I borrowed a book from the library on the Japanese take on quilting. Beautiful designs many of which were multi pieced with scarily complicated block construction. A couple caught my eye and I jotted down the basic block in a note book. I am trying to use notebooks instead of any available scrap of paper, I have plenty of notebooks but they are related to bookmarks, as likely to be usurped by a used envelope or a receipt.
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| Spiral Log cabin |
One block I was particularly interested in was a spiral, seeing this variation of a log cabin was a real duh! moment, why had I never thought of that. I decided it would need a nice strong contrast to work and mentally filed it away for future use.
Along came some material, not necessarily my first thought of suitable quilting fabric but the teal was free and I bought the pink to go with it. So started my spiral log cabin quilt. I decided to use one material the right way up and the other the wrong way to get a contrast of the shiny and the matt qualities of the material. I was determined the flue de le on the pink strips would all point into the middle of the block.
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| Linking blocks |
After I had made the first few patches I began to think of how I might put them together for the quilt top. I did mention sometimes the designs sort of evolve. I liked the idea of having the lines of colour on the blocks scroll into each other but felt for that to stand out there needed to be some separation. So back to the shop for cream material.
I had to work out how the blocks would go before I finished the spiral patches. I quickly realised there would need to be a few smaller blocks to make it fit. I worked that out in a notebook as well, it may not have been the same one but at least it is not an envelope.
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| Blocking plan |
Top finished and boarders added it was time to think of a quilting pattern. The logcabin bits were obvious, in the furrows to emphasise the spiral, but for the cream squares and the top and bottom panels?
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| Spiral blocks together |
I got quite obsessed with the idea of Greek key as the way to go but none of my books had just what I was looking for or the size. After several frustrating image searches on google I decided on how the cream square should be done and the boarders, so out came the brown paper and I worked out the lines. Pricked holes in the paper and transferred the design for quilting.
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| Greek key for the cream squares |
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| half of the boarder quilting pattern |
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| on the hoop for quilting |
I quilt by hand using those hoops previously mentioned, it takes time this way moving the hoop across the quilt but I do not have the space for a full size frame, not even one of those modern z types.
I doubled up the thread on the spirals using pink and teal in the needle at the same time for the quilting between those colours, separating to one thread, pink or teal depending on the material shade for between colour and cream.
That kept my mind from wandering doing the repeats. Cream on cream was the way to go for the Greek key sections and I have been quite please with the results.
You might be wondering about the green lines you can just make out on the cream square in the hoop. That is my marking out, what have I used? Well I have tried pencil, chalks (brushed off as I was working and moving the hoop) and those pricey water soluble quilt markers (to faint on pale fabrics and impossible on anything dark) so now I use washable felt tip pens made for children. I test a bit first to make sure it comes out of the fabric I am using then off I go. So far they have rinsed out of everything I have used them on. Cotton, satin, raw silk and this. So far at under £4 for 8 they are both workable and affordable.
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| quilting done |
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| Greek key panel |
I entered it in the sewing section of our local craft show it was not placed, hand made bags did well this year but not quilts. Ah well there is always next year, of course with the quilting group I am in effect patching together my own competition.
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| All finished, my spiral key quilt |
