A question that we get asked frequently at Chicken Feed is “How do I choose how I want my project quilted?”
There is no right or wrong answer here, just a few things to consider before you decide.
You need to think about what you are planning on using the quilt for. If it is meant to be a quilt to cuddle with you will want a looser design that allows your quilt to poof up after washing. If you want more of a show piece or if it is a wall hanging you will want a tighter design which will help the project stay flatter and be a little stiffer.
You also need to consider if you want a simple meander all over, an edge to edge design that repeats, or something completely custom. if you are sending your quilt out to be quilted each of these options would come with different price points due to the work involved; so consider this when making your choice.
I almost always do a simple meander or straight lines that vary in width over the whole quilt. The reason behind this is that I want the fabric and the pattern I chose to be what people focus on and not the stitching.
An edge to edge design can add an element of interest to the quilt by bringing something from the fabric into the stitching design, like stars, flowers, geometrics or other shapes. Esther has done edge to edge on many of her quilts in the past year.
Custom quilting I think is an art in itself. It can really enhance a quilt by using the stitching designs to draw your eyes to specific parts of the quilt and away from others. In the past few months a lot of people have been doing fun, custom quilting on the Dream Big Digital Panel by Hoffman, I highly suggest you check them out on social media. In these cases the stitching took what was a beautiful panel and brought it to the next level.
Quilts with a lot of different components and blocks can also benefit from custom quilting in each space. Patterns with a lot of negative space are also a great place to let the creative juices flow and add an extra bit of interest to the project.
When you have an already busy quilt because of either the fabrics or pattern a simple design is usually best, adding more intricate stitching may have a negative effect. Esther did a fun Christmas themed stitching design on her Gingiber quilt this past winter, and while it looks great on the back of the quilt it does not show well on the front doesn't add anything to the quilt either. On the baby tumble pictured, the small floral design looks really fun on the cuddle but the fabric prints used on the front were already busy and the eye doesn’t know where to focus.
What kind of designs to you choose? Do you go with the meander, a fun edge to edge or do you like the custom quilting?
Today at Chicken Feed we got another slat board hung. This one will be used to better display the bag hardware that we have. I will be spending the next few days that I work getting it all hung up and organized.
Having the hardware displayed on a wall will make it easier to find what you need quickly, as well as help us make sure we keep everything stocked well. Follow us on Instagram to see my progress.
I am hoping for good weather this weekend as my two oldest boys have a soccer tournament tomorrow and I for one am not keen on sitting in the rain while they play. I also have to make my Block 8 for the Be My Neighbor Quilt so I can post some pictures and tips on Tuesday evening. If you are quilting along on this one, you need to finish and share blocks 1-8 with me by July 3 to earn your free meter of fabric
Have a great weekend, hopefully you can carve out some quilting time,
Kayla
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