Finished Serenity Top
To the sound of, of all things, a thunderstorm, I put my quilt blocks together into something that resembles a real quilt top. This simple quilt taught me that there is definitely a lot out there for to learn when it comes to quilting. Not the least of which is figuring out the best way to true things up so that edges meet where they are supposed to. One nice thing about these lovely batik fabrics, however, is that the prints are so active you don't pay very much attention to where things don't quite line up like they should (and believe me, there are definitely more than a few places where the alignment is off!). Even with my alignment problems, I'm still pretty happy with the results, and I no longer feel that sewing machines are scary pieces of equipment. And this project did help chase a few of the grey-day associated doldrums away.
I'm definitely going to have to work a bit at my rotary cutting skills, keeping a straight edge when using the sewing machine, and my ironing technique. For instance, do not iron wet fabric after you have sewn it together -- cotton will expand a bit and as you iron it out, the pieces will bow and stretch. I did this because my iron's steam function doesn't work very well (truth be told, my iron probably doesn't get hot enough) and I used my knitwear blocking spray bottle to help me out. Works well for knitwear, not so well for sewn quilt blocks. Message to self: buy a better iron. My mom has suggeted that Rowenta makes good irons. Anyone out there care to make a suggestion for a good one?
The next step is to get this bad boy quilted. I am very close to deciding on the "quilt by checkbook" option where in I let someone else do this part with their very nice machine, but I've also been told it's not really that hard to machine quilt a quilt of this size (just abou 45" x 60"). Looks like I'll have something to think about while I'm back at Quiltology this weekend picking out fabric for my next project.
I just picked up a Rowenta iron at JoAnn Fabrics this week for $20 off any size except the small travel size. They don't go on sale very often. I picked up the smaller aqua one for $30 and I found that the Rowenta does a much better press then my old iron. It's funny that you started a beginning quilting class the same time that I did. It must be all that snow in the midwest this year that is driving so many people to quilting this winter. Your quilt top looks very pretty. Great job.
Quilting is not hard at all, even with a crappy little machine - not that you have one, but I do :-) One option you could consider would be freehand - little circles etc. Or just lines - outlining some of the shapes in your quilt. Maybe a combination of both? I have a quilt made out of rectangular shapes and squares thrown together wildly, with music themes on them all. It was quilted by outlining all the small squares (That have red and blue musicians on them), sewing 5 lines above each other with the machine in several places, and lastly, handquilting notes, G-keys etc. all over it. Just one idea how to combine handquilting and machine quilting.
i have a higher-end Black & Decker steam iron. Steam irons are the way to go, that's for sure! I use it to block my knitting as well. I think that with irons, you get more bang for more buck. Better quality. could just be me, though.
Rowenta all the way. Listen to your mother. And I think you should quilt it yourself.
Good job, the colours are beautiful. That almost tempts me to try quuilting. I wish we had a supplier in town with kits like that, the quilt shop near me is very traditional. Then again maybe it's better we don't, 1 obsession is probably enough.
I agree with your mom, Rowenta makes nice irons. For what you do you might want to look at the Effective Iron. It should do everything you need. Here is the URL for Rowenta http://www.rowentausa.com/
If you are going to ever make more quilts, it is great to learn to quilt your own!! The cost of paying a quilter (at least for me) would become prohibitive for more than 1 or 2 quilts....AND the more you do it, the better you get!! 45X60 is the perfect size to start - your quilt top is beautiful!!
OK i can't believe i'm offering this to a second person in a month, but if you want to, we can schedule a saturday that you can come over and we'll do your quilt sandwich and machine quilt it on my grand quilter.... once you've done it with someone else there (in case of emergency), you'll see how fun it is. :)
p.s. i have a rowenta, but FYI i would not spend less than $50 on an iron. i.e. do not buy 'bottom of the line' as BOL rowentas are not better than other irons, whereas their top of line irons ARE better. you need it to not only work but be a little heavy / quilting cotton can be hard to press sometimes.
Woo hoo! It looks great! You should be very proud of your progress. You are inspiring me to take it up again (she says hesitantly, again being after making one small quilt 10 years ago).
Congratulations on a beautiful quilt top. I'm just going to put in a plug for handquilting. I know I'm warped, but I find the handquilting more fun than piecing -- it's highly satisfying to see the quilt texture emerge as you quilt. It doesn't take as long as you think it will either, much like knitting.
BTW, there are several threads about steam irons on patternreview.com. You'll have to register to search the archives, but basic membership is free. I've seen a lot of complaints about leaky Rowentas on the boards there, so you might want to have a look. Steam irons are just a giant PITA in general, but you have to have one if you sew.
I'm in agreement with your mom and many of the other commenters. When I started quilting, I bought a Rowenta Iron. I love it SO much for all of my fiber activities and for my household ironing too. It does an amazing job on linen clothing.
I quilted my 2 quilts myself on my White Jeans Machine. I did fairly simple qulting patterns, straight lines on one, and a wave pattern on the other. I think if you can do it on your machine it would be a worthwhile experience, but hey if you have access to an actual quilting machine, take advantage of that offer!
How lovely! Those colors are just gorgeous -- good choices.
You should quilt it yourself, at least for this quilt. If you find that you don't enjoy it (although I doubt this will be true) you can hire out the next one. But you should make your first quilt all by yourself-- so it's all yours :)
I know you've said you feel that since the fabric came pre-assembled, you can't take credit for the beauty of the colors... but the way you've pieced them together, your eye for movement throughout the quilt, has made it simply stunning. Looking forward to seeing the quilting of this top!
It looks very pretty now that it's all together. Like dabbled sunlight in a deep woods.
The quilt top looks great! I like how you arranged the colors.
Your comment about ironing is interesting, as are some of the responses in the comments. Is it best to use steam when pressing the seams? I was told not to use steam, and was considering getting a cheap-o iron just for quilt piecing because my Rowenta puts off steam even when the steam switch is off. (unless the water reservoir is empty!)
The quilt is lovely. And no, machine quilting isn't terribly hard. If you're not doing a stipple sort of quilting design, I highly recommend a walking foot if your machine has one (or even if it doesn't...).
Looks great! And I think you should give machine quilting a try. You may enjoy it! It's kind of fun seeing it all the way from start to finish.
I agree with your mom on the Rowenta. I finally sprung for one of the professional models at Jo-Ann's last year and I love it. It beats any cheap-y iron I've ever used. I like one with some heft to it. I think I spent around $120 at Jo-Ann's but there are other models for less. Definitely steam, and definitely Rowenta. My iron and my Gingher scissors are musts for sewing.
Beautiful job! I can't believe it's your first project - and it's a nice size for using, too. One piece of advice when I got when I was taking quilting lessons is to square up your pieces at every step - after sewing anything together, square them up. It helps keep the small variations under control. Of course, hand piecing would be more precise, but that's a lot of work! I never had better aligned joints than when I hand pieced.
I can happily say I'm of no use to you whatsoever with iron suggestions. The quilt top is really lovely though. It's not something I can see myself wanting to try, but I very much admire the skills of others in that area.
Your quilt top looks lovely. I think it lives up to its name well. I don't think that size quilt would be too difficult for you to quilt yourself if you wanted to. It can be very very simple if you want to just follow the lines of the blocks themselves. Curved lines are a bit trickier but not too difficult. 'Course it's been years since I quilted...
"Mother knows best" I think, iron-wise anyway. I love my Rowentas. I had to buy a second because I'm a klutz and crashed into the ironing board sending the first Rowenta crashing to the hardwood floor. It actually still worked after that just fine (so they are very sturdy) but I'd chipped off some of the teflon on the soleplate so I bought a second one for the times it matters.
Buy Harriet Hargraves "Heirloom Machine Quilting" and learn to do it the right way first. Quilting is an art and so much of it is taught by repetitive motion. Nothing worthwhile is easy, but anything you put 100 hrs. of your precious time on is worth learning to do it justice. Learn slowly and well. Pay yourself instead of someone else and you'll reap the emotional benefits you didn't realize. As far as an iron, weight is the issue. Steam is not in the vocabulary of quilting. You press, not iron, so a cheap "heavy" one is fine. I personally have an oldfashioned GE "no steam,no auto cutoff" and a top line Rowenta. Either is fine..
Hilary
Congrats on the quilt top! The batik fabric and colors work well together. I can't help you with the iron though.
Love the color!
Check out Mason/Dixon and see what Kay has to say about the Euro-Steam iron.
http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2006_11.html#001713
The quilt top looks great!
And definitely take Carolyn up on her offer, she is a great teacher.
I usually tie my quilts (because I am lazy) but I have one that i machine-quilted myself and it turned out lovely. Used the walking foot, so only straight lines were possible, but it was really fun. Amid all the knitting, a pile of fabric is calling to me!
Lovely!
It's lovely! I know the fabrics were chosen for you already and all, but it's been great fun watching it come together and following your adventures in quilting.
What a great accomplishment!
Looks great... you have gotten me thinking about getting back into quilting!
LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Love my Rowenta. Had it quite a few years now.
The top looks beautiful. For that size I'd say have a go at quilting it yourself, by hand. Though before you do have you considered borders? Maybe pieced borders even? These really help 'finish' a quilt.
Or you could quilt the top as it is, then add borders & quilt them - which would make it more wieldy!
Either way - when you make your 'quilt sandwich' make sure you have plenty of space & pin it throroughly. Safety pins are a great asset here cos they can't work their way out. Saves on all that basting too.
Then play with some quilting pattern ideas, find one you like, & go ahead. Just, if you decide to handquilt, make sure you toughen up the thumb, first & second fingers of both hands! It's years now since I did any quilting but I've done cot-sized to King-sized, by hand, &, provided you've got it all well pinned, it works really well. Your thumbs & fingers recover, eventually!
T, you're quilt top looks great, and I love the dark-light corner-to-corner action you've done that picks up the theme from the individual blocks. Pretty pretty... muy mucho. I'll offer two pieces of advice for your decisions ahead, though.
First, if you've enjoyed this experience as much as you seem to have, invest in the best equipment for the job that you can afford. You already know from previous knitting experience that skimping anywhere generally comes back to bite you somewhere down the road. If you're unsure, you can always upgrade later, but listen to your mom (Hi, Bobbi!). She won't steer you wrong, and Rowenta does make some very high-quality irons (stick with mid-grade and up-- you'll thank yourself later). It may seem odd that irons can make such a difference, but for many of us, there was probably a similar thought way-back-when rolling through our heads about knitting needles.
As for paying someone else to quilt this bad boy, I can certainly see where you're coming from. It's nice to just have it completed. That said, the top is full of nice straight lines that are rather easy to quilt. If you have the time and inclination, consider doing it yourself. It's your first quilt, and it would be nice to smile proudly down the road and say that you did it all. I generally advise anyone who asks-- regardless of the topic-- that you go through every step of a process at least once so that you have no fear of it next time and so that you are able to decide for yourself in the future whether you want to go to the amount of effort that you KNOW it will be rather than what you think it MIGHT be. Besides, despite the expense and energy that has gone into this, it's fabric; no one is going to die and empires will not crumble if it isn't perfect. Though you may have to drive to Lansing and strangle me just for principle. ;-)
What a beautiful quilt top! Congratulations! I would vote for learning to machine quilt it yourself, because in the long run you will be glad you did. The top is busy enough with those batiks that this would be a great "experimenting" quilt. Get a book on machine quilting, use your darning foot, a sharp needle, lower your feed dogs and you are good to go. I would make a one yard quilt sandwich and practice by filling the whole thing up. By that time, you will be in a rhythm and ready to tackle your quilt! Seriously!