I am continuing to build momentum to prepare myself to make the fox wholecloth quilt for my husband and me. I really want to make the quilt this month and have it done before the new year. Beyond getting comfortable with my thread choices, I needed to decide how I was going to outline the foxes. My husband and I brainstormed a lot of different ideas, but the proof is in the quilting, right?
Outline Testing
I grabbed some Kona Cotton (this green is Fern), a portion of a full size template for one of the fox’s tails, and my Aurifil Forty3 thread to test out some of the ideas. One thing I learned: full size on these foxes is a lot smaller than I keep imagining them in my head! I can do this! (I need to keep repeating that mantra this month.)
Outline Testing
I had thought that a small series of pebbles or loops might be a good way to quilt the outline, but it honestly did not create a strong sense of line or edge.
I am illuminating the quilting here with a small light cube from enevu [non-affiliate link]. It’s an LED based light that has low, medium, and high settings for white light and then a color switching mode. It was fun to pause it on green for this photograph, but it was hard to color correct the image afterwards. ha! Anyway, I’m thinking that the cube light will be a small, portable, and fun option to take with me on my travels in Wabi-Sabi Overland, so hopefully it’s a helpful light that you will see more of in 2019.
Outline Testing
In the end, what I liked best was stitching forward about 10 stitches, backing up about 5 stitches, going forward about 10 stitches and repeating that over and over and over again. It’s a way to kind of loosely “sketch” the outline and quickly build up 3 passes of thread in one area. I think it creates a nice bold outline and I like that it gives it a bit a “hand of the maker” look to it as well.
Curve Templates from Jen Carlton-Bailly
I also have one more bed quilt design in the works for my husband and me – we like to sleep with 2-3 quilts year round, so I need to have all these done and ready to use when we start our traveling! I am quite excited to have received the needed curve templates from Jen Carlton-Bailly. My design requires the 6 1/2″ set, but I’m sure all the other template sizes are going to come in handy for future projects. This new pattern design will be released to my Patrons as a free “thank you” pattern in February 2019, and it will go on sale for everyone else at the same time.
I really think that curve piecing is gaining more and more momentum. Have you sewn with curves before? I have done a little bit in the past. What I have done has either been improv or I have used paper templates, so I am really excited to have templates to use with my 28mm OLFA rotary cutter now.
Nice texture on the quilting! I wish I felt more comfortable about curves. I just need to practice more.
The outline quilting looks like a good start. I have sewn curves, but those templates look interesting.
This is going to look ah-mazing, Yvonne! I love your test stitching and the forward, back, forward approach has some really fun results! Plus, it just sounds fun 😉
Looking forward to seeing this quilt finished! And the one with curved piecing. I’ve done it a couple of times, and would like to do another one next year. And thanks for the enevu mention. Too bad it’s not an affiliate for you, because I just finished my holiday shopping for the men in my life by ordering two.
You can do this, and it will look awesome, I just know it. That little light is interesting, I hadn’t seen it before. I might put those templates on my Christmas list. It would be great to have them ready to go rather than having to trace around cardstock, etc. I have done curved piecing, both improv and with templates and I enjoy it. I have to slow down while I do it, but the end result is rewarding.
You can do it! You have so much attention to detail and it will show when your done. I love curves of all kinds. Having templates are a must!
Very nice! Are you doing this outlining on a long arm or domestic machine?
That is a great question; I didn’t specify, did I? I plan to quilt the background on my longarm (and basically baste the quilt) and then do all of the outlining and detail work on my domestic Juki TL-2200QVP Mini.
I like the way you take time to test out your ideas before jumping in (so many lessons I could have learned faster and easier). I recently worked on a small art quilt and stitched around some of the elements three or four times. It was not free motion (I don’t know if that is what you are doing) and it was tedious but so worth the effort in the long run. Will be waiting to see the results of your efforts. How long will you and your husband be on your trek?
The outline looks great! Very interesting, I’m expected to see what comes from it. I started some curved piecing this year, and I really enjoy the look of curved piecing, but I always have to make it quite a bit bigger and trim it down after.
We learn a lot from you Yvonne in seeing how you test things out. I’m looking forward to sharing your journey with the foxes quilt and all the things you learn along the way. Thanks for the link to the templates.
Okay first, that green is an awesome green. Second, thank you for saying that about curved piecing gaining in popularity as I have noticed it over this past year and a bit, and dang it, wish I could write patterns faster and make the dang things to boot, as I designed one in the first 30quiltdesignschallenge I ran on IG that everyone LOVED…too many ideas too little time. Third, another thing we have in common: sleeping with 3 (or more ha) quilts! I am so looking forward to following you next year; I even sent my husband the link to the Wabi-Sabi (why do I think Japanese food ha, you know why).
Interesting to hear about your trial and error with the ‘outlining’ and what a clever conclusion you came to!
Glad you figured out how to quilt the foxes. I’ve done a little bit of curved piecing. It’s not as bad as It thought. I would like to play some more with it.
What an interesting process post! I can’t wait to see it finished! I love having quilts on my bed all year round even if they get thrown off when it’s hot.
Of course you can do it and it will be fabulous! It was interesting to see how your different ideas worked out in practice too.
I like the stitching that you choose for the outline, much more drawing like and a nice effect! That light is interesting – what else do you use it for?
That looks fantastic. Also, those are my favorite templates. I need to go an order the rest of the set.
Testing your quilting outline and showing us the results really help understand the amount of work and creativity that goes into such a piece. I got one of the curved rulers and I was wondering what to do with it after Christmas. Can’t wait to see your ideas
My mid-60s Husqvarna has a triple stitch option which is pretty much what you want. Glad you found a workaround that you’re satisfied with.
And funny how the anticipation is sometimes worse than the task/event/phone call/wholecloth quilt.