suggestions for how to quilt hand-embroidered blocks?
#1
suggestions for how to quilt hand-embroidered blocks?
My Mum rocks! She took up hand embroidery about 3 years ago, when she was already well into her eighties. She is completely self taught and does floral pieces, usually traced by me onto fabric from photographs in gardening books, or from my own photos. She has done many, now, with no other goal than her own amusement and creative expression. Her work is beautiful, and original.
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Last year I suggested to her that I could make a small quilt out of some of her pieces so that they could live in her living room, and not just folded up in a basket somewhere. She liked this idea and sent me home with a bunch. All are on different sized pieces of fabric, and the fabric itself is a real mixture ranging from homespun to synthetic lightweight upholstery fabric! I stabilized them with fusible, made them into uniform blocks, and then pieced the blocks together with sashing and borders that match the fabric I used to make the blocks uniform - my goal was to have the embroidery "float" on a fairly neutral background.
My problem is that I don't know how to quilt the embroidered pieces themselves. I plan on FMQing continuous ivy/leaves/vines in all of the background sashing and borders, but I don't want to do anything to detract from the embroidery in the fabric surrounding Mum's actual stitchery. Suggestions? A fine stipple in thread exactly matching the various base fabrics? Echo quilting? Tiny little "stay stitches" just to anchor the blocks?
Thanks for your ideas!
Alison
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Last year I suggested to her that I could make a small quilt out of some of her pieces so that they could live in her living room, and not just folded up in a basket somewhere. She liked this idea and sent me home with a bunch. All are on different sized pieces of fabric, and the fabric itself is a real mixture ranging from homespun to synthetic lightweight upholstery fabric! I stabilized them with fusible, made them into uniform blocks, and then pieced the blocks together with sashing and borders that match the fabric I used to make the blocks uniform - my goal was to have the embroidery "float" on a fairly neutral background.
My problem is that I don't know how to quilt the embroidered pieces themselves. I plan on FMQing continuous ivy/leaves/vines in all of the background sashing and borders, but I don't want to do anything to detract from the embroidery in the fabric surrounding Mum's actual stitchery. Suggestions? A fine stipple in thread exactly matching the various base fabrics? Echo quilting? Tiny little "stay stitches" just to anchor the blocks?
Thanks for your ideas!
Alison
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,548
Use the batt that allows for quilting 10 inches apart. I would then outline the embroidery in a thread matching the background. Once they were outlined it is up to you if you put any more quilting in the blocks.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: NY
Posts: 301
I agree. Use a batting that allows more space and do as little quilting around the flowers as you can get away with...they're stunning all by themselves! Maybe just stitch a "frame" in oval or rectangle in a pretty stitch around each motif. I like your idea about the ivy/leaves/vines in the sashing. That will truly finish off this work of art.