Thursday, September 10, 2015

A Soft Finish: E's Hexie Quilted



How I wish you could feel this quilt! 

If a finished pieced top is called a 'Flimsy Finish', I think a finished quilted top should aptly be named a 'Soft Finish'. Binding is all that's needed yet here.




I've been talking a lot about risk taking, fear, and getting my mojo back. Wondering if it was the change of seasons, learning curves, or maybe not taking care of my own needs. You're saying I'm not alone, and that's comforting to me. Yesterday I believe I turned a corner, and it's worth celebrating, but also paying attention to what happened.




This is a commission quilt. It was simple, and I was given an example of one similar on Pinterest. No pattern was necessay, and we picked out fabrics together. You can read about it in these posts.



The backing and binding were supposed to be the lovely Doe Yarrow you can see below at the 9-11 o'clock position, but I held off buying it because of the price. It was actually cheaper to buy Minkee, I'd have no seams, and the benefit of a tactile backing for a baby. The customer agreed, and then I went through the minor panic of having a brand new fabric with special considerations to quilt with for the first time on a customer quilt. 



All my research came down to "whatever you do, load the Minkee with the selvages perpendicular to the leaders." Well, I didn't, and I'd already trimmed my fabric. I could either go 40 minutes to the store to buy another $30 chunk of fabric, or take a chance. I spent 30 minutes texting poor Sandra at Musings of a Menopausal Melon asking 'what if's', and we came up with 'why not?' 

1. I was careful.
2. I kept the tension in the quilt frame comfortably loose.
3. I carefully basted layers together at the top and side.
4. I kept watching for the stretching to start happening.
5. It didn't.

I had my panties in a wad over nothing, folks, This is a fair warning: Just because it's out there written down in QBL does not mean it's the final word. If in doubt, try it out yourself. Yes, the fabric has more stretch on the grain, but it did not stretch on the frame during quilting. Not one little bit.


Perhaps it had something to do with using SLQ (straight line quilting), or that I was 'careful'. You should know that I assumed I would be able to quilt this with channel locks on my Avante wheels, but had never used them before, and not realized the whole process. It would have worked had I not needed to stop and start again at each side of the hexies, so it turned into all ruler work. It was an all day process, but felt good to concentrate on just one quilt. I know how to use a straight edge ruler pretty well now, too!



I'm thrilled with it. I hope that the receiver is as well, but the 'Feel Factor' is enough to swing anyone who isn't wowed by the modern design itself. 

If you have been afraid of Minkee, a.k.a. Minky, Cuddle, etc., take the plunge. I will never hestitate to recommend it again, and my next quilt will absolutely have this as its backing.

Vaguely feeling like my quilting adventure is a computer game where you get through the next level of difficulty by leaping from pillars and swinging on ropes. I just shot another monster dead! Bonus points! Woohoo!




Linking up with~
My Quilt Infatuation

10 comments:

Sandra Walker said...

You KILLED...no, make that DESTROYED that monster, baby! I love this! Love the front design (ooh want to make one now), love the simplicity of the lines and the texture they have created. So glad I could be your Jiminy from the other side of the lake, lol. The Minkee is just so perfect for a baby quilt, and yay for ruler work. Glad Axel didn't destroy your ruler...Avril may have bitten a chunk or two out of my first one, and yep NOW I'll tell you that. ;-)

Jayne said...

It is a beautiful quilt with gorgeous quilting to boot! I have never used minkee, not sure I ever will, but your findings are worth tucking away in my brain! I know it will be well loved and cuddled with! Great job Julie!!

Jasmine said...

Awesome!!! You did great quilting this. I heard from someone quilting with minky on a frame that it really was a matter of personal preference which way you loaded it. Sounds like being careful and aware of the challenges proved this right. I put minky on the back of a lot of quilts now. My oldest tells me (frequently) that he is so glad I conquered my fear of minky. It really is a mountain to climb. Good job!

Emily said...

Oooohhhh I love it! I would love to make a Minky backed quilt but I'm afraid of using it! Someday... Haha

Leanne Parsons said...

This is so beautiful! I haven't used minky yet, but I've been reading so much about it that I really should give it a try.

Anonymous said...

Elegant quilt. I love it. :)
Sandra

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Double bonus points for you!!! It's awesome. The ruler work looks amazing. That's the next step I need to learn for my machine.

HeathersSewingRoom said...

Congratulations you stepped out of your comfort zone and won. I really like your modern quilt, nice pattern and great colour choices. That should be one happy baby!

Kate said...

Congrats on this beautiful finish. I loved your analogy to feeling like you'd gained a level in a video game. That feeling of satisfaction is worth all the nail biting it took to get there.

KaHolly said...

Wowza! So inspirational! During the winter, I used a kinky to back a quilt to do up on my domestic machine. After the first few passes, I felt comfortable handling the bulk and it came out fantastic. So, I’m with you! Don’t be afraid to try something different. This quilt looks awesome, by the way! I’m sure the recipient was very pleased.