Asian fabrics and Baptist fan quilting
 

I made this top 4-5 years ago. I just loved the fabrics, and I did t know quilting well enough to feel comfortable quilting it. The fabrics are an assortment of Asian-style red, black, and cream with a purple batik thrown in for contrast; super easy brick pattern. I am on a push to finish everything in the pile, so it was time for this one. I recently went to a Handiquilter retreat, and one of the instructors said Baptist fans work well with Asian fabrics, so that's what I decided to do. I have a sit down Sweet 16 quilter, and all of the quilting was done with the half-circle ruler set. It was a challenge, amd the stitches are not dreadfully even. Luckily there are no quilt police allowed in my home, and I like the end result! Wool batting for fluff and softness, Superior Masterpiece thread on the top, and a SuperBob pre-wound on the bottom. The quilt is 72 x48, a nice sized lap quilt.For future reference, it is really hard to use the big rulers! The largest as 10" in diameter, and I had the devil of a time (attempting) to hold it securely. Next time my fans will be only 3 or 4 rows instead of 5. I do admit I love the luscious texture the quilting gave this.(Umm. The first picture looks odd in the preview. Hope you can see it ok.)

very nice job!!

This is just red-a-licious! Wonderful quilt.

very nice work

Congrats on a nicely done finish!

The Baptist fan is a great all over pattern to use when machine quilting on a domestic machine. You did a great job!

Very pretty and I think your fans look just fine.

It's beautiful! Your Baptist Fans look great to me. All around great job!

Terrific job. Pat yourself on the back.:D

You did a great job on both the piecing and the quilting! I like this a lot.

Lovely finish!

Very nice quilt and quilting.

Very nice. BrendaK

Very pretty. Your quilting really sets it off!

Ooooh love your quilt & quilting!! Asian fabric is luscious and rich looking! Great job on this one!!

A beautiful quilt and your quilting is super!!

Wow! I am so impressed with your quilt, especially the quilting. It's lovely. I have pieced an Asian quilt that I love, but I haven't had the courage to start quilting it yet. A meander didn't seem right, nor did straight-line quilting. Your choice of the Baptist Fan pattern is spot-on, and now I know that I will use that pattern too, but the thought of it is so daunting. I have a Tiara sit-down, which is identical to the Sweet 16, I'm told. I've read up on the half-circle ruler set, but some users say it's really hard to use with a sit-down machine. I've read that there is a better ruler set than the HandiQuilter set, but no one seems to know the brand name. I guess I'll keep looking for a while. Thanks for posting your beautiful project. You have inspired me.

Oh! that is simply beautiful.

Rulers are one of the main reasons I bought a sit down. I can meander and do all over designs with leaves, flowers, stars etc until the cows come home, but sometimes I really like precision. First get a Line Tamer straight ruler; you can find them online. Put the skateboard grip or HandiGrip (from HQ but more expensive) on the back of the ruler to help with control. Practice using it for stitch in the ditch; it is life changing! Then get the half circles. As long as you practice a bit first and only use the smaller 3 of the arcs, you will be fine. Look at the videos I mentioned in my post; they are very helpful. You can do it! Give yourself permission to have stitches of uneven length. Mine vary from 8-14 stitches per inch (guesstimate), and the quilt still looks good. Even stitches come with practice (I don't have the stitch regulator).I have used the bigger half circles for gentle arcs, and they are good for that. I just won't try to use them in a Baptist fan again!As for better rulers than Handiquilter ones, everybody has their own preferences. I tried the ones with the little handles, and the handles broke off. DH glued them back on once, but they fell off again later so I just used them flat. The trick to flat rulers is the grippy stuff and learning to hold,them with your fingers while moving the fabric. HQ has some good videos.Note: I had line breaks when I entered this on my iPad, but they disappear in the post! Sorry for the lack of breaks.

loisf I read somewhere, maybe on an HQ forum, that it was difficult to quilt Baptist Fan with the half circle templates because there just isn't enough ruler to hold onto. I used the HQ complete circle templates with my Tiara to quilt Singing River Stars, posted on 4/3/16, and could understand what that person, and CanoePam, meant. With the complete circles, there is a lot of area to apply skateboard grip or whatever underneath, and plenty of template to hold onto and walk your fingers. The complete circle set is pricey but I was lucky enough to find it at a discount and have used it a lot. It's great for quilting Orange Peels, undulating lines, etc.

CanoePam, your red quilt is lovely!

Daffy

Daffy: Thanks for the information on full circle rulers. It absolutely makes sense. I had already planned on asking for a set for my birthday, and I will wait to do another Baptist fan until then. I didn't see the solid circles on the HQ site, but they are available from other manufacturers.

very nicely done

Love this fan on so many.
Beautifull finish!

Glad you zoom in on this gorgeous quilt so we could better see the elegant quilting job you did on it!

Very well done. Love the movement in the quilt.

Your quilt is beautiful. The Baptist Fan motif is a wonderful finish for your great quilt-good combination.

Great combo of fabrics and quilting design.

What luscious Asian fabric, and I think your Baptist fans are great. Now if I can only get my DSIL and DD to pick up some Asian and Batik fabrics when they travel, I would be a happy camper, but I'm not holding my breath.

I have a Baby Lock Tiara which is the same as your HQ sit down. I have problems using rulers with the regular foot - it is too thin and can easily slide under the ruler. I have contacted BabyLock and of course they say the foot can be used with rulers and I say no it cannot!! I'm hoping HandiQuilter will come out with a ruler for their Sweet Sixteen sit down and then BabyLock will follow. How do you manage using rulers? I really like ruler work but after my ruler slid under the foot and the needle smacked down on the ruler, I'm a little afraid to try again!!!

The standard foot on your Tiara should work, assuming you are using 1/4" long arm rulers. You can't use cutting rulers, but you probably know that. If there is a problem, it is probably the height of your presser foot. The presser foot can be adjusted on the shaft so it rides higher or lower. It should be touching the fabric sandwich fairly firmly when the needle is at the lowest position. Tell your shop to check the height; it is an easy adjustment.

great job, nice fabrics

Can see it quite well. Great job.

The Baptist Fan is one of my favorite quilting designs. It sets off your beautiful fabrics well.