Quilts with Character Monday Morning Edition

This Saturday January 20th is Brain Dump: Stitch the Scary Stuff in your Brain at the Quilt Basket in Pawling NY. This will be a fun class, and not at all scary as we’ll be making an Impractical Color Wheel using our own thread, and you’ll be able to purchase new thread from the shop, or dip into some of my stash – this is thread that the shop can get for your purchase later.

The class will focus on color, and motifs for our quilts. By practicing on a solid color fabric we can see how the thread will stitch out, and not be concerned about “messing up” our quilts, and later on create one of a kind totes, boxes, purses for our own use, or as gifts to friends.

The wake-up thought this morning had to do with the character of the quilt based on something my friend Jules said about liking the purple/violet section the best because she likes the ribbon effect, and the open space.

The purple section developed a little differently than the other colors starting with something of an open, echoed meander to outline and define space in the area. Sometimes I use this free form stitching to tame a wide open area and make sure it’ll lay flat later.

The echo stitching fills and creates flowing areas that give visual interest. The open spaces give the eyes, and the mind a place to rest before moving onto something else.

And for me later this week as I work on the Quilted Block of the Month, is something to keep in mind as I stitch, where is the resting place? Is it a place where there is no stitching? Is it a different shade or tone of the same color? Both are valid questions and ones that I’ll incorporate into the workshop.

So the character? Oh this quilt has character, particularly in the purple where that flowy space keeps the eye moving in a unique and fun way.

Now I’m going to tell you a secret about this quilt top: once the center circle, and the lines defining the space for the different colors were stitched, all the white lines were stitched around the perimeter. This is a good reason to stitch in the ditch on any quilt. Once this part is complete you can quilt anywhere because the quilt top and the backing fabric are stable, not going anywhere.

Happy Stitching!

Teri