The machine quilting is going more slowly than it should just because I don't really know from section to section what I want to do. It is a continual "thinking process".
"Okay. Finished quilting the crosshatch. Now to do the piecing blocks. Is there a way to do a continuous stitch? No... How about stitch in the ditch. Good enough. I'll come back to it if I have more time and thread. The applique border? Stitch in the ditch. I'll come back to it and do meandering if... same as above."Machine quilting is an upstairs, closet myself in the sewing room for a few hours type of sewing.
And that left me without any downstairs in front of the TV sewing so I basted the Alabama Beauty and have started hand quilting that. Again stitch in the ditch. Ah! I love the repetition and meditation involved with hand quilting! A whole different activity than when I do machine quilting. Both are good and both have nice but different results.I guess I've come to the conclusion that I couldn't do without either forms of quilting. Sometimes I want to be quick and involved minute by minute, sometimes I just want to relax and let the quilt take on it's own personality. Right now I am enjoying the fruits of both.
10 comments:
I agree! I'm working on a large Hawaiian quilt block for a friend. It's nice to just pick it up and not even worry about a pattern, just echo quilt and see it pop to life. I'll be sad when it's done. Need to pick up another small hand quilting project or some applique or embroidery. Blessed Lord's day to you!
As you change from machine to hand and back, I do the same with knit and crochet. Each has its own satisfaction. It is nice to be able to change back and forth. I just LOVE your Alabama Blocks.
Both quilts are such beauties! I too love the relaxation of hand quilting - the bonus is I can do it with my bifocals on, and watch tv. For hand embroidery, the glasses come off and I have to listen to an audiobook. Machine quilting takes all my concentration, but I love the quick results!
I haven't done much hand quilting lately ... But I've got a couple tops I'm thinking about quilting by hand vs machine. I really should just baste one o them and do it.
I have never tried quilting by machine(it really isn't an option) the thought of dealing with all those thread ends would drive me nuts.
Both quilts are gorgeous. I too love the meditation effect of stitching.
Both quilts are beautiful and using different quilting techniques makes perfect sense to me. I change off between sculpting, sewing and painting to keep from getting tired of doing just one thing. It keeps things feeling fresh.
I can only say WOW to both. Excellent work! I can't do either one the way you can.
You sound like me.. I like a little hand quilting for the evenings when I'm watching tv and machine quilting for the day.
I am the same way...can't do without machine quilting or hand quilting... I love them both for different reasons!
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