Rhonda Bracey: At Random

This was a small scrappy quilt, made from all sorts of fabric squares. The main colour theme seemed to be a purple/pink, so I decided to  quilt it in purple. Several of the seams were uneven, so I needed to use a motif that ‘stitched them into submission’ without causing too many puckers. To counteract the squares, I decided to do a rounded motif, and chose an old favourite — swirly spirals.

I liked the end result.

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Threads used:

• Top: Robison-Anton (40 wt, rayon, purple of some sort)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (dark gray)

Another big quilt — this time for a soccer-mad kid 😉

After stitching in the ditch around the blocks to stabilise the quilt, I outline stitched the soccer balls in those blocks, using an Invisifil thread. Next, I ‘matrix’ stitched the blocks with fabric that had soccer nets behind the shoes, shirts, etc. I left the soccer balls unstitched so they ‘popped. Finally, I switched to a green thread to stitch large circles (emulating soccer balls?) in the blue, yellow, and green blocks and in the dark blue border. I left the green sashings unstitched.

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Threads used:

• Top: Wonderfil Invisifil (100 wt, colour IF 179); Robison-Anton ‘Brite Jade’ (40 wt, rayon, colour 2514)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (dark gray)

This was a big quilt, with big pinwheel-type blocks. It was nice and square and well-constructed using some lovely fabrics (colour as well as ‘hand’).

How to quilt it?

First, I stitched in the ditch around all the blocks using a matching Invisifil thread to stabilise the quilt. Then I free-motion stitched big brown leaf motifs in the brownish pinwheels, followed by big green leaf motifs in the green pinwheels. I used the same green thread for the large circles in the border.

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Threads used:

• Top: Robison-Anton ‘Date’ (40 wt, rayon, colour 2290); Madeira (40 wt, rayon, colour 1106 [yellow-green]); Wonderfil Invisifil (100 wt, colour IF 168)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (dark gray)

This was a BIG scrappy quilt, made up of lots of 2″ squares in a sort of chevron pattern.

My first task was to stitch  in the ditch to stabilise it (there were quite a few wonky seams, especially by the time you got to the border). I stitched in the ditch every 3×3 ‘block’, which helped hold it together. Then I stitched diagonally across every second chevron, following the pattern of the fabrics, and pivoting at the apex and returning down the other side of the chevron. I used a variegated purple thread.

The overall effect is of very large chevrons, which is what I set out to achieve. My Line Tamer ruler got a good workout 😉

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Threads used:

• Top: Fil-Tec Harmony ‘Violets’ (40 wt, cotton, colour 14072)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (gray)

This was a special little quilt. According to the note that came with it, it was from a deceased estate and the Community Quilts coordinator intended to get it completed and handed back to the family. The original quiltmaker had started hand quilting it, but hadn’t finished. My job was to finish the quilting.

The quilt comprised a traditional set of blocks, was hand basted, and was sandwiched with a high-loft polyester batting. So my first task was to stitch in the ditch around all the blocks and the borders. Then I echo stitched around the motifs in some of the blocks and stippled the remainder of the white space in these blocks.

In the green sashing and border, I stitched a straight line a half inch from the seam line, following around the blocks and crossing over the stitching lines in the sashing joins. I did a large meandering stipple in the floral border.

I hope I did it justice and that the family appreciates getting back their loved one’s quilt.

(Click on a photo to view it larger)

Threads used:

• Top: Fil-Tec Glide ‘Linen’ (40 wt, trilobal polyester, colour 10WG1)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (white)

I didn’t particularly like this quilt, but that’s me. I’m sure the person who put it together liked it and I’m sure the recipient will like it.

Anyhow, my job was to quilt it and pass it back to the Community Quilts organiser.

How to quilt it? With the wonkiness of the seams, and the puffiness of some of the centre blocks, I started by stitching in the ditch around every centre square and block and the first border. Then I decided to just do a simple large meandering stipple to hold it all together. I left the first border (a dotted turtle fabric?) unstitched, and stitched flames in the red border in the same variegated thread I’d used for the stipple.

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Threads used:

• Top: Wonderfil Silco (40 wt, colour SCM02)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (light tan)

This Ohio Star variation was nicely put together. I liked the colours too!

My first step in quilting it was to stitch in the ditch ESS (every stinkin’ seam). Painfully tedious but necessary to stabilise everything. I did this with an 8o wt Deco Bob thread.

Next, I stitched wonky 8-point stars in the centre square of each big star and each block surrounding the big star. Yes, that was a LOT of stars — nine in each of the 16 blocks, so that’s 144 stars! Each star has eight lines, so that’s 1152 straight lines! Thank goodness for my Line Tamer ruler, which made the process of stitching all those straight lines MUCH quicker.

For the border, I just stitched straight lines down the centre of the squares. I left the yellow sashings and the maroon borders unstitched.

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Back:

Threads used:

• Top: Robison-Anton ‘Shimmering gold’ (40 wt, rayon, colour 2471); Wonderfil Deco-Bob (80 wt, colour DB 414)
• Bottom: Fil-Tec Magna Glide Classic pre-wound bobbin (light tan)