They are coming along quite nicely, thank you very much! All decorative stitching is complete, linings and pockets chosen (taking less time for the perfect match-ups than usual), linings fused in place (you get a peek of them in the above picture), and pockets glue-basted in place.
Here is what the "lovely leaves" quilting design looks like now that it is stitched out. I'm thinking perhaps I should have switched the threads, using the lighter variegated King Tut thread on the darker lavender fabric and the darker variegated King Tut thread on the lighter lavender. This is the struggle I have with nearly every project, often erring too far on the side of safety as I try to get that perfect balance of showing up enough but not too much. Well, these will not be hanging on any wall and the thread shows up differently in different light so I think the thread choice will be ok.
And here are the lavenders after their satin stitching. The camera struggles to get these colors correct and without brightening them up too much but I think this is pretty close. I always think the edges should be satin stitched with a darker thread like a dark frame so it is a challenge for me to stay with that lighter thread for the one on the right. But I like it!
That finishing touch of the edge finish on these truly can transform them. I have totally fallen in love with the ones made from the "failed" snow dyeing experiment now that the satin stitching is complete.
Here is how I quilted the denim blue one. You can see how much I was influenced by my recent use of swirls on the baby quilts. There was a bit of a ray going on in the texturing of the hand-dye so I just went with it to guide my wavy lines which then were filled in with loops and swirls. I used a Mettler Embroidery thread which variegation did not change as quickly as the King Tut's so there are much longer stretches of the white than I expected.
Because of that, I am still dithering over what color of thread to use for the satin stitching on it. When I did a test to see what it would look like in a satin stitch, I wasn't sure I would like that going around the edge and especially how it would look running up the sides of the pockets which are a very dark blue. You can see in the sample how much the shorter changes in the King Tut thread effect the look of the satin stitch. When there is a lot of value change in the variegation, it almost becomes a stripe effect. This difference in color run lengths between brands is a good thing to keep in mind as you shop for variegated threads and consider how you most likely will use them. At any rate, I'm auditioning some dark blue solid threads while I feel myself being won over by the Mettler in spite of those long stretches before a change. Once I make that decision, all that's left is the closures. End is in sight!
2 comments:
You are much more analytical than I am. I often just go with it when choosing thread colour - almost instinctively. I am a bit like that with paint too I think.
You are probably right about the analytical thing, but I really do try to listen to my gut while at the same time mentally comparing what I remember liking or working well in the past when making these choices. My instinct has failed me too many times to fully trust it! I think it's like anything else though - the more you do it, the better you get at it, the easier the decisions are to make.
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