Sunday, July 14, 2013

Return to Provence

 
 
"Return to Provence" ~ Diane Gaudynski 2013
 
The entire quilt, above, is 14 3/4" square, quilted with YLI #100 silk thread on gold silk dupioni, Pellon Legacy wool batt.  The designs are based on my miniature quilt, A Visit to Provence.  Below is a detail so you can see scale:
 
 
Although the motifs are small, it was fun to quilt.  The backgrounds were time consuming as always, but in miniature even more so.  However, I like the finished result and will let you know when this available for bidding for the AAQI Celebrity Invitational Auction this fall.
 
Because I hadn't quilted much in over a year, just some samples, I didn't know if the ease and fluidity of it would be there, or would I struggle and make errors.  I think if you have machine quilted for a long enough time so that you don't have to think about it as you quilt, so that it is a natural process for you, it will be part of muscle memory and the slightest nudge to your brain will wake all that up and you will be back quilting as you were before. 
 
If you are a beginner and stop for long periods, you will probably have to do some re-learning and practice to get back to where you were.  It's something that is different for everyone, some seem so natural at it right away, and some struggle and practice but eventually master free motion.  Know yourself, what works for you. 
 
I highly recommend working on real quilts right away, not practicing forever.  I did that, never worried I'd ruin a quilt, planned each one to use techniques I could do and tried at least one new thing in each so I could build my skills and the variety of quilting techniques I could do on each top.
 
One invaluable tool for me has always been layering a prototype, and quilting on that first.  The same fabrics/batt/backing as in the real quilt in a big enough sample so I can really warm up and get the feel of the quilt, choose thread colors, practice a few motifs before I switch to the real quilt.
 
Below is my prototype that I knew was sorely needed for this new piece.  I began by doing a few freehand feathers that would be the size for the outer wreath, getting those familiar and smooth, with several shades of thread so I could see what looked best to me. 
 
 
The first quilting I did is right at the bottom, and I used chartreuse thread.  It looks fine, but......to me it looks like the blue marker I used for parts of the marked areas didn't wash out completely and stained the thread.  No matter how I looked at it that's how it appeared in my eyes, and I wondered if others would think, whoa, she used gold thread and the marker didn't come out!
 
The other objection to the chartreuse thread was these feathers have backtracking, two lines of stitching right on top of one another, and the green was so much more noticeable in these areas when compared to the next bit of sample feathers I quilted in matching gold silk thread.
 
Because I wanted this quilt to be classic, I decided to use the gold thread.
Then I experimented with gold Sparkle thread, a blend of fine gold metallic and gold #100 silk.  I liked it but it was fraying.  I used a larger needle, a #80 Jersey ball point, and all was well.  I liked it with one row of echo, then Sparkle, then back to silk.  Of course I tried out many variations of this! 
 
Later I tried some colored pencils and shaded the quilting a bit, but decided in the end I liked it without better.  Again, more classic.  You can see a bit of the shading on the rabbit in the prototype.
 
All this left me forgetting to be tense about my quilting; in fact, I didn't even think about it.  I was focused on the color of thread, how the machine was working, everything else except my quilting.  Because of this I believe I was so relaxed that my quilting was as good as it has ever been.  Compared to some I did for the original quilt in '03 on that prototype, it is better quilting. 
 
That made me feel so optimistic and relaxed, I started on the real quilt, knowing I would use the prototype space to do a few clamshells, try out the other backgrounds and motifs before doing them on this miniature.
 
The backing of the quilt is cotton, a Moda fabric from the Wuthering Heights collection, in a dusty teal floral.  I used gold silk thread in the bobbin as well so the shadowing of the gold on teal makes for a very pretty quilt back, below.
 
 
 
While I was quilting I noticed the fan was blowing the silk thread out of the first vital guide, right before the tension discs.  I attached a small pin, below, and threaded that to keep it in line.  Worked perfectly, plus I was cool with the breeze gently fanning my face.
 
 
Soon I'll post some tips for quilting that I think are something to keep in mind.  The biggest tip?  Keep quilting....your work gets better every day!
Diane
 
 

18 comments:

Ramona said...

Your work is incredibly beautiful. Glad to see you quilting again and hope all is well with you.

Thanks so much for providing details of thread and fabrics that you use in the process. It is so helpful!

Diane said...

I'd long remembered your advice to make quilts rather than just practice. I upgraded my machine recently, to one that has the BSR. Talk about a learning curve - ! After twenty years of free motion, it felt like I was relearning everything. But quilting an entire kids' quilt with the BSR on worked wonders on smoothing out that learning curve.

The quilting looks fine. There are a few places where I can see less than optimal work (and aren't we all our own harshest critics) but overall, it's pretty darn cute.

Giving yourself permission to play, experiment and try new things is the best gift you will ever get!

Diane Gaudynski said...

Ramona, I always wonder about the details when I see a quilt - what batt? and other things like that, so I try and give as much as possible, and sometimes the "why" too.

Diane, when I first tried a BSR I thought, NO WAY, and after using it on students' machines, or using one for demo work, I got very good with it. The trick is to make those real quilts like you do. The amount of quilting in them, the repetition, the wonderful fact that a mistake blends in because there is so much quilting and area, all work to make you more confident and a better quilter.

At the end of each project you will be better. Congrats on the cute quilt you made; it's great to feel that sense of accomplishment and to like what you quilted...:-)!
Diane

Martha said...

Simply beautiful and elegant!! Love it to pieces!!! I am going to try and quilt some feathers today :^) You have inspired me!!

Diane Gaudynski said...

Yay Martha!!! Enjoy.

Featheronawire Sally Bramald said...

Glorious, perfectly glorious. Good to see you stitching again.

Unknown said...

That is one exquisite quilt. I have learned to do feathers...but on a much larger scale. I would be terrified of such tiny work. I will give it a go though. I make little cat pads to go in their basket so will try on on one of those. I'm sure they won't be too critical of the outcome!

Diane Gaudynski said...

Thanks so much Sally and Bonnie! I think it is sooooooo much better in person, and someone who might want to buy this will have to trust me as it will only be seen online with all the others up for sale later this year. With 15" as our size limit, you can believe they will all be incredible. Mine turned out to be 14 3/4", whew....

Cat pads will be perfect for learning feathers, and how beautiful for cats to sleep on. Oliver always knows the "latest" quilt and wants to sleep on it, of course, cheeky boy that he is.

Sheila said...

Sheeeee's Ba---ack! how wonderful that your skills remained dormant throughout your recuperation. This piece is wonderful and should raise a lot of money in the auction

Jenny K. Lyon said...

Gasp-stunning Diane! I love that you walked us through your choices and thought process-I learn so much from that. I'll be bidding for a good cause-can't wait.

Gini Ewers said...

WOW. Works cannot express the magic that you capture with fabric and thread. You are always such an inspiration.

Gini Ewers said...

WOW. The magic of fabric and thread in your hands is amazing.

Linda said...

I am so overjoyed that all is well with you...that however you were harmed trying to help your "baby" was overcome....God Bless-I don't know what you did, but I would have done the same to help my Lily...

Diane Gaudynski said...

Thanks to all for the wonderful comments - I so appreciate it. I shipped off my little quilt today, so it is on its way. The auction will be Nov. 1-10, and I'll post info on that ahead of time.

Linda, I am doing ok, will always have some problems but am OK. Getting old doesn't help either, ha.

Cynthia said...

It's wonderful to see you quilting again. I've been admiring your work for so many years. Return to Provence is lovely. I am not able to quilt enough to approach your skill level, but I do so love looking at your work. I hope we will see more tutorials. I actually got to the point that I liked what I was doing with your bubbles.

Thanks again for sharing with us.

Cynthia

Karens Quilts, Crows and Cardinals said...

Diane, thank you for sharing your beautiful work! It's awesome to see you quilting again! I yearn to be able to quilt a masterpiece like this one day. Thanks for continuing to inspire!

Karen

Julie Deuvall said...

Your work is STUNNING!!! Wonderful to see you quilting again... you are a HUGE inspiration!! Thanks for the awesome tips.

Kay Lynne said...

Diane--your work is just beautiful! I appreciate all the tips.