts, but don’t have any to offer at this time. Bird’s Nests…Before you start FMQ, did you bring the bobbin thread to the top and hold on to it? Double check that your machine is properly threaded…Does that help? Let me know…
Lil Koster
I just had birds nest problems yesterday – I unthreaded both top and bobbin, removed the hook and throat plate and found some lint and a bit of thread which I cleaned out. When I rethreaded the machine – no more nests!
When threading the top thread, make sure your presser foot is up when bringing the thread through the tension discs. Also, when FMQ, make sure you don’t take more than two stitches in the same spot when you start and stop or you’ll get thread build-up.
I’ve been using the magic genie washers in my bobbin case, but I’m not convinced that they make a difference.
Good luck!
June
Your advice is right on. Those are the only two reasons I know of that would cause a bird’s nest. Wrong tension can provide unbalanced stitches but not bird’s nest. She might also trying one of those Magic Genies that you can put in your bobbin case. I think Sharon Schambers invented them. Most quilt shops carry them.
WordPress.com Support
I’m not sure they work in all machines. They didn’t in mine. I don’t know enough about them to make a recommendation. Do you use them?
Barb E
I liked it before and thought you didn’t need anymore quilting on it. Now I realized that more is better. Beautiful job.
Carly
I just love it–not normally a fan of a lot of quilting but this is just perfect
Marilyn
It was nice before, but now it is awesome!
Rhonda Rannow
Beautiful! 🙂
Shelor
YES!
amq97
How blessed you are with friends and family who love your work! You are indeed fortunate to have daughters . . . Think of each work of art as a bouquet of your quilting legacy!! Have a great week, Allison in Plano, TX USA
Lori Kennedy
Lovely!
eileen
it looks great BUT my question is =doesn’t it become more like a board the more you quilt it – I can see that for maybe a wallhanging but if you are making a quilt you’re not leaving any air pockets Eileen
Lori Kennedy
Eileen, that is an excellent question–perhaps we should have a blog post discussing this topic. Stiffness is a function of batting choice and the amount of quilting. As you know, I heavily quilt most of my quilts and I find that they feel a bit stiff when they are finished, but they never feel stiff once they are used a little. Washing also makes them softer. I use wool batting for my large quilts and wool or cotton Warm and Natural for my smaller quilts and they are all well-loved (as in well-used) and very soft.
Sandy
I agree. Using the wrong batting would make a quilt quite stiff, but the right batting, and some use and washing results in a lovely soft quilt with lots of texture.
I’m so glad you added that extra quilting, Lori! The quilt looks much more balanced. As for your five daughters, perhaps this is a good incentive for them to work on their own pieces with your help? 😉 Neither of my own two adult daughters is interested in quilting, but they do like what I make. Maybe one day …. 🙂
Laroletta Petty
You a great teacher from the get-go. You made a quilt, described it and told your reader-students your opinion and asked for theirs. You had gotten then to look critically at a quilt and analyze the positives and the negatives. You took their combined advise and made changes which all agree enhanced your work, For me, seeing the original and then the enhanced piece made me look at my own work with the same critical eye. Yeah, I need to do more quilting. I will be doing that-after Christmas that is. I appreciate your site and look forward to it each day!
Lori Kennedy
Thank you so much, Loraletta. Our new motto, More quilting, always, more quilting! LOL
LJ
Perfect!!
Lil Koster
DITTO!!
Pam Arbour
I am so glad that you went back and put more quilting. Since so many people commented on it before, I thought I wouldn’t say anything, but that was my first thought when I saw it. “I wonder why she didn’t put more quilting on there.” Now it looks like your work. It is fabulous and I can see why your daughters would want it. You will just have to make one for each of them that will fit their personality!
lynnenew
Outstanding!
lhoffman275
Beautiful!
Sandra Brown
It’s beautiful! Lori
Rebecca
It’s beautiful! Love what you did to fill in the outside spaces. Am really enjoying your site. Thanks for all the good ideas.
Pat Meinecke
Y-E-S!
Jacque
Yep, so much better.
quiltngrin
lays so much more nicely
kaholly
Looks so much better!! Just gorgeous.
Mary Ed Williams
Did you tell us where to find this pattern? It looks great, by the way. It’s not only lovely, it’s a great piece to practice lots of techniques.
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