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Member since 7/3/10
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Posted on: 4/25/11 9:48 AM ET
I've been working on my first ever quilt. The nearest I have ever got to doing one is a quilt bag, but that was a lot smaller!

A brief back ground to help explain the design. The fabric comes form a Dutch original (reproduction) old style fabric shop in Amsterdam. Not wanting to give myself a headache working out how to measure and cut everything out, and also to save money (beautiful fabric, but rather expensive) I bought 2 batches of fat quarters and cut each in 4. Leaving rectangles instead of regular squares.

It is rather bright but I wanted something warm and vibrant. Well, I certainly think it fits that bill.

So, that helps explain the shape and design (had to work with colours in the bundles). I have sewed everything in to strips, and need to now sew the strips together. So, before starting on this task I'd love some feedback before I discover at the end I should have done something else at this stage.

I know it is nowhere near as ornate as many of the designs I have seen in books, but I wanted the fabric to speak for itself, if that makes sense. Thanks in advance for any comments!


quilt so far

Rosie
  
Member since 7/27/05
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Posted on: 4/25/11 10:18 AM ET
I think it is very colorful and pretty and you'll love running your hands over it knowing you made it.

The only thing that stands out is the diagonal row that has the medium blue alternating with the dark blue with red spots. It's a little hard to see the pattern in the photo. BTW - I don't think the fabrics or the contrast between them are bad at all, but the contrast between them is stronger than the contrast between other fabrics within diagonal lines. That's the reason it stands out a bit to me.

If you love it, it's good to go!

JEF
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Member since 4/3/10
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Posted on: 4/25/11 12:35 PM ET
At tip for your next stage. As you are lining up the rows put a little dab of washable glue stick where the seams come together for a perfect match. You can keep the glue in the seam allowance so it doesn't show on the right side.

It sounds like you're having fun with fabric and color which, in my opinion is what quiltmaking is all about.
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Barb
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Edison
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Member since 10/22/10
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Posted on: 4/25/11 1:27 PM ET
ironing the seams in opposite directions before you use glue (I never used glue, just ironed) that means all the seams in strip A will be pressed in one direction, all the seams in strip B will be pressed in the opposite direction. You need to lay out your strips before you do this so you have the ever other strip set in order.

Different people have different oppinions about the best way to sew the strips together (1+1+1+1 so it grows as you add each row in one continual whole) I prefer breaking it up, so (1+1, 1+1)=A, then sew those together, (1+1 and 1+1)=B sew those two together, then sow A+B and so on so that I don' thave a big bulk of fabric to handle with each strip addition. I hope that makes sense.

THe big thing they pushed in our beginning quilt class was pressing. Seriously, the iron is as important as the sewing machine. This is true in garment sewing as well, though I think lots of people probably cheat and manage to get away with it. Seriously though, taking the time to press seams makes things a lot easier to sew (in my experience both with clothes and with quilts) I've tried it both ways, ironing and not ironing. It's worth the time to press.
  
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Posted on: 4/25/11 1:50 PM ET
thanks for the advice so far. I was maybe a tad overzealous and used different coloured thread to match the fabric I was using. So I sewed first all the whitish squares, then the blue ones etc. My sister (a keen quilter) told me it was important the thread didn't show.

I have just finished pressing all the seams. I had not realised it was important to press the seams in alternating directions for each strip. I'll be going back to the iron again shortly then!

Sorry about the lighting in the pictures. I had to use a flash on my camera, as even in daylight the room I am in is not well lit. It is the only one with enough floor space to lay everything out though, so I am stuck with it.

I was trying to balance the pink/purple (summer) in one corner and the more colder blues and greens (winter in the other corner. The reds and dark blues are in the middle to help create a contrasting zone to split the two colour sections.

I must confess, I am not at all confident at arranging colours. I spent hours staring at the carpet trying to figure out how to make it work. I am slightly in awe of people who can just look at fabric and think, I'll do that with it" when designing a quilt. In that respect picking fabric for a dress is much easier.
  
Member since 10/22/10
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Posted on: 4/25/11 2:10 PM ET
Yeah, by pressing the strip seams in opposite direction (per strip) when you sew the strips together you lock the seams SOOO much easier and without bulk.

lock seam picture

This is an okay picture, since it's huge. If you look closely by her finger, you can see how the seam allowance of the top strips is opposite of the seam allowance in the bottom strip. That way all the square just lock together and when you're done everything lines up perfectly. That's when you get people saying "You mean you sewed all those tiny squares together???" lol!
  
Member since 4/25/08
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Posted on: 4/25/11 9:58 PM ET
In reply to rmusic1
This is the most important thing to remember about quilting: There are no quilt police. The only person whom you have to please is yourself. I think it is quite pretty, but who cares what I think? It is your quilt.

May I make a suggestion for next time, based only on my own preferences, so if it doesn't make sense just ignore me. The only part I don't like about quilting is when it is all together and you feel that you are being buried in swathes of fabric. I find it is much more pleasant to put quilts together in squares, so that I would have joined the quilt initially in groups of two, then put two groups of two together, then joined them into groups of eight, etc.

For example, I have just started a quilt with 12" blocks. I am going to arrange them 6x6, plus a 6" (or maybe 5") border. I intend to make 18 groups of two blocks, then 9 groups of four blocks, then sew four of these four-block groups together, then sew the bottom one to it so it will be six together and then I will sew the remaining three block groups together and then sew that final long seam which will be annoying, but less trouble to me than a lot of long seams.

Also, it will get easier to choose colors the more quilting you do. You will discover what you like, and what you don't. I, personally, like a very strong contrast, so I tend to use a very bright white for my contrast usually. Other people prefer something more subtle. (I am not generally a subtle person.) You will also discover something very odd, but fabric which is cut up can look very different from how it looks on the bolt. Some beautiful fabrics when cut just kind of lie there, and others which are just nice can shine when cut up. I have been quilting, on and off, since 1975, and I still cannot always predict when this will happen.
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Barb
  
Member since 8/24/02
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Posted on: 4/26/11 3:45 AM ET
In reply to rmusic1
Your quilt is cheerful and reminds me of a prairie quilt; ones that people who were going West cut up their clothing to make. I'm sure you will enjoy it for years to come. I have a few of these type in my home and have made several for a hospice center near me.

One of the things I have found when quilting, at least for me, is color base. Most fabrics, and colors, are either a yellow or blue base. If you look at a spruce tree, it's a blue base. If you look at the grass, it's a yellow base (unless it's bluegrass). I will struggle with colors in a quilt until I realize that I have two competing bases next to each other. If I put a grass green fabric next to a teal fabric, I realize something is wrong. But if I put a blue next to that teal, or a brown next to the grass green, I see the problem right away and solve it.
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Member since 4/19/11
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Posted on: 4/26/11 4:33 AM ET
The info posted so far is very helpful for basics. I've almost finished my first quilt and nearly finished my second (first is in a class, second on my own). Already I'm finding things I'll do differently next time. I suppose it's a process you improve upon in the beginning.

I love your colors. They're very happy looking!
  
Member since 12/15/02
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Posted on: 4/27/11 11:22 AM ET
In reply to rmusic1
What I like is that you started off quilting "outside" the box. Went with your own designs. Didn't follow instructions for pattern. I've been quilting for 18 years on and off and I've only ever follow one patten lol which I've made several times. Everything else I made up myself. Fun isn't it?
  
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