This was a small scrappy quit, ideal for getting back into quilting after not touching my machine for several weeks. As it was so scrappy, I just did a large meandering stipple on it, with ‘sort of’ C-waves in the border.
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Threads used:
This was the last of the latest batch of Community Quilts, and the last done before I travel to the US on Thursday.
It was a bright ‘eye spy’ quilt and all those straight lines just told me to stitch it with a rounded motif! I went for an all-over design of very large spirals (lines about half an inch apart) in a matching yellow thread.
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Threads used:
This brightly coloured scrappy quilt was very puffy — I think there were lots of bias edges in the blocks.
I started by stitching in the ditch with a thin Deco-Bob thread around all the large blocks and their yellow borders to stabilise the puffiness as far as possible. For the main part of each block, I stitched a large ‘wonky star‘ in yellow, with a secondary smaller wonky star inside the square made by the larger star.
My aim was to keep the geometric look of the blocks while stitching them enough to flatten out some of the puffiness.
I left all the borders and sashings unstitched.
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Threads used:
This quilt was made up of fairly traditional blocks and colours, so the only option was to quilt it using fairly traditional motifs.
After stitching in the ditch around every block, sashing strip, border, and applique piece, I then stitched a different design in each block.
I kept the border simple by just stitching a double straight line about half an inch from the seam and then another quarter inch out from that stitched line.
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Threads used:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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Threads used:
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:
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 
