Quilting quandary …

Robyn R

In between scrappy charm square stitching, I’ve been working on a printed panel for a great-niece.

It’s a quandary when it comes to quilting printed panels. There’s a lot to take into consideration when deciding what to do. Some basic thoughts centre around:

• Who is the recipient - their stage of life, interests or level of awareness about the art and craft of patchwork quilting; what’s the purpose - is it utilitarian or decorative, and will it be used as a quilt or wall hanging?
• Then there’s the panel itself. What is the subject of the image; is it plain or detailed; is it realistic or artistic, has it few or many colours or even a specific colour palette?
• How do you compliment the panel - or not - with the quilting; how much time and effort does it require, or is this determined by the batting recommendations?
• What style of quilting does it need - a quick walking foot design; an all-over edge to edge pattern; ruler quilting; free-motion, or perhaps free-motion tracing?
• Where will the quilting be done - by self on a domestic short-arm machine; a mid-arm machine, or sent out to a long-arm quilter?

I like panels, and there are lots of books or online tutorials about designing and making the quilt top (flimsy), but very little guidance that takes into account the quilting considerations. Frequently samples show what has been done, but don’t offer much in the way of how the quilter come to that decision.

With this panel,

• it’s a wall hanging for a young girl
• the subject is very detailed and has a specific colour palette
• I have the time during isolation to put in effort and expertise
• an all-over pattern would be okay, however, due to the high colour contrast whatever thread colour is used would cut across the image (which is what the eye sees first) – and yes invisible thread is an option, but it would still disrupt the viewing with false shadows
• it’s to be done on a domestic short-arm machine

So that left free-motion tracing as the option of choice!! Then looking at it from an artist’s point of view, what to quilt? Using the layers of foreground, middle ground and background, that determines the what. Anything that is in the foreground gets stitched as the stitching gives definition. Whatever is brightly coloured in the middle ground that appears to come forward, gets stitched. Anything in the middle ground that fades away or is ‘tucked behind’, doesn’t get stitched, so that they, and the unstitched background, recede.

Also, free-motion tracing means lots and lots and lots of tying off and burying threads - hence patience and time. This panel didn’t have one colour for the outlines, they were matched to each topical aspect, so that also meant thread changes! Yes, it’s time-consuming due to intense concentration required to not go ‘off the lines’, and an hour a day is maximum, not ‘I’ll just keep going’ - because that leads to fatigue and lots of reverse stitching! How often do we push ourselves to ‘get it done?’ That approach doesn’t work with free-motion tracing! Then there’s ‘Have I done enough, or too much?; Where do I stop?’

What are your thoughts about quilting printed panels?

Stay safe,

Robyn