How Would You Quilt This?
 

Everyone was so much help when I was on the fence as to whether to continue with this quilt or not and was so supportive. What a great community this is!

Now, I 'd like to get some ideas as to how people would quilt this. Ideas on thread colours would be welcomed, too and would you keep the bobbin thread in black or do it in the same colour as the front?

I've included the front and the backing.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]544515[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]544516[/ATTACH]

Thanks in advance!

Watson

I would crosshatch the background of the two sides (black & white) but I don't know what I would do to stitch inside the boxes. I would continue the crosshatching into the border but skip over the pink.

I'm so glad you finished this up. It came out really well. I would go for texture rather than specific quilting motifs, so I would match the thread to the section being quilted (so 3 colors: white, black & hot pink) I would echo what Tartan said, and match the bobbin thread with the top. It will save you headaches in the long run. Since the design is so linear, I see curvy filler quilting. Curls, swirls, paisleys even loops. One filler in the white, one in the black. Then go with lines of some kind in the pink. You could just echo 1/4" in from the seam on the pink.

I agree about matching the thread color to the fabric. Those boxes are great spaces to try different quilting motifs. Check out Leah Day's 365 patterns. I'm sure something will tickle your fancy. As for the background, I like the idea of clean lines or cross-hatching. Maybe a mixture of both - or lines going in one direction for parts and the opposite for the rest. It's modern - be daring.

If you are good at quilting, it might enhance the design to use the opposite color -- white on black, black on white. Otherwise, match the quilting thread to the top color.

I would say the same as quilting cat...but I tend to love quilting in a different color so the stitching shows well. Right now I am stitching on a dark grey using a light grey/yellow/blue and green (so far). I find it very hard to use exactly matching thread because then I can't see where I have been or where to go without crossing over.

I'm glad you went ahead and finished this top. I think you're going to like it when done.

I would play around with some ideas for a while. Print out full page photos and doodle a bit to see what you like.

I am thinking rrganic linear quilting (meaning lines, but not worried about being super-straight or evenly placed) in thread matched to fabric (I'm not a fan of contrasted thread unless you are going for a very specific look). I'd want to contrast the two background segments -- maybe one horizontal lines, the other vertical. Or one pebbled, the other lines. The frames could do with some strong pattern to set them off. Inside the boxes I think I would repeat the same approach each time or at least the same for all the boxes of same color --not doing a different motif in each box-- that would just be distracting from what is a strongly graphic piece. I'd probably go for a "transparency" effect by continuing the same quilting approach used on the matching fabric of either side (so if I did black pebbles on the side, I'd do pebbles in the black box.) -- that would make it look like you had interlocking windows framing 2 sides .

For me, whatever happens on the back is a happy accident, so I wouldn't spend too much time debating how the quilting on the front will play out on back. Usually I match bobbin and top thread unless I want to use a fine thread like bottom line in the bobbin, and then I would go with something that will blend really well with everything.

I, too was thinking cross-hatching.

Nice! I love modern quilts. I'd use gray thread on the top and bottom, and do boxes around the squares continuing with lines going around and around inside the boxes. Then I'd outline around the little pink border. Then straight or wiggly lines going up and down in the gray and black big areas. For the big black area I think I'd use black thread for the top and bottom.