Diatom – Postage Stamp Throw {Quilting}

The summer heat has slowed down my sewing / quilting progress. But I did make slow and steady progress last week on my Postage Stamp Throw version of the Diatom quilt.

Diatom Postage Stamp Throw – Auditioning Quilting Thread

The first thing I needed to address was what thread I wanted to use for the quilting. I auditioned 4 50wt Aurifil thread choices (top to bottom): 2785 (Very Dark Navy) to match the background, 2311 (Muslin) to match the postage stamp curves, 2350 (Copper) to match the darker orange prints, and 2210 (Caramel) to be a bit lighter than Copper.

As you can see in the photo above, while the Very Dark Navy blends in well with the background, it really contrasts with the postage stamp curve fabric, and the opposite is true for the Muslin. Copper seemed to stand out boldly against both the background and postage stamp curve fabrics, and Caramel had less contrast against both.

Diatom Postage Stamp Throw – Auditioning Quilting Thread

Next, I draped the 4 thread options across the prints in the quilt top. And once again, to my eye, the Caramel stood out the least against these fabrics as well. Once I had decided to use 2210 (Caramel) as my quilting thread, I needed to come up with a quilting plan.

I had been thinking that I would stitch in the ditch around the pieced elements of the quilt. In general, that would have been fine, but I wasn’t sure I was going to love having 6″ diameter circles of the background fabric unquilted. And while I clearly have multiple thread colors that would have blended well with the different areas of the quilt, once I found that Caramel looked so good across the entire quilt top, I started thinking about an all over free motion quilting motif.

Diatom Postage Stamp Throw – Quilting Progress

Ultimately it was a combination of the heat and the name of the fabric line I used for the star blocks (Meander) that convinced me to go with an all over stipple, or meander. I’ve not been sitting and quilting for more than 30 minutes a day, but I’ve made really good progress on the quilting. I’m also really happy with the way the quilting is adding texture but not overwhelming the piecing. Up close, like above, you can certainly see the thread color, but it doesn’t take much to step back and only see texture and the piecing.

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I only have a bit more quilting to go, and with one week left before the Diatom Quilt Along final linkup closes, I think I should squeak in with a finished quilt to share in time.

Dripping Stars & Holiday Pattern Bundle

Dripping Stars Ombré Baby Quilt

One more quick reminder: today (Monday, July 24th) is the final day to purchase my new pattern, Dripping Stars, for the introductory sale price and today is also the final day of the Holiday Pattern Bundle limited time offer. Dripping Stars is my contribution to the bundle, which includes 20 patterns for the low price of $19.