I’m gearing up to quilt two baby quilts this week. I had them basted in February by Nancy Stovall of Just Quilting, and they languished the entire month of March. I usually pin baste my small quilts but decided to have these basted on a long-arm machine, thinking it would spur me to action. Alas, March came and went with no quilting.
Now here it is the first of April, and no fooling: I’m going to get them done. Here is one of the quilts, basted by Nancy:
It almost looks like it’s been quilted instead of basted, doesn’t it? Nancy used an allover pattern with very large stitches. The thread is red, so it most definitely won’t pass muster for quilting. Here’s a close-up of the back:
The stitches are ¼” long and very easy to remove, I’m told.
Also on the docket this week is a project for the Pine Needle Quilt Shop, using these luscious fabrics:
Some of these prints are from the Neutral Territory line by Donna Becher for P&B Textiles. So beautiful! I’m eager to get started.
Speaking of beauty, the daphne in our backyard has been in bloom for a few weeks. I couldn’t resist importing a few sprigs into my sewing room. That heady fragrance — the essence of spring!
I love how the baby quilt looks (and I would have absolutely mistaken the stippling for the final quilting had you not gone into the explanation)!! And that’s a very sweet little tableau with the sprig of flowers – I can see how that would be welcome in the sewing room.
Hi Dawn – here’s a time-saving tip that I hope you will find useful. When machine basting a quilt that will eventually be gently washed in warm water, you can use water soluble thread in both the top of the machine and the bobbin. My favorite is Vanish from Superior Threads. They make two weights, Lite and Extra. Both work fine in my sewing machine but in a longarm, Vanish Extra might be preferred. I use the lightest weight that will sew nicely. Then, when you wash the quilt, the basting stitches disappear!
I typically spray baste my quilts but occasionally need to supplement with some machine basting. I stitch a large grid with the longest straight stitch available, alternating the direction of stitching. I don’t mark anything so it goes quickly. Then I enjoy the magic of water soluble thread!
The Neutral Territory group of fabrics is gorgeous! Looking forward to seeing what you make,
Pam
Water soluble thread — what a great idea! Thanks so much, Pam. I’ll pass that on!
I just jove the smell of daphne.
Cute baby quilt and the fabrics are lovely.