bearisgray

When I first started piecing - which I do more of, than actual quilting -

I thought the piecing thread had to match the right side of the fabric as closely as possible. Not so much anymore. I won't use black on white - but I will use almost any medium with another medium color.

Matchy, matchy - after reading Jinny Beyer's book about color - "Color Confidence for Quilters" - I've learned that "bridging" the colors in the focus fabric is much more interesting than matching each color exactly.

Also - the overall "color" of a piece of fabric can look different from 15 feet away than it does ten inches away from my eyes.

The actual instructions may or may not be correct. I've learned that if they seem wrong - they probably are. So "authority" does not matter as much as it used to.

Matching intersections and pointy points are still important - but if after three tries, I'm still 1/8 of a inch off - I've learned to tolerate it. Not comfortable - but let's get this thing done!

What you think of what I think is important in the process - I am willing to listen - but -

How about you?

Stitchnripper

That is interesting. I guess I agree?
For the color, I do not use a color wheel and go by how it looks to me. On the old What Not to Wear they used to say "It doesn't have to match, it just has to "go" That was about clothes but, I still think it applies.
I use all kinds of threads for piecing even black and white depending on what I am making.
I still do my best to match intersections and keep points. Mostly okay and then I think when it is quilted and washed, then no one even me will see.
I love to FMQ. I am not the most proficient but am "supremely adequate" as a friend used to say about things. And when I look at beautiful FMQ whether by sewing machine or long arm, I love it, and love to do it on my Brother PQ1500, and only other quilters seem to appreciate it. I have never given a quilt where the recipient says "that is beautiful quilting - how did you do the feathers?". They say "I love the colors". But I still love doing it. Nothing goes in a show.

eparys

I have been dabbling in quilting since 2000ish. My tolerance fro somethings have has increased while for a few other things and become non existent!

I agree with your thread comments!! When I was sewing clothing - the thread was always matched - quilting? - Cream Aurifil on 99%. Black, Navy and other dark fabrics get dark gray/black/navy thread but only when paired with another dark fabric.

Instructions?? Is that something that one uses? lol. I often will glance over a pattern and decide I do not like how it is done and will go my own way. Often I am successful but occasionally I regret my decision. Oh - and if there are too many HSTs I have been known to re-design the pattern or draw the block in EQ and paper piece it!

I do have a confession - I am a stickler on seam intersections, directional fabric and points on anything I make. Matter of fact I wish I could get over this - I sometimes feel that I am a bit obsessive about these but I can not seem to let them go lol. I got tagged to put together the Guild quilt this year for this reason. Members made the blocks and they were brought to me. Several had to be creatively modified on the fly because I was loosing too many points but.the result was a stunning quilt. Directional fabric for me has to be either 100% in one direction or 50/50.

Onebyone

I have always made color decisions from at least 15 feet away from the fabrics. This has led to some very questionable looks from guild members who see the fabric up close but when I display it at show and tell they can't believe it's the same quilt. I don't let small mistakes get me down like I use to. I thought everyone was looking at the mistake. I found out they weren't and also they didn't care or know enough to call it a mistake. I get so much peace from every part of the quilt process and that is all that is important enough to keep perfect.

Iceblossom

I stopped matching thread to fabric in quilting when I started going scrappy, there simply was no way I could match. Now I am typically threaded with a steely blue/grey and light beige/camel. I use the two different colors so I can more easily see the stitches if I am looking for them, both both blend into other fabrics. If I'm doing darks, like say black and dark batiks, I will use up what I have left of dark threads -- Oh, look over there, enough of that hunter green to wind a bobbin, let's go!

For the quilting thread, the traditionalist in me fought for a long time that the only proper color was white. Now, I'm like what the heck? You want to show off the quilting use (complementary) fuchsia thread on aqua cloth and go for it! Maybe not me so much but I will at least consider it

I think one thing my vision lost has taught me is the value of contrast. Not just in colors or in values, but also scale of fabrics. Again, my inner traditionalist self loves tiny vine-y calicos, but they all blur into one another without some solid or stripes or large prints. Blur is good when you are doing watercolors or low value, but not so much when you want those lovely pieced points to show off.

It (the vision loss) has also taught me to appreciate some looser construction methods, like the slice and dice crazy project I'm currently working on. I do my best to keep points sharp and such, mostly by cutting the fabric large and trimming down the subunits to perfect size.

Likewise, in reality we are too close to our projects. We need to step back from that 6-inches away inspection to a couple of feet. And of course, on a galloping horse if needed.

Stitchnripper

". I get so much peace from every part of the quilt process and that is all that is important enough to keep perfect."

I so much agree with this

Gay

I so much agree with you Bear. Most of my piecing is now done with whatever color is on the machine. The one issue I have is that I will never sew black fabric with black thread, anything bar whites or yellow. or using dark colors on light fabrics. Am rather fussy about points, don't like to loose them.
I haven't sewn a stitch for 18 months due to health problems, and seem to have lost interest. Hopefully that will change now Spring has arrived here.

b.zang

Is that why I have so many different colours of thread in my bin? I've been buying 2000m spools of Mettler cotton in a light taupe and seldom use anything else, except black. I did buy some white thread recently but it wasn't really necessary. If I ever take up hand applique, I have plenty of colour matchy thread to use.

The more I piece, the better my seams become and the less trimming my blocks need. I love it when blocks just sit together nicely. My method has been to make things larger and trim down but I'm doing that less and less. I have been working on my pressing technique and have found that using a clapper and really flattening down the seams is making a huge difference in accuracy.

cathyvv

Thread - as my eyes age, my vision requires the ability to actually see the thread on the fabric as I sew. I use a medium color in the top thread and a white in the bobbin, or vice versa. It doesn't seem to hurt the quilt.

wesing

I agree with all your “points” Bear. I have a nice stash of threads but mostly only use them for quilting. For piecing I use a light grey or off white. Sewing the same seam three times is my limit. If it still looks off after that, it was meant to look off and I let it. I’m still an accountant and I still like precision, but some fights aren’t worth the time.

One thing that still aggravates me is the trends in quilting. I’m always way behind. When I first joined this board in 2009 or so, EVERYBODY was making this particular kind of bag (the name escapes me but those that have been here a while will remind me). Not my thing, so I didn’t participate. Then the Swoon quilt was all the rage about 2011 or 2012. I just finished my first Swoon a few months ago. At some point more recently the Beth Dutton quilt was everywhere. I still would like to make that one but haven’t worked it into the schedule yet. I guess I just need more time for quilting. But since I have a 12-year-old in the house I won’t be retiring any time soon.

Just went and found a post. It was the Bow Tuck bag!