Originally Posted by
Suzanne in VT
As everyone else said, BEAUTIFUL!!
I have a couple of questions though. You are hand quilting blocks, so when you put them together with sashing is it like a "quilt as you go" method of putting it all together? Also, is the white fabric a batik fabric also? I would think that batik's would be hard to hand quilt through or needle turn applique with, since the thread count is so much higher. Can you share the experience of doing this on batiks and if you needed to use a different needle, etc?
Such a stunner!
Suzanne
Suzanne, yes it is a quilt as you go method I'll be using. I think the method taught by Ann Peterson-Quilting Big Projects on a small machine, will work, it leaves only two 1/4 inch seams then sewn together so only a half inch sash that are already layered with batting- then I don't have to add any more batting. I'll use the same fabric as the outside of the log cabin so it shouldn't show too much- except where the white tails meet. The white fabric is a marble I bought at the local Fabricland, it has a rusty mottle in it which you can't see on the photo, it is a perfect match to the cabin blocks. Some of the batiks are very difficult to needle I used Clover Black Gold #10 Applique needles, they are wonderful! The tightest batik of my choices was a solid rust colored one. It took me 6 weeks to struggle through on one of my blocks and it didn't make the cut when I decided which ones to use-it just didn't needle turn the way I wanted it to. The others were ok with the black gold needles, I did retry that rust colored fabric when I discovered these needles but it was still to dense of a weave. many of my applique fabrics are not batiks but have a similar look. I picked up a quarter yard of coordinating fabric where ever I went last winter in my travels so I had a lot to choose from.
The mottle needles very nicely, I've been doing a bit of quilting around the centers of flowers and it is difficult, but there isn't a lot to do on each block. I'm quilting SID on the batiks and my stitches are a bit larger than they are on the mottled fabric probably 7 vs 10. The quilt police are welcome to tackle it if they don't like the variance
I have fallen in love with this project, I have a few others going and ones I want to start but just can't leave this one alone. I had surgery a month ago and this has truly kept me from going stir crazy, I'm not a person that can sit and do nothing. I'm still very weak, I had a Nissen Fundoplication for severe GERD, I am living on very few calories as the swelling goes down and I relearn to swallow soft foods. We will be home this winter as I won't be able to get health insurance so I should have this done by spring at one or two blocks a week
I have to give credit to the Penny Haren Applique group on this board, without them I never would have tackled applique, even though I was intrigued and kept looking at patterns. The challenge really taught me a lot and gave me a love for it. I prefer needle turn to the PH technique but they both have their place.
Thank you all for your kind words.
Ruth