Goals are good — deadlines can be overwhelming. That’s life. I have a solo exhibit opening October 1st and I set myself the goal of having a significant number of new works completed. It’s crunch time and I have two pieces yet to finish.
I’ve shared some of my grandmother’s fine hand work before and even incorporated her Forget Me Not piece into a quilt top earlier this year (see the top here). This quilt is all about Grandma’s embroidery for me. The viewer will naturally see it first so the goal is to use quilting to enhance the embroidery in a way that truly showcases it, not the quilting stitches.
There are three steps and two design ideas for the quilting. The first two steps of the quilting are outline: one line right at the edge of the embroidery (the so-called ‘in-the-ditch’ style) and then an echo line of that stitching.
Using a silk thread the color of the background fabric, I have stitched so close to the edge of the embroidery that you cannot see it here. That stitching made the embroidered motif absolutely pop — and that ‘pop’ factor will only continue if I achieve my goal. The stitching you see easily is the echo line. Echo quilting is not something I’ve done very much of so it was quite unnerving.
The embroidery section of the quilt measures 20″ x 20 1/2″ and the quilting just this far has been a days’ work — 6 hours. It was tedious but worth it.
Stay tuned for developments.
Beautiful and so meaningful to you…happy Grandma memories. I really love this collaboration idea.
That is such a great way to put it, Sherry. I really am collaborating with her! And it’s great fun.
lovely. simply lovely. What a meaningful way to pay homage to Grandma and your inherited pieces. lovely.
Thank you Suzanne. I treasure her work and she deserves the recognition.
Franki, this is a most beautiful and special piece of embroidery, inherited from your grandmother who past on her love of, and ability to, sew such lovely pieces. Well done! Jennifer
Thanks Jennifer! You’ll be one of the first to see this completed.
This is an exquisite piece-I can’t wait to see it finished! Lovely start with the echoing.
This echo work was a true test of my patience. I’m glad I decided to go with it though.
So far, so good. It’s a lovely piece of embroidery, and I’m sure you’ll meet your goal of showcasing the embroidery with your quilting.
Woo-hoo! Getting there and I’m really pleased with how it is unfolding.