quilting Archives » Needle's Eye Designs

Quilt Design

March 2, 2020 Quilting, Thoughts about Quilting

Quilt Design is the second phase of quilting as outlined in my quilting supplies post here. Anything goes with quilt design. Really. Anything. If you want a traditional looking quilt with the quilt blocks, then graph paper and colored pencils/markers (fined tipped) are all you need. There are software and apps (yes, even apps – quilting is so technological now). If you want to go techie, then I have really enjoyed the EQ software. Like with most software, there’s a bit of a learning curve.

If you are well skilled in quilt design and quilt making, then a basic sketch pad and pencil will work.

When you design a quilt the basic rules of composition for art come in to play: contrast, texture, complexity, and unity play their role in artistic composition. (This will be a bit redundant with one of my earlier posts: Quilting Border Designs.)

Quilts are your work of art. When you look at art pieces, ask yourself: “What did you see first?” and “What did you see last?”. Do you think what you noticed and when you noticed it was what the artist intended? All elements of composition should aid in enhancing your quilt.

Color (Contrast)

Light and bright colors pop. You’ll notice these first before the intricacies of darker elements. So, when you look at your quilt what do you see first and what color is it? It what you want people to see first?

Texture (Another form of Contrast)

Movement or items representing movement will always catch the eye first. Use texture to take the eye where you would like it to go. Texture can be with the fabric you use of with the lines you sew in the quilting phase.

Complexity

The complexity of your quilt should be designed to be food for the eyes. Help your viewer stare at your quilt. Contrast, texture, and unity all aid or take away from complexity. Use all these features to lead your audience into the quilt. Use lines and color to help lead your viewer from focal point to focal point, until they have taken in the entirety of the quilt.

Unity

Your “big picture” view of your quilt. Step back, does everything belong? Or is there something you see that just doesn’t fit? This where you see your quilt in it’s entirety. For example, if you are doing an applique of a deer, is the standing on a ground or is it flying? Do you want it to be flying? What about color? If the first color you see the focal point? If it’s not does it lead your eye to the focal point?

Look at my quilt below. Do you see the focal point, or in this case, points?

Yes, if you said black centers then you are correct. Notice how I added very thin black sashing and thing borders that are also black it helps to emphasis the black. Notice the lighter beige between the 2 black borders. Any guesses why I did that? It helped to “frame” the quilt better. Then I changed the directional lines by making a pieced border reinforcing the desire of the eye to the center of the quilt and stopping it with a black binding. Lots of movement in this quilt.

What you think of the next quilt?

For me, it is quite chaotic. The red color is what your eyes see first, then you notice the black. I do not really like the composition of this one – even though it is one that I designed and have received several compliments on it. (I think folks were just being nice. 😉 ) There’s no real focal point – some folks seem to see a butterfly, but I just see chaos. The black binding still helps to stop your eye, but it offers nothing more than that.

Pattern Selection

The biggest mistake new quilters make is choosing a big pattern – one for a queen size quilt. Large quilts are time consuming. (It took me a year to finish my king sized quilt. While I loved it, it still did become a bit tiresome.) When you are starting out, learn the techniques first. It’s harder to quilt a queen sized quilt on a sewing machine at home that it is to quilt a pot holder or a placemat.

For this series I will give you 2 patterns for potholders. You can choose to do one or both or pick your own – just know that my directions will be with my patterns in mind. We will treat them like a quilt, so that you learn all the different phases.

Next time, I will include the patterns and more on the next phase of quilting: Selecting fabric.

Until next time, happy quilting!

Design Wall

September 11, 2019 Thoughts about Quilting

There are many way to create a design wall. Today, I will share with you my personal favorite.

What you will need:

Foam Insulation Board
Batting, or neutral solid flannel or fleece
Glue or tape
Command strips

Go to Lowe’s or Home Depot or any of those construction type DIY stores and buy insulation foam board. Buy enough to cover the wall space you want to use for your design wall. Go cheap. You are not using it for insulation — that’s what your fabric stash is for.

Next buy cheap cotton batting – low loft – enough to over the foam boards. (Fuzzy fabric will work too – like flannel or fleece, but the color should be solid/neutral.)

Cover the foam boards with the batting and wrap it around to the back of the foam board. Use tape or glue to stick it to the back of the foam board. If you used glue, then wait until dry.

Then, use the command strips and stick the red side to the back of the insulation board. Line the covered foam insulation board where you want it to be on the wall and stick. (Essentially, follow the directions for the command strips – the only difference will be that the red side sticks to the foam insulation board.) Hold there for the recommended amount of time.

Viola! Design Wall!!

The nifty thing about using the foam insulation board is that you can stick pins in it. Sometimes we work on big quilts and they need a little help staying put on a design wall.

I love mine and so does my son. Just saying.

Happy Quilting!

Sewing Room Remodel

September 5, 2019 Thoughts about Quilting

Hey everyone!

The sewing room is finally to a usable state!! I am creating curtains for our new abode in my new room. Though some of my tools are still in a box somewhere. (Moving seems to be never ending – especially, the unpacking!)

Along with sewing, the new space doubles as a classroom for homeschooling. I threw in my treadmill, because why not? Running while surrounded by fabric – yes, please! My home office is set up in the same room as well. (Yes, the room is huge!)

We still need to finish the ceiling and install the trim. All that can be done while the room is being used. The ceiling is just ceiling tile and the trim is cut and painted outside in the garage, and then nailed into place.

I installed some temporary shelves for all my fabric in the spacious closet. There’s room for tons more shelving.

This new space is amazing! Lighting, with which I can see. Floors that are easy to maintain! If thread trimmings fall to the floor (which it inevitably does), I just sweep. Although, I need a cover for my window well. I came down yesterday and was greeted by 6 frogs.

I love homestead life – lots of work but so much to enjoy (including the little ribbiters staring at me as I sew)!

Happy sewing everyone! My next topic will be design walls, because I love mine and I need to share!

Sew Room Remodel: Lighting Update

October 25, 2018 Thoughts about Quilting

We got the lights in!!!! Here is what the room looks like with the new lights (Picture was taken at dusk with very little/no sunlight seeping in through the windows.):

Now as a reminder, here is where we started.

This is the same outside lighting with the room painted:

If anyone is interested, these are the lights we used:

Sew Room Lights

Quilting Border Design

September 25, 2017 Thoughts about Quilting

Lately, I’ve been pondering the science behind border design — in quilting. The border is what frames your quilt – just like a picture frame for a painting. A beautiful picture in an ugly frame can make the picture ugly. A beautiful picture in an extraordinary frame can make the picture extraordinary. Even the mat selection (that strip of color that you can put between the picture and the frame) adds or takes away from the over all picture. The border you choose should bring out what you have designated as the centerpiece and make it pop adding to the overall visual impact of your quilt. (Note: The center piece does not have to be center of your quilt.)

This pondering has not come about by coincidence. Every time I use a pattern I make an attempt at following the pattern, but then I change something. My current dilemma (a.k.a., project) has a block-pieced border and I have been staring at this quilt on my design wall thinking, “It doesn’t fit.” (By “fit” I mean it doesn’t look pretty to me – beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.)

Contrast, texture, complexity, and unity play their role in artistic composition. Quilts are your work of art. What you like is what you should choose, because, ultimately, it is your creation. It is also why most quilters cringe at doing commissioned pieces. When you look at art pieces, ask yourself: “What did you see first?” and “What did you see last?”. Do you think what you noticed and when you noticed it was what the artist intended? When did you notice the frame? All elements of composition should aid in enhancing your quilt.

Color (Contrast)

Texture (Another form of Contrast)

Movement or items representing movement will always catch the eye first. Use texture to take the eye where you would like it to go. Texture can be with the fabric you use of with the lines you sew.

Complexity

The complexity of a border should be less than the quilt itself – unless the border is your focal point. A really busy border (whether from pattern or fabric selection or even quilting lines) will draw the eyes to the border of the quilt and keep them away from the center. Just imagine a bouncy, wiggly child in a sea of stoic adults. ?

You can sew an amazingly, detailed pieced border but if you select high contrasting fabrics then it might be too contrasting (a.k.a, “busy”) for your goal or it might not. Too much quilting and too little quilting will, also, change your quilt’s complexity.

Unity

Your “big picture” view of your quilt. Step back, does everything belong? Or is there something you see that just doesn’t fit? (This is how I determined that it was time to veer away from the pattern.) I could have changed the highly contrasting colors in the pieced border, but the block chosen for the border, though it fit in theme, would have required introducing a few new colors to the quilt. I do not like introducing new colors in the border. I prefer to select a handful of colors already inside the quilt and bring those out into the border, which, seems to bring about a sense of completion to me.

So, after all this pondering, I have decided to not follow the pattern for my current project and apply a simpler border. Sometimes simplicity is the answer to complexity and in this instance simplicity matched my tastes the best. 😉

Happy quilting!

Why make time to create?

June 17, 2017 Thoughts about Quilting

There are many reasons to make the time to create. Usually, creating anything can be an outlet, or a break from other life-y things. When you sit down at a design table or in front of your sketchpad or behind a computer, that is your time to express whatever is in your heart. Sometimes things need to come out and it come out in an healthy manner or in a non-healthy manner. (I, personally, prefer the healthy option – much better for everyone around me. 😉 )

Proverbs 31

I have been doing an in-depth study of Proverbs 31, which describes this most amazing and blessed woman. Did you know she planted vineyards, made clothing and bedding, and spun her own thread/yarn? And she did it during a time when there was no machinery!!!! Seems crazy, right?

In this age where we have every convenience imaginable (and some not so imaginable), we still struggle with time.

We have machines to wash our clothes and our dishes. We have vehicles that can take us farther faster. We have grocery stores and restaurants to provide us with food so we don’t have to make it, or grow it, or butcher it (if you eat meat). Yet, we can’t seem to find time.

As you sit and read this post, take the time and ask yourself what do you do with your time?

Where does your time go? Really think about it. I’ve sat down and asked myself this question and found that I am mostly wasteful with my time – which is sad because time, once spent, cannot be unspent. (Eeek! Seeing that in writing is very convicting!)

So, if you struggle with finding the time to create like I do, just remember this quote: “[We] have been ‘created…in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). This means we possess some of God’s attributes, and one of those attributes is creativity. Do you realize that each time you create something, you are saying to everyone, ‘I am creative because my God is creative, and I am made in His image’?” – Discovering the Treasures of a Godly Woman by Elizabeth George.

Creativity is an outward expression of that which is inside. Don’t keep it inside — share it!

Spring-time in Colorado

April 30, 2017 Homesteading

All the birds are chirping. The grass is green and lush. The trees are blossoming. You begin to see the reappearance of migratory animals and hibernating animals. You begin to think about what to grow in your garden. Out of the blue the temperature tanks 40 degrees and snow returns blanketing everything in it’s gorgeous white fluffyness. Yes, that is the Colorado front range, but don’t worry wait a bit and it will be warm again. 🙂

My backyard as of yesterday morning.

When this happens, it’s a great excuse to head into the sew room and attempt to finish many projects. (I always have high hopes. Hahahaha!) Although, I spent all day hibernating in my little hobby room – I didn’t finish a single project: planned several, started one.

I love that my passions in life accommodate the unexpected weather changes of my locale. I have a treadmill to run indoors and access to beautiful trails outdoors. I have my gardening in the warmer months and sewing/painting in the many more colder months. On days like today, I feel enormously blessed. Blessed to have a wonderful husband that enjoys having father-son time on the weekends. (Little G treasures his time with his dad – no question!) Blessed to have the flexibility I’m allowed to have in life. So, I enjoy the colder temps and the white frosting today, because tomorrow it will be gone – a memory of the past. (Weather claims to reach the 60s!)

Here’s to you all having a beautifully blessed day!

Project: Finish the quilt! (My latest project.)

November 16, 2016 Quilting Projects

Since I finally got all the fabric in my stash refolded, I decided that I needed to actually finish a quilt that I have been working on for the last year+. (Some progress is better than no progress!!! ?) It’s a lap sized quilt and a pattern I got from one of the batik beauty books (only I didn’t use batiks – LOL). I’m not planning any fancy quilting for it. I’ll stitch-in-the-ditch until the basting pins can be removed and see where I want to go from there. The quilt needs more than just a basic stitch-in-the-ditch. When quilting, you want to make sure that nothing greater than a 2″x2″ section is unquilted. This helps with longevity of the quilt and a good-rule-of-thumb for utility quilts or quilts that are gifts (i.e., you don’t know how the receiver will use the quilt.)

Here is a picture of the quilt in the middle of being basted. (No, not basted like a turkey – it’s close to Thanksgiving and I know turkey basting crossed someone’s mind while reading this post.)

I had to fly out to my parents’ last minute to help my dad. (Family emergency.) So, my quilt gets to wait another couple of weeks. It waited a year to get quilted, it can wait another 2 weeks for the quilting to be finished. ?

Nelum

The Quilter’s Stash (and Maintenance)

November 13, 2016 Quilting Fabrics, Thoughts about Quilting

We quilter’s love (LOVE!) to collect fabric. For each new piece added to our stash there is a limitless list of possibilities and endeavors. Fabric is a quilter’s passion – well, next to quilting.

Every few years I cull through my insanely large stash and refold and reorganize. Since I have recently returned from vacation, I have discovered that my stash is in dire need of this activity and it took me weeks to accomplish!

The need for reorganizing is easy to understand. A properly organized stash allows you to quickly find that perfect color match for your next quilt without digging through countless yardages of fabric. (Unless you prefer to spending hours searching and petting fabric rather than sewing – to each their own!) I’m a little OCD, so, I need my stash to be organized by the color wheel. In other words all the blues are together – lightest to darkest. Same for my reds and blue-reds (a.k.a. purples). (I took a color theory class eons ago and my husband is adamant that it has ruined my color perception. I disagree of course because there are some “purples” that are more red than others and putting them in the class of just purple seems just wrong so they are my red-violets!) There should be fabric that fits into each color on the color wheel for your stash to be complete and functional. Also, organizing by the color wheel helps you realize that, when your favorite color is blue, there’s never enough blues in your stash (and never enough space for the blues)!

The reason for refolding is the same reason heirloom quilts are refolded – to reduce creasing and wear along fold line. I do this because … warning I’m about to confess to something quite profound … there are some pieces of fabric I haven’t found a use for in 12 years!!!! I blame these purchases on temporary chemical imbalances in my system at the time of purchase (hormones…evil hormones). However, I am an optimist – one day they will be used in a quilt! Also, you know how all fabric purchased is folded in half on the bolt and that nasty crease line through your beautiful 42” wide fabric? Yea, that crease line. The longer it’s there the more ironing and Best Press it takes to remove it. (BTW, Best Press is awesome!)

Now that I’ve explained why I do this chore. I saw a Pinterest Pin on fabric storage that peaked my interest. Like most everyone, I have been disillusioned on the actual realistic functionality of most Pinterest pins. (My cucumber trellis fell over 3x one year – the trellis idea came from Pinterest.) I figured I would try this particular idea. It involved magazine backer boards. You know, it worked AND it wasn’t expensive! Below are the before and after for half my blues (yea, I really do love blue).

The blues are organized by how much red or green they have then by value. I might tweak over the next few months – or maybe actually use my fabric in a quilt (shocker!!!) so that it’s not taking up all the space available in my sew room.

It was a huge chore, but it was so worth it for my little sew room!

Have fun sewing (or organizing fabric)!

Nelum

The Dilemma with Gorgeous Large Print Fabrics

August 22, 2016 Quilting Fabrics, Thoughts about Quilting

As I was laying out fabrics for my next set of mug rugs, I had set aside this beautiful blue large print fabric along with a couple of complimentary fabrics.

I go through 2 phases of fabrics selection — well most of the time – sometimes 2 phases isn’t enough! The first phase is just colors – selecting a collection of fabrics with colors that would look fabulous together. Next might be several iterations of ironing and laying out the fabrics and taking a close look at the printed designs on it. I need to answer several questions before the fabric is used.

Does the fabric look good in small pieces? (Because, let’s just face the fact that, as a quilter, I cut up fabric to sew it together into a beautiful, harmonious quilt – ultimate goal is harmony in design, color, and texture.)
Will the chosen quilt/block pattern do justice to the fabric?
Will I need to fussy cut to attain the desired end product? If, yes, will fussy cutting add or take away from the fabric, and thusly, to the overall quilt?

For example, look at the above fabric. In its wholeness, it is quite a magnificent piece. Now, imagine it in 2″ x 2″ squares. Each square would look different. Some would have a dark blue background and others a white background. Some would have leafy, flowery curves and others straight lines and geometric shapes.

I could fussy cut it, but then I’d lose the beauty in the parts I elected not to use in the quilt. This fabric screams to be used in a much larger design and, as a result, it was ironed, refolded and placed back into my stash – for now!