Are Feathers Over Done?

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09-12-2011, 07:32 AM

#141

MIJul

Senior Member

Join Date: Jan 2011

Location: Thumb of Michigan

Posts: 421

Jumping in a little late, but I have to speak up also.

Another "I agree". Why are we paying big bucks for beautiful fabric, spending agonizing hours choosing it, planning placement meticulously.... only to see it over quilted and the beauty taken away. To each his/her own and for those who like it, good for them. I prefer to see the beauty of the fabric and the pattern used to make the quilt.

Thanks for saying what I've been thinking for some time now.

09-12-2011, 07:35 AM

#142

wisconsin

Senior Member

Join Date: Nov 2008

Location: Eau Claire

Posts: 688

I agree too, sometimes it takes away from the pattern or makes it too busy.

09-12-2011, 07:37 AM

#143

Phyllis42

Senior Member

Join Date: Dec 2010

Location: high desert of AZ

Posts: 591

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sadiemae

Then you could ask the question--"Is stippling overdone?" and you could ask "Is SID overdone?" and you could answer "YES" to both. So to answer your answer your qustion--"Whatever floats your boat! Do what makes you happy!"

I still prefer the "old-fashion" quilting like my mom did. I don't think she knew what "feathers" were. The beauty was in her quilting.

09-12-2011, 07:40 AM

#144

Mona Lisa 2011

Senior Member

Join Date: Apr 2011

Posts: 347

No it is not you. I like a more spartan look. Too much makes the quilt look hard and not soft and cuddly. You know....quilty. :|

09-12-2011, 07:40 AM

#145

Evie

Super Member

Join Date: May 2010

Location: Los Angeles

Posts: 1,886

Quote:

Originally Posted by aorlflood

I agree. But I also like machine quilting that is less dense, too.

Same here!

09-12-2011, 07:40 AM

#146

sandy l

Super Member

Join Date: Mar 2011

Location: Northern Indiana

Posts: 2,679

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunlitenSmiles

Wooooooooooooooah, have read all the pages and this is begining to resemble a quilt guild meeting.....ouch !!!
who just kicked me under the table.....

can we all agree to just quilt whatever we like

:thumbup: :thumbup:

09-12-2011, 07:41 AM

#147

Ann912

Super Member

Join Date: Sep 2010

Location: North AL

Posts: 1,830

Quote:

Originally Posted by aorlflood

I agree. But I also like machine quilting that is less dense, too.

Ditto.

09-12-2011, 07:47 AM

#148

k3n

Power Poster

Join Date: Feb 2009

Location: Somerset, England

Posts: 10,686

Quote:

Originally Posted by SueSew

I think that most people in this posting have remarked on heavy quilting rather than the feather pattern in particular. What technical choices can we make in quilting which increase the enhancement?

I saw a couple posts about choice of batting and threads. How about more thought on how to choose an appropriate design? We can't just stop this discussion at 'personal choice'. There must be some design principle informing the choices.
What do you quilting pros think?

I'm not a pro and perhaps we should start a new thread about 'reading' a top but I just wanted to add my thoughts to this. (Sorry to edit you, BTW, hope you don't mind!) In an ideal world, the quilting pattern will be designed at the piecing stage, particularly in an original design. It shouldn't be an 'afterthought', it shouldn't detract from the piecing it should enhance it, whatever it is. Also, how I plan to quilt can affect how I piece, for eg how I press my seams. I may even piece a top a certain way to specifically fit a quilting pattern I want to try. Quilting and piecing are the two elements that create a quilt, art or bed and are of equal importance. Someone posted earlier that quilting is to bind the 3 layers together - the earliest quilt in 'captivity' (the Tristan Quilt, 1300s) is a decorated wholecloth so this is not true - quilting was always a decorative element in it's own right - and feathers are NOT new! I've been googling some to find a timeline but not been successful. I'll persist however and share if I find more about their history.

Anyway, about 'reading' a quilt top - I wanted to recommend this book - Machine Quilting Solutions by Christine Maraccini. Using several quilt patterns as examples she shows 3 different ways to quilt them - light, medium and heavy. It is an excellent book for teaching how to look at a quilt in terms of designing complementary quilting and also in how different densities of quilting decorate the tops.

And a final word (for now!) and I'm sorry, I'm going to shout - DENSE QUILTING DOES NOT MAKE A QUILT STIFF IF DONE CORRECTLY AND USING THE RIGHT BATTING. If you don't like it, fair enough.

:? :lol:

09-12-2011, 07:51 AM

#149

NANAOF2BOYS

Junior Member

Join Date: Feb 2011

Location: Centralia Washington

Posts: 210

I guess that is why I hand quilt it still looks and feels soft and cuddly and for me that is my goal soft and cuddly to be used and loved to death (falling apart) as it were :)

09-12-2011, 07:53 AM

#150

jwatmough

Member

Join Date: Jan 2011

Location: Annapolis, MD

Posts: 49

I absolutely agree. I think sometimes quilters get completely carried away with their quilting to the extent that the actual quilt design is lost. Plus, all of that quilting makes the quilt stiff and it does not drape the way we would like. I am all for less quilting - I spend too much time putting my quilts together and would not want the desgn lost in the "qulting"