Rhonda Bracey: At Random

This was a pretty quilt! I loved the mix of colours — soft blues, aquas, and creams. And with the type of batting used, it was quite ‘fluffy’ too. So I knew I’d have to either use a design to emphasise the fluffiness, or something to subdue it. I opted for both 😉

In one set of the diamonds I quilted big bubbles/pebbles, and in the other I stitched the diagonal pieces down with up/down stitching about 1/4″ apart (no I didn’t use a ruler and didn’t measure or mark it — just let it flow). That dense stitching really puffed up the centre squares, so I did a spiral in them. I repeated that in the setting triangles.

For the borders, I left the cream border, did the up/down stitching in the small blue border, and some BIG bubbles/pebbles in the wide border.

I quite like how it turned out, and was impressed with the ‘texture’ the quilting created on the back.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Back:

Threads used:

• Top: Robison-Anton ‘Maize’ (rayon, 40 wt, colour #2264
• Bottom: Bobbinfil (white)

This was an odd quilt. Not something I would have made, but I don’t get a choice in the quilts I get given to quilt 😉 And they aren’t for me anyway.

How to quilt it? I decided to start with the centre diamonds, and stitched a wavy matrix/cross-hatch in each. Then I did an open headband motif for the rest of the top, and some small clam shells in the border (using my Handi Quilter 2″ clam shell ruler).

I used the same light cream/yellow thread for all the stitching on the main top, with a variegated pink/red in the border.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Back:

Threads used

• Top: Main top: Robison-Anton ‘Maize’ (40 wt, rayon, colour #2264); Border: Superior King Tut ‘Red Sea’ (cotton, 40 wt, colour #926)
• Bottom: Bobbinfil (white)

For one of the first Community Quilts I ever quilted, I actually quilted the back, following the outlines of the flower pattern in the fabric (see https://rhondabracey.com/2012/06/26/community-quilts-1-and-2/). And so for this one. The backing fabric was quite pretty and had some lovely big flowers on it, so I decided to turn it over, put the thread I would normally have had in the top into the bobbin, and put the thread for the back into the top.

By doing that, I was able to use a 12 wt cotton thread that I had — I’ve tried it through the needle and it’s flaky at best, so putting it in the bobbin was a great idea… except that this smallish quilt took about 6 bobbins as so little of the 12 wt thread could be wound on before filling the bobbin. No matter.

I outlined stitched the flowers on the back and the pattern that created came through onto the top. As the top’s fabrics were very busy, you can’t really see the quilting motif, but you can definitely feel the texture.

If this quilt looks similar to the others I’ve done recently, that’s ‘cos it is. I was given a batch of quilts that had used the same block designs and sizes, though all were done in different fabrics, thus creating different effects.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

This is the back — I followed the outlines of the flowers with the King Tut thread:

And this is how it looks on the front, with the thick bobbin thread as the ‘top’ thread:

Threads used

• Top: Superior King Tut ‘Red Sea’ (cotton, 40 wt, colour #926)
• Bottom: Wonderfil Fruitti (Egyptian cotton, 12 wt, colour FT 12)