Do you name your quilts? I do, but it can be very difficult to come up with good names… especially when trying to be unique! I’ve been thinking about my current quilt project – the orange and purple string quilt – and how to name this quilt. For weeks I’ve been going over names. Once I can come up with a name, it helps me organize all my files and photos. But it’s hard going backwards to rename the progress shots I get while making the quilt.
Speaking of photos, here are some of the progress for the back of the quilt. It’s going to end up being a 2-sided quilt! I used all the scraps from the front to make the back, I only had to add the thicker border pieces to get it to size! I’m pretty sure I used all the leftovers from the front… which were all scraps from previous quilts. It’s actually quite hard to use up every piece… but I think I did a decent job.
Basting
How do you baste your quilts? I really like using spray baste. It keeps the fabric attached to the batting better than pinning – in my opinion. It’s a little smelly so I have to have windows open and fans going for the whole day to clear out the smell. It’s really difficult for me to scoot around on my hands and knees to do the basting. My back gets wrecked and stays that way for 2-3 days. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that much longer. I’m going to try to start having my quilts longarm quilted.
My plan for larger quilts, from now on, is to just create the front until either I can afford the quilting myself, or maybe I can sell quilt tops and custom finish them for folks. That will save my knees and back for sure… and I can just have fun making quilt tops!
Ode To Bold
Ode to Bold is the name I’ve chosen for this quilt. I’m pretty happy with it… it reminds me of a conversation I overheard a few months back. There were two people who parked in front of our house and were having a very loud conversation at about 2am. You could tell from the conversation that they had just met and maybe had stopped for a quick tryst – it’s always entertaining in our neighborhood! One of them was a woman and she kept saying: “I’m so bold” or “I’m too bold for you”. Still not sure exactly what happened there, or how it ended up… but all that bold talk really hit my funny bone. Seemed like a perfect name for this particular quilt!
Quilting
I’ve started the quilting on this one, and I’m keeping track of my time. I’m doing the quilting on my Juki2010 domestic machine. It’s 60″ x 84″ so it’s pretty big to be pushing through the machine, but it’s working. I’m using this awesome batting called Dreamwool by Quilter’s Dream. I’m not an affiliate, but boy oh boy I sure do love quilting with this stuff! It’s more formed and has an even 1/4″ loft that doesn’t get thin in spots like some other battings I’ve used.
I think it’s going to make this quilt a fantastic quilt to sleep with… which is my plan for this one. Sometimes I have sweating issues (isn’t aging fun?!?) and I think having a natural-fiber quilt will really help that. Other people have been attracted to this quilt because of the colors I think, so I’m considering trying to enter it into Quiltcon 25. Still not sure.
QuiltCon Plans
Quiltcon has also released their exhibition theme for 2025: Low Volume. I’m super tempted to try my Swirling Oceans pattern in a low volume version to enter… we’ll see. I’m so slow at sewing, and summertime is our busiest time for our small business so I just don’t have as much time to sew as I would like. It’s okay though, we had such a slow fall/winter that being overworked is very welcome right now! I’m re-working that pattern to enlarge the size and make the actual instructions easier to understand. So I’ll need to make at least one to test.
Will you be creating a quilt to enter to QuiltCon25? It’s going to be in Phoenix AZ, and I would really, really like to go. It makes me wish for a healthier body every year. I am working on it, testing has given me the answer of: absolute iron deficiency, but now I have to figure out the cause for malabsorption issues. I might be able to do a few iron infusions a month prior to get the energy needed to do this trip. I’m just very concerned about passing out in public… so really unsure if I can go or not just yet. I’m going to keep working on it and keep my fingers crossed!