Today’s Topic: Quilting Feathers on the Carolina Lily
Good Morning, Quilters!
Thank YOU, Thank YOU, Thank YOU, for your outpouring of support as I work through several challenges this year! (Read about my Disappointing News and How to Print or Save).
I am truly grateful for all your notes of support as well as suggestions! Like most bloggers, I have a bit of doubt every time my finger hovers over the “publish” button-wondering if anyone will bother to read–but YOUR overwhelming response last week has definitely renewed me!
So let’s get back to business (while the web developers do their work).
For the past several weeks, I have been writing about my quilting process. I hope this series gives you a little insight into one possible roadmap for completing your quilt tops. While your quilt top is not the same, nor your machine like mine, the process -or roadmap- will have the same or similar decisions and steps.
Here are my steps so far:
The Quilting Roadmap
- Get over yourself! It’s only a quilt!
- Press the quilt top and take a few photos
- Start Planning the Design
- Choose and mark the major design lines
- Sample batting, thread and motifs
- Create and press backing (not shown here)
Load the Quilt and Double Batting
- Load the quilt (or baste if quilting on a stationary machine)
- Test threads for top and bobbin
- Adjust tension
First Quilt the Straight Line Quilting
- Stitch in the ditch quilting
- Stitching major design lines
- Continue to plan the design
Today’s Steps:
- Float the quilt top if working on a longarm on a frame
- Test scale of the motif
- Begin quilting the feathers on the Carolina Lily
Floating the Quilt
Once the quilt was prepped and on the frame, I completed all of the stitch-in-the-ditch quilting and quilted all of the major design lines. I did this on the entire quilt-from top to bottom, rolling the quilt as necessary.
As a result, the quilt was no longer three separate layers. Instead the quilt became one thick roll. Consequently, when working at the top of the quilt, there was a lot of bulk attached to the roller that originally held just the thin quilt top. The thickness of this roll greatly reduced the available quilting space. To work around this, long arm quilters often drape the quilt over the bar and use clips to hold the quilt in place. The top edge of the quilt is attached to the take up bar, but the bottom edge is not connected to the frame, except by the removable clips. This technique is called floating the quilt.
There are advantages and disadvantages to floating a quilt, but I chose to float my quilt after the first layer of stitching was in place.
Test the Scale of the Motif
Once you’ve chosen a motif for your quilt, it is very important to check the scale or size of the motif. This step can make or break the look of the quilt–so take your time here. I like to use a piece of lightweight vinyl and a wet-erase marker to test scale. I place the vinyl directly over the quilt and doodle the motif in a variety of sizes. Be sure to test very large and very small versions of your motif. If you are quilting a large quilt on a small machine, do not try to create large scale motifs. It is very difficult to move a heavy quilt under the needle with any accuracy to create a large sweeping design.
Ready to Quilt the Feathers and Grids
Finally, the fun part-it was time to quilt the feathers!
When I first started, I was very worried that the scale was too large, but as I continued, I was happy, happy!
I alternated between stitching the grid blocks and the feather blocks to keep it interesting. Though I love the look of grids-they can be a bit dull to quilt.
Travel Lines and Other Puzzles
As I quilt each block, I try to work out the best possible way to travel from one motif to another. Often, the best method is to knot off. For me, this evolves over the course of the quilt. It usually takes several blocks worth of quilting trials before I discover the most efficient path. I see this as a feature, not a flaw as I rather like the process puzzle of quilting.
It’s a good reminder–you don’t need to know every step of the process before you start! Part of the fun is problem-solving along the way.
Please Share!
What’s under your needle?
Do YOU like puzzles as well as quilting?
To float or not to float? Do you know a better way?
We’d LOVE to hear!
With feathers flying,
Lori Lapwing
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ. For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com!
Check out my books on Etsy: LoriKennedyShop
LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE – out of print
Shipping JUNE 1, 2023
