It’s three weeks since I last showed you my Down the Rabbit Hole quilt. That weekend I had nothing new to show you having not managed to do a single stitch! So, three weeks ago (and six weeks ago) this is where I was…
Three weeks later I’m doing a mini happy dance, a skip hop and a jump, having managed to finish quilting the pompom flower border. I’ve still to take out the basting threads, but the quilting is done!
I’m still not sure about this border, from a quilting point of view, I think I might have overdone it, however it’s staying for the time being.
I’m tempted once I’ve done a few more borders and having worked out the best way to quilt this design, to review this border. I’m thinking at the moment of maybe undoing the extra circles, just leaving the ones immediately round the circles, maybe with a few extra straight lines radiating out from the centre like stems in the background.
In the meantime I need to do a nice simple quilting design for the narrow border, just stitching in the ditch. Following this I think I’ll just quilt round each house of the Lapin Lane border.
I’m hoping that I’ll get the feel of how to quilt each area sooner rather than later, at the moment I feel I’m just paddling about in the dark, which is probably why this border has taken so long, I’m procrastinating!! Any suggestions on simple ways to quilt it gratefully received 🙂
One exciting bit of news, Sarah Fielke, the design of this quilt, lives in Australia. However in November she is coming over to the UK to do a couple of workshops and talks in just two locations in UK and two in the Netherlands…and one of them is in Slaithwaite (pronounced Slawit in a good strong Yorkshire accent!) which is not far from me at all! I missed the tickets to her workshop (gutted!) but I did manage to get tickets to her evening talk. I’m so excited, I’m planning to take my quilt along and hopefully get her to sign a piece of fabric which I can then embroider over and stitch to the back of the quilt.
Hand Quilt Along Links
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Kathy, Lori, Margaret, Kerry, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Connie, Susan, Nanette, Sassy , Edith, Sharon, Karrin, and Gretchen
thecraftycreek 
Margaret, I will be interested to see what other advice you get, but I do like the idea of stitching in the ditch to bring out the details of those cute little houses. Sometimes less is more, and this might be one of those times! Well done getting that first border finished! It really is exciting to get one step further. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’ve done just the perfect amount of stitching around the flowers. If you’d made the rows any closer it would have been a bit dense, but if you pull out all the stitching except the row immediately around the flowers I’d be afraid the fabric would bag out a bit over time especially when the basting’s gone. I like the idea of outlining the houses – I think myself I’d also outline the windows too, and maybe the odd cloud where there’s a lot of sky area. How exciting about Sarah’s visit, she’s a lovely person!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Kate, I’m trying to get the hang of how densely I need to quilt, it’s all a learning curve 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t imagine worrying about ‘overdoing’ hand quilting – in my case it would be worrying about the opposite scenario 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t take the quilting out! It looks great (there’s no such thing, in my book, as too much hand quilting) and it’s a bear to take out hand quilting stitches (don’t ask me how I know that. I just do.) Also, you might be happier removing the basting stitches before you quilt a section, once you get that section stabilized in a frame. I’ve found that when I quilt over basting stitches, it’s often much harder to remove the basting when I’m ready.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Kerry, I am now trying to remove basting just before I quilt an area, it’ll also save a big job at the end!
LikeLike
How exciting for you to get to hear Sarah’s talk! This is how I quilted my houses….I SID around them. I had pressed all of my seams in each house open, so SID wasn’t happening. I quilted across the centre of one or two “logs” in each home, as needed. As I stitched across the logs, if I came near a window I would travel my needle over to it and SID around the window, then travel back to the log. I found this cut down on stopping and starting. I didn’t over-quilt the house row, but I felt it needed some quilting
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sandra, that’s really helpful 🙂
LikeLike
I really like the radiating circles in this border. It looks like the right amount of stitching to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect quilting…no need to remove any of it! How exciting to have a chance to meet Sarah in person!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with other commenters, I like the way the quilting is – not too much. Stitching in the ditch has always been my preferred method and I think around the houses and windows this would look really nice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I also like the way the quilting is! Great work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am not a quilter so don’t feel I can offer any advice – I will say that the quilt looks beautiful as it is!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Removing quilting stitches… your braver then I would be! I like it as is. Stitch in the ditch would make the houses pop nice. I do hope you get your fabric signed!,
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is beautiful!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the quilting looks perfect! I would never remove stitches!
My motto: …”it is what it is”… “carry on”!
Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just love this quilt!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the quilting just as you’ve done it. A little on the houses will make it even better. How nice that the designer is coming and you’ll get to see her!
LikeLiked by 1 person