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Designing and Quilting the Red and Black Quarry Quilt
Advise for design, quilting, and getting through a cold
I saw it coming. I was hopeful. He was very sick. I just had a little sniffle. I was hopeful. He slept all day and said his body could barely move. I felt it coming. I was in denial. I would be strong enough to avoid this one.
I was not. This cold knocked me off of my feet for a full week but I did get quite a bit of quitting done on the Black and Red Quarry Tile Quilt.
I love Olympus Sashiko thread for hand quilting. It creates thick visible lines for the stitching to show on the quilt. This makes designing the quilting pattern significant. For this quilt I wanted to do something interesting that would accent the piecing on the front and show up in an interesting way on the quilt back. I typically use ivory thread.
I broke two needles while quilting this piece which is very unusual for me. The quilt is linen on the front and the back and includes cotton batting. It is significantly thicker than a cotton quilt. I love John James Long Darners #5 but I switched to #3 after breaking the needles. John James Long Darner are long, very sharp, thin, and yet have a large enough eye for the quilting thread. The sashiko needles that I have tried to use have either not been sharp enough or thin enough. When I am quilting I need the needle to bend slightly as I move the needle up and down to pick up multiple stitches at once. When a needle is too thick it doesn’t allow for that light bend. These needles work perfectly with my linen quilts but I they would do well with cotton as well.
Because I don't like to leave 3-4 inches between rows of stitches I didn’t think I wanted to stitch in the ditch on this quilt. I prefer closer rows (between 1-2 inches.) I did sample some closer rows but they didn’t look good to me so I picked them out. The batting is ratted for up to 4 inches. I decided to double up stitching on the seams but this was an aesthetic decision and not structural. I really liked the design this method it created on the back.
I working on paying attention to my stitches on the back of the quilt. This is more difficult when sewing without a hoop or frame. I pick up three to four stitches at a time and this can also affect the back of the stitch. By rocking the needle a bit more intensely as I sew, I get longer stitches on the back. I am trying to avoid stitches that are dot sized or that don’t go all the way through the quilt. When this is the case I am slowing down and picking the stitches out. I don’t like rethreading the needle over and over and I’m not much of a perfectionist, but I am enjoying learning to be more focused on this skill.
As I designed this quilt I had made the back partially black and partially ivory. I wanted the stitching to contrast on the back on both sections. I designed the stitching to shift from ivory to black but this shift only makes sense from the back.
While I stitched this quilt I drank a lot of my local co-op’s Hot Toddy Mix which is fresh ginger juice, lemon and honey. I mix it with hot water and it is my sick comfort drink. Acidic liquids will bleach natural dyes so I am especially careful when drinking lemon tea or anything else acidic.
I had never stitched with black sashiko thread before but I really love the effect on the back of the quilt and it looks elegant on the front.
I decided to add this lovely elephant grey as a binding because this quilt is inspired by red and black quarry tiles and this grey reminds me of grout.
I love the design you settled on. Wishing you a full recovery, we also have our millionth cold of the winter in this house 😑