Comments on: Quilt Festival

By: Casey

Casey — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:13:59 +0000

It’s beautiful. I love the way you have arranged the colors.

By: NiCoLe

NiCoLe — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:19:37 +0000

I’m so glad you shared this quilt and your story! I think its wonderful that you do what you are able to, and make sure that you give yourself credit for that. Very lovely quilt.

By: QuiltSue

QuiltSue — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:58:56 +0000

Well I think you’re looking at things the wrong way. Your strips aren’t uneven, that’s a special design feature you put in.

Thanks for showing us that very soft and pretty looking quilt.

By: Lynn Einarson

Lynn Einarson — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:19:02 +0000

It has a top and a batting and a back… Its a quilt. Great work and be proud of your accomplishments

By: AnnieO

AnnieO — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:52:25 +0000

I love that your desire to create pushed you to do it the only way you could, by hand! Modern tools are great but obviously not necessary–at least you had electric lights to work by instead of kerosene lanterns or candles, like many generations of quilters before you:) Thanks for sharing your quilt’s story. And yes, it is a quilt, it is a TIED quilt!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:41:17 +0000

I’m certain you’re right–whoever receives this quilt will appreciate all the work that’s gone into it, and create their own stories and memories with it!

By: Jaclyn

Jaclyn — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:45:25 +0000

Don’t sell yourself short, this quilt is beautiful! I’ve been thinking about putting down the rotary cutter & cutting by hand. It seems more unique and creative some how.

Definitely check out the Gee’s Bend quilts! Pick up a book about them at the library & see if they inspire you. Their quilts are great.

You should also check out Denyse Schmidt style improvisational piecing if you haven’t before. It’s a more modern style quilting but it’s really perfect for scraps and scissor cut pieces!

Don’t be afraid to try out free-motion quilting on your regular sewing machine. I was a little hesitant at first but it is so fun. There are some really great tutorials online to get you started. As long as you aren’t doing huge quilts it’s not that difficult to maneuver around.

You could also attach bindings by machine. I haven’t been brave enough to try that out yet, maybe one of these days.

I look forward to seeing more of your work!

-Jaclyn

PS- Your cat toys are so cute!

By: Ashley Anna Brown

Ashley Anna Brown — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:50:47 +0000

Have you ever seen the Quilts of Gee’s Bend? They are amazing! And they’re all sewn up a little wonky, and most of the pieces were probably cut by hand. And they are incredible because of these things. It adds to the character. You should look them up – I have a the book and reference it all the time for inspiration.

Also, if you wanted to have your quilts machine quilted, I’m sure you could send them out to be done somewhere with a machine. I think this is how most people do it.

You should look up instructions for hand quilting though! It’s really not that complicated – it’s just a matter of sewing through all the layers (backing, batting, top) – and using a really big hoop to keep the layers straight and even. It’s just time consuming, but great busy work when watching a movie or somerthing. And the results are lovely. If a quilt is “quilted” I always prefer it to be done by hand. Personally I think machine quilting makes the whole thing look and feel more like a coverlet than a cozy handmade quilt. I like ties! Don’t feel like you’re cheating by doing that! (There’s a few great Gee’s Bend quilts that are made from huge blocks of fabric, but covered in a grid of ties. I love it!)

I think you should do more hand cutting and just start sewing and see what happens!