I am getting really excited about this quilt. I'm not going to worry about peaking in January, rather I'm going to see this quilt as a sign of a good year of quilting ahead :)
Over the last few days I finished the free motion quilting. More recently I have been auditioning binding. Gosh, that is a headache! At this point the quilt works equally well with either side showing and Mr 6 loves the rainbow back as much as the I Spy front. I am having a heck of a time working out what to use for binding that works well on both sides. Feel free to make suggestions :) Here are some current options...
Today I started hand stitching. The lovely Fiona suggested this idea, can you see where I'm going?
After a super-hectic morning I made a bit of progress this afternoon. I do find the pace of hand-stitching frustrating at times so I documented my progress for encouragement LOL
You may have noticed that I have a bit of a love affair with Aurifil threads (no sponsorship, just genuine love. Although I wouldn't say no!). I especially bought some Aurifil 12 weight verigated thread for this project. Previously I have used Perlé 8 which I enjoy and find washes well (much better than 6 strand DMC floss in my experience). I am looking forward to seeing how this heavier weight Aurifil wears. It is lovely to stitch with. I read somewhere a while ago that there is a specific direction that you should thread Perlé 8, if you run your fingers along the thread (first in one direction and then the other), you can feel the difference. I would love to know if this is the same for Aurifil 12 weight. It does feel smoother in one direction so I am going with what feels right. Please let me know if you've heard of this and if I'm totally off track or not :)
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| My hand stitching essentials ;) |
At this rate I'm hoping to finish the hand stitching in the next few days and if I can make a decision on the binding (!!!) it should be finished over the weekend. Fingers crossed for some good weather. I can't wait to photograph this baby and share it! :)
Have you got a major work in progress? Do you find selecting binding to be simple or easy? Any tips? I'm thinking I need to think about binding from the beginning of the project and not just at the end!
I am linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.
Ooh I was all set on the rainbow for the binding but that grey/black sketchy is rather appealing too!
ReplyDeleteLove the embroidered words on the quilt - looks so great!
Oh wow, that quilt is truly stunning! And it must have taken you so long! More than slightly in awe.
ReplyDeleteWow! That is one awesome I Spy quilt! I really love the extra details, particularly the embroidered words. ANd yeah, I love that black and white cross-hatch for the binding. Something about it really sets off the quilt's colors. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the best I Spy quilts I have ever seen. Great work.
ReplyDeleteoh my word... BEAUTIFUL!!! I am stopping from the WIP hop, I would love to have you drop by my post: http://domesticdeficitdisorder.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-wednesday-wip.html
ReplyDeleteSTUNNING. Absolutely amazing! The rainbow quilting is the icing on the cake with all those prints! I think I would be stuck between the rainbow stripe and the grey/black. Someone convinced me to do a white and black binding on a "rainbow" quilt I was making and it turned out well!
ReplyDeleteHello Gemma. I like the idea of a pieced binding with scraps from some/all of the fabrics you have used in the quilt. Any length pieces, sewn together the usual way on the bias. If you use the stripe, I would do it on the bias, so that the stripes are on the diagonal. That looks awesome and so worth the effort with stripes. If you haven't done that before, email me and I will send you some easy instructions.
ReplyDeleteAs for how to know which end of embroidery thread to use - Use the cut end which is closest to the skein or spool. I have been told that you should do that for any thread you are using to hand sew. I do lots of applique and embroidery & I find that works fine, although I haven't used the 12 weight Aurofil. I use the regular Aurofil for hand piecing all the time. It is beautiful to sew with & I think by far the best.
When you are hand sewing, do it at a time when you are relaxing, not when you feel you could be doing something else. I do mine in the evening in front of the TV and find it very relaxing.
Love the quilt. So very fresh and fun.
Cheers,
Dasha
Gorgeous! I already loved the top, and with the quilting, it just gets better and better!
ReplyDeleteThe rainbow stripe for the binding has my vote!
ReplyDeleteThe hand stitching is looking great! Such a good idea :)
ReplyDeleteBinding choices can be tricky. I think the rainbow (on the bias as suggested by Dasha above) would certainly tie in the whole rainbow colour scheme but the tone on tone blue or the grey/black one would also work. I just think the rainbow stripe would keep it bright and colourful! Your embroidery is looking terrific too!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a stunning quilt - your hand stitching is really going to take it over the top! For binding, my personal choice would be straight grain binding with the rainbow stripe. Sometimes obvious works! However, that sketchy grey would be gorgeous too. Your pebble quilting is lovely, my pebbles always turn out all squishy - not really round at all. Do you have any tips?
ReplyDeleteHi Gemma-
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. I love your quilt! It's so colorful. I love how you have the colors grouped, very stunning. I like the pieced border idea to keep it scrappy looking. But I also think the rainbow on straight grain would look nice as well. Can't wait to see what you decide!
I love all the extra touches you're putting in this quilt! I also like the idea of the rainbow stripe binging. I think it is the perfect finishing touch for the front and will still look good on the back. I tend to make binging decisions in the beginning. I'm not sure why though, so far it's just worked out this way. I love having binging made and ready to go the minute I get done quilting. That way I sew it on immediately and I don't have projects lingering while they wait to be bound.
ReplyDeleteI've been following your progress on this quilt since the beginning. I can't wait to see if done!