Flattery will get you everywhere

When I got a letter from the Guild asking me as, and I quote 'one of our well known and admired quiltermakers' , to make something for the Tombola at the Festival of Quilts, I had to say yes before they realise they're got me muddled up with someone else...

This fabric is the some of the hand dyed silk I bought at last year's Festival from Frieda Anderson and Laura Wasilowski

Lovely gorgeous stuff although more than a little slippery and I didn't want to pin it too much in case the pins left marks. So I decided to make four at the same time (it also gives you more to hang on to)
I did Patsy Thompson type fireworks on three of them (I highly recommend her DVD on feathers)
And the backs look pretty too.

Fliss on her travels or not?

Last night she got on a coach to Igazu at 6pm. At 8am this morning their time the coach is still in the same place it was when she went to sleep. The farmers are blocking the roads in protest against taxes on exporting grain.
Meanwhile back on the quilting front I'm worried that the fireworks on the quilting have distorted the quilt so it won't hang straight. It could be when all the fireworks are done and when it's been blocked it will sort itself out. Have I mentioned I will NEVER enter an unfinished quilt into a show ever again?

I have been quilting and here's the proof

This is how it was first thing this morning. All the feathers are done except a few of the small ones down the left hand side.
I'm pleased with the feathers thus far but the lack of background quilting means there is no definition.

By tonight I've finished the small feathers and made a good start on the background quilting. This photo is closest to the true colour.

I've decided on a version of echo quilting. I didn't do true echo quilting as the straight lines of the strips would make it very boring one one side. So I sort of created wavy lines to echo away from. I'm seriously pleased with how this is coming on.

From the first time I saw Patsy Thompson's feathers I knew I would enjoy playing with them.
Did I think I would make the over 70" long? Maybe not. I also knew when I bought the fabrics they would be a stripy, I didn't envisage them like this. It was pure serendipity to discover her method which fits so well with these bright fabrics. I can't wait to get the background done so I can 'reward' myself with doing the fireworks.

It's coming along

This is what it looks like when the fireworks are done but the threads have not been buried. The threads I'm using are acrylic on the front and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Both are very springy threads so burying them is not a joy (grin).
I've managed to finish all the fireworks (see link on the right to Patsy Thompson).

I pinned the backing on Thursday afternoon and yesterday morning. I started working on this at 8.30am yesterday morning and stopped at 9.30pm last night, so what you can see is 13 hours work with a short break for lunch.
With the backing on, I went round the feathers in an echo with the red thread and then again with the green (the green thread I'm using is Madeira Polyneon and the colour is Day Glo green, although it's brightness gets toned down against the bright grass green of the fabric). For those of you interested in such things the needle is an 80 Microtex . The top tension is set at ½. That's ½ between 1 and zero, not half way round the tension settings and the bobbin thread is quite tight. I've been having loads of fun doing all sorts of different backgrounds. This adds to the texture as well as making acres of background quilting less boring to do.
Click on the photo below to get a really good view of the quilting.

You can see how doing the feathers and the fireworks without the batting gives extra loft to the feathers. I shall go back and do one line of red back down the spines to secure the middle.


And I found this fun stripe for the backing.
I'm trying to decide between green and red for the binding.
I've also ordered the threads I need for another quilt I've entered and not yet started and once again my mouth opened before my brain engaged and I've promised a sample piece for a shop, so they can show how lovely it is using the silk threads.