Therapeutic FMQ on scrappy charity quilts

I have a stack of scrappy or improv quilt tops waiting in the wings for a dedicated block of time for intuitive free-motion quilting [read therapeutic quilting]. These tops are for charity quilts—kitty quilts for the cats at the Chattanooga Cat Clinic or cuddle quilts for my guild's community service project.

Two free-motion quilted kitty quilts, ready for binding.

Yesterday, I took advantage of the extra day in the Memorial Day weekend to baste and start quilting a few of the kitty quilt tops. These quilt tops are approximately 25" x 27" that can be free-motion quilted quickly, but still offer a mental respite from the daily grind.

Five kitty quilt tops ready for basting and quilting.

The 9 kitty quilt tops were paired with backings. A 2-ply flannel I got on clearance offers an extra soft and squishy backing fabric that the kitties and staff at the Cat Clinic love.

2-ply flannel for the backing fabric.

I also tried out these pre-wound bobbins of WonderFil DecoBob, an 80 wt. soft poly thread. Boy, pre-wound bobbins make it soooo fast AND easy! (Buy a pack of these in a neutral color and you're set to go.)

DecoBob pre-wound bobbins. 80 wt soft poly from WonderFil Specialty Threads.

The 80 wt. DecoBob thread sinks right into the 2-ply flannel. I didn't even need to adjust the thread tension. A 50 wt. cotton thread was used on the top.

Free-motion quilting (back view) on2-ply flannel.

For charity quilts, my process is generally piece-piece-piece (several quilt tops), then quilt-quilt-quilt, then bind-bind-bind. When I get "in the zone"—piecing or quilting or binding—I like to keep doing the same process over and over. 

This must be the "therapeutic" part. 

Slow stitching with fabric panels

What stitcher or quilter doesn't love all the wonderful colors and weights of threads available for both machine and hand sewing? I certainly do! Recently, I decided to take these threads and incorporate slow stitching into a beautiful bird fabric panel from Songbird Serenade by Robin Mead Designs for P&B Textiles.

Songbird Serenade by Robin Mead Designs for P&B Textiles.

Pull out an embroidery stitch dictionary 

It's time to pull out an embroidery stitch dictionary—in paper or digital format—and learn a new stitch or two. This 1963 edition of Needlework Stitches by Barbara Snook was a recent find at the Book Exchange of Foley.

Needlework Stitches by Barbara Snook, published in 1963.

Songbird Serenade has a 3-block panel, with each bird image approximately 13.5" x 17.5" (including the border). This bird's wing is a prime canvas for a sampler of hand embroidery stitches—seed stitch, blanket stitch, back stitches and others. Have a stitching embellishment party with your bird!

Various embroidery stitches embellish the wing of the bird.

Needles, threads and tools for hand stitching

As long as you have a hand sewing, crewel, sashiko or embroidery needle that accommodates the thread weight (thickness) and has a sharp point that will go easily through the cotton fabric panel, your thread choice is wide open. I'm also using an embroidery hoop for this project.

A sampling of threads and tools for slow stitching and hand embroidery.

As I have been an avid "collector" of machine and hand sewing and quilting threads for a number of years, I have a healthy thread supply from which to choose. A few favorites that I've used on my bird:

• 5 wt. and 8 wt. perle cotton [Eleganza from WonderFil Specialty Threads]
• 12 wt. cotton [Spagetti and Fruitti by WonderFil Specialty Threads]
• 6-ply embroidery floss—using 3, 4 or 6 strands

Other options are cotton sashiko threads [Cosmo from Lecien], Ellana 12 wt. Merino wool/acrylic blend [WonderFil Threads], cotton floche, silk and silk blend threads or anything that catches your eye for enhancing your bird. 

Songbird Serenade projects

The Songbird Serenade collection will be available at your local quilt shop [YLQS] in April 2022. The 3-bird panel is accompanied by 11 colorful coordinating prints and an exclusive 108" wide backing designed specifically for this collection. 

Songbird Serenade panel from P&B Textiles.

What can you make with this fabric collection? Quilts, wall hangings, pillows, a tote bag, zipper pouch, a cover for your sketchbook, appliqué it to a jeans jacket, mount your embellished bird on foam core or wooden frame for wall art... are all creative possibilities. A quilt pattern will be available in April under the Songbird Serenade collection name at P&B Textiles.

Contact YLQS for needles, threads and Songbird Serenade fabrics from P&B Textiles. 

Songbird Serenade by Robin Mead for P&B Textiles.
Embellished with hand embroidery.

Keep stitching and serenade a fabric panel with colorful embroidery stitches!

Thoughts about binding a quilt with Big Stitch

It's been a loooong time since I've hand quilted a quilt. With quilters, stitchers and makers retreating to the solace of handwork in 2020, I was inspired to add Big Stitch quilting to complement the Australian Aboriginal fabric designs in this piece. The colorful dots and dashes of perle cotton running stitches make a lovely, tactile addition to the organic Dreamtime designs. 

Hand stitched binding using Big Stitch with 5 wt. perle cotton threads.

In an earlier blog post, I highlighted the Big Stitch hand quilting on this quilt. This past week, the binding was attached and hand stitched down.  

The quilted sandwich was trimmed and binding pinned. It's ready for hand stitching.

Binding a quilt with decorative stitches

I frequently use decorative machine stitches to bind charity quilts and kitty quilts. This is when the binding is attached to the back of the quilt, brought around the edge to the front, and machine stitched down. It's fast and efficient. But this was my first "go" at using visible hand stitching as both a decorative and functional element for the binding.

Binding sewn down with Big Stitch running stitches in 5 wt. perle cotton.

Threads and Fabrics

I used perle cotton threads for the hand quilting and the hand binding stitches—8 wt. and 5 wt., mostly Eleganza from WonderFil Specialty Threads. 

Front and back of the quilt with hand quilting and hand stitched binding.

The fabrics used in this quilt are all Australian Aboriginal designs from M&S Textiles Australia.

• Sandy Creek red in the center and cornerstones,
• Sandhill red for the outside borders,
• Kangaroo Path yellow for the inner border,
• Women Collecting Water yellow for the backing and binding.

The pattern for this quilt is called Blue Girl by Villa Rosa Designs.

Sandy Creek quilt. Finished size: 50.5" x 51"

Thoughts about Big Stitching the binding

I really enjoyed the Big Stitch quilting... choosing the thread colors, following the lines in the fabric prints with running stitches, seeing the quilt come to life with the hand stitching. To be honest, although I really like the end result of the Big Stitch binding, it was more difficult and time consuming than I had expected.

Big Stitch hand quilting and Big Stitch quilt binding.

Cons:

• I found I could do only one stitch at a time on the binding. For the quilting, I could load the needle with multiple stitches before drawing the needle through the quilt sandwich. And although the hand stitching is a slower process, this one-stitch-at-a-time binding process was unenjoyably slow.
• Even though I went through the binding and only the top layer of fabric and the batting, the needle was difficult to pull through with every stitch. The effort and struggle took the fun out of the hand stitching. Maybe a 12 wt. cotton thread would alleviate this??
• I also wonder if a blanket stitch would be easier.

Pros:

• It was rather easy to keep the stitches at a consistent place on the binding. As one thread ran out, I chose a new color and continued. Just like with the hand quilting.
• It was fun to add the "Xs" at the mitered corners.
• The drape of a hand quilted quilt is quite lovely.
• The free-motion machine quilting (with blending colors of thread) and the larger, more colorful running stitches are very sympatico on this quilt. Both techniques created a cohesive and beautiful texture on the quilt and the Big Stitch on the binding carried the concept through to the finishing... and the edge of the quilt.

Sandy Creek quilt with hand and machine quilting.

Further investigation required

If anyone reading has insights or suggestions for hand binding with Big Stitch, I would welcome your thoughts! Were I to try it again in the future, I might experiment with different/lighter thread weights or another stitch design (blanket stitch?). 

This was a good learning experience for a "first try" and I'm quite pleased with the end result (just not so much with the process). The Stitching Success Tracker is counting it as a "finish."

August Stitching Success Tracker.

Hand quilting with Eleganza perle cotton and Big Stitch

Have you ever tried hand quilting? How about with 8 wt. or 5 wt. perle cotton?
This is Big Stitch quilting... and I've been working on a quilt with both Big Stitch and free-motion machine quilting.

Big Stitch quilting with 8 wt. and 5 wt. perle cotton threads.

Big Stitch quilting

"Big Stitch" is exactly what it sounds like—running or quilting stitches that a longer (bigger) than what we generally think of for hand quilting. Big Stitch is kin to its predecessor, "utility quilting," which is a faster means of finishing a quilt by using bigger hand quilting stitches as opposed to the traditionally prescribed 12, 15 or more stitches per inch of fine hand quilting. 

In today's quilting world, there are so many lovely, big, fat, decorative threads available, that using them with Big Stitch can add color, dimension and design elements in addition to the functionality of quilting. What fun!

Big Stitch and free-motion machine quilting combined.Fabrics and marking 

Threads and needles

The threads I'm using are mostly Eleganza 8 wt. and 5 wt., a perle cotton from WonderFil Threads. A chenille needle, crewel needle or other large-eyed needle with a sharp point works well for this style of quilting. 

Note: some needles used for needlework such as needlepoint have a blunt point that works well for canvases, but not as well for stitching through the tighter weave of our quilting cottons.

8 wt. Eleganza perle cotton thread from WonderFil Specialty Threads.

No-mark quilting

The fabrics in my quilt are Australian Aboriginal designs from M&S Textiles Australia. By echoing the motifs printed on the fabrics, I've not had to mark the quilting/stitching lines. And I hold the quilt sandwich on my lap to hand stitch. I'm not using a hoop.

Following the designs on the fabric for Big Stitch quilting.

The quilting on this quilt is almost complete. There is a combination of hand [Big Stitch] quilting and free-motion machine quilting. And once I audition the binding fabric, the plan is to big stitch the binding as well.

Hand and machine quilting.

Attaching a quilt binding using Big Stitch will be a new process for me. 

Make Nine finish: a charity quilt in baby steps over 5 years

Sometimes a simple project takes years to complete. Life frequently steps in to disrupt the best of plans. 

Make Nine finish: charity quilt.

Baby step 1: This is a charity quilt whose blocks were started in 2016. Hey! Only 5 years ago. 

Make Nine finish. Completed charity quilt. Finished size 38.5" x 38.5".

Baby step 2: After discovering the pile of strip blocks and thinking "this quilt top needs to be finished," the alternate plain blocks were added in February of 2020. (Almost 4 years later.)

String quilt blocks for charity quilt.

Quilt top completed February 2020.

Baby steps 3 and 4: The quilting was done during a virtual guild workshop in the summer of last year. Then the scrappy binding was made and pinned to the quilted top in September.

Scrappy binding attached on the back to be machine stitched from the front.

Baby step 5: And, yesterday, March 27 of 2021... the binding got sewn down! (5 years in the making.)

Scrappy binding attached all by machine. 

Machine binding with 100 wt. thread

The binding was attached all by machine. This time, I tried a small zigzag stitch (stitching from the front of the quilt), with 100 wt. Invisafil soft poly thread in the bobbin. Invisafil is a thread from WonderFil Threads. Try it! It worked beautifully.

Can you see the bobbin thread? By choosing a thread color that matches the backing fabric... the stitching is practically invisible! 

Detail of binding from the back side. 100 wt. Invisafil thread in the bobbin. 

So, it might have taken 5 years to make this quilt, but it's finished! I'm checking off that project on my Make Nine 2021 list.

Documenting via digital camera

Thanks to my photo library that time stamps the photos I take. And a pat on the back to me and my iPad for documenting various stages of my work. Sometimes photos are taken for color and composition auditioning, sometimes it's for remembering a layout, or in this case, the on-going documentation of my work processes. 

It's good to take notes via camera!

Kantha stitched zipper bag, Make Nine finish

Checking this UFO off the list! 

One of my Make Nine 2020 goals was to complete a UFO [unfinished object]... I had many to choose from, to be sure. Since the soothing, repetitive nature of hand stitching has become a mental salvation from the news grind about Covid-19, this kantha stitching project was easily revived from the UFO pile. 

So this is my seventh Make Nine 2020 UFO finish—a kantha and decorative stitched zipper bag.

Kantha and hand stitching zipper bag.

Kantha stitching and hand embroidery

This piece was started sometime in 2018 with the hand embroidered Sunshine Girl. My fabric of choice for hand stitching is a yarn-dyed woven from Diamond Textiles. Over the span of 2+ years, the kantha stitching slowly filled the background areas, using up random, single strands of colored embroidery floss. The needle effortlessly glided through this yarn-dyed fabric to create lines of multi-colored dashes and texture.

Filling the background with kantha hand stitching.

When Little Miss Sunshine was finally completed, I wasn't sure what to do with her... a pillow? a small table topper? a wall hanging?

Better yet, something more functional... for every day use: a zippered project bag. 

Complementing hand stitching with decorative machine stitching

Now, the Little Miss Sunshine bag needed a second side. For this, I took quilt blocks from last year's 100 Days 100 Blocks project and patchwork bits made with Diamond Textile's yarn-dyes and pieced them together. This patchwork was thread embellished by machine with 12 wt Spagetti thread from WonderFil Threads and the built-in decorative stitches on my sewing machine. It was fun to experiment with the decorative stitch patterns!

Auditioning decorative stitches and thread colors.

The pieces were then ready for bag assembly...

Pieces ready for bag assembly.

Inside lining with pockets

Pockets were included in the lining (a floral print from the Charleston collection from Art Gallery Fabrics)—with a 3-step zigzag stitch to coincide with the outside.

Pockets with decorative stitching in the bag's lining.

Zipper installation

The instructions from Sam Hunter's Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch pattern and a zipper pouch tutorial from Noodlehead helped with the zipper installation. 

12 wt Spagetti thread [WonderFil Threads] for decorative stitching.

The finished bag is approximately 12.5" x 13" and has a boxed bottom. 

Zipper bag: Kantha hand stitched side.

It's currently holding my English paper piecing hexagon project. 

Zipper bag: Machine pieced side with decorative machine stitching.

A completed UFO for a WIP [work in progress].

Check one more item off the (loooong) UFO list.

Making quilts with knit fabrics

Can you make a quilt with knit fabrics? With thoughtful consideration for tools and process, it is definitely achievable! Here's what I learned from this experiment.

Choose a stretch, knit, jersey or ball point needle for sewing with knit fabrics.

What to do with knit fabric scraps?

I love scrappy quilts! I also embrace the challenge of working with scraps—for bags, charity quilts, pouches, wall pieces and bed quilts. I had several small samples of Art Gallery knit fabrics [95% cotton, 5% spandex] that were languishing in the scrap box. The pieces were not large enough for a garment (without extensive patchwork, color blocking and searching for an appropriate coordinating fabric), so another solution was needed.

Knit patchwork quilt top.

While visiting with Jan and Andrea, shopkeepers at Bumbletees Fabrics, the possibility of successfully making a quilt with knit fabrics was planted in my mind. They showed me a quilted throw made with a beautiful Art Gallery floral knit [Floral Glow Twilit from the Autumn Vibes collection]. The throw was free-motion quilted on a long arm using Cuddle fabric for the backing. This throw has a major snuggle factor!

Quilted knit throw

So, with knit scraps in hand, I embarked on another kitty quilt to experiment with quiltmaking with knits. (The kitties love it when I do fabric experiments.)

Choosing tools and materials appropriate for sewing and quilting knits

Needles: I've learned from past projects that using a sewing machine needle made for knit fabrics—ballpoint, stretch, jersey, knit—is imperative. 

Thread: I used an Aurifil 50 wt cotton for piecing and WonderFil Tutti [50 wt. variegated cotton] on the top and DecoBob [80 wt. poly] in the bobbin for quilting.

Stitch selection: I used the lightning bolt stitch #17 on my Janome for piecing. This stitch accommodates the stretch of the knit fabrics without popping the stitching when the fabric stretches.

WonderFil DecoBob 80wt for bobbin, Tutti variegated on top.
Use a needle designed for knit fabrics.

Cotton Batting: I was able to zigzag stitch batting scraps together to get the size needed.

Piecing batting scraps with a 3-step zigzag stitch.

Backing fabric: Cotton flannel was used for the backing.

Basting: I pin basted the quilt sandwich. Because the knit fabric wanted to roll at the edges, I found that pin basting very close to the edge was very helpful. I think spray basting would be a good basting solution as well.

Pin basting very close to the edge to minimize fabric curling.

Free motion quilting on knits 
The next conundrum would be the free-motion quilting on a "stretchy" fabric. Even with the presser foot raised to the highest position, the open-toe free-motion [hopping] foot dragged in places and caused pleats.

Pleats and tucks caused by the presser foot during quilting.

The next foot I tried was the free-motion [cupped] zigzag cording foot (below center). This foot dragged on the knit top more than the open-toe foot. Hmmmm....

Left: open-toe free-motion foot. Center: zigzag free-motion foot. Right: convertible free-motion foot.

The successful foot for free-motion quilting across the knit fabrics was the convertible free-motion foot (above right). It does not hop when quilting. The presser foot height was set so the foot just hovered over the quilt top without dragging on the fabric. (Be sure the presser foot is down/engaged when adjusting height so you can see how close the foot is to the fabric.)

Close-up of quilting and scrappy binding.

Binding: regular (woven) quilting cotton was used for the scrappy binding which was attached by machine with a blind hem stitch.

Shrinkage: After washing, only the cotton binding showed signs of shrinkage. The quilted knit fabrics looked the the same before and after washing the finished quilt.

Finished quilt: 28" x 24"

The flannel backing is an all-over cat print.

Flannel cat print backing.

Kitty Approved!

Stan Leigh approves!

This was a good experiment. Now I have notes and experience for future quilted projects that include knit fabrics. Give knit quilts a try! Just think through the process and it won't be as difficult as you might presume.