Saturday, November 19, 2016

Cross Stitch Quilt


This unique quilt was made by Sandra.  Each of the blocks is cross stitched,  so when Sandra told me this quilt was many years in the making I could certainly understand why!  I wish I had gotten a better photo of the entire quilt, but it had a white backing so I wasn't going to risk taking it outdoors for photos, and our fall has had many a cloud covered day!



Sandra prefers a lighter rather than heavier amount of quilting, so the only place I went a little more intricate was on the solid outer border.  Our goal was not to overpower the fine detail of the cross stitch blocks.  I did simple swirl in the pink sashing with a matching color of So Fine thread, and piano keys in the wide floral border with a shiny gold Magnifico thread to match the metallic accents in the fabric.


Deciding what to quilt in the cross stiched blocks themselves was the hardest part of the process.  I wanted to find something that would let the cross stitch shine, but also be enough quilting to keep the blocks from sagging and bagging. 



I used Superior's new Microquilter thread and stitched right over the hand stitches.  This thread is 100wt and very matte and it almost vanishes completely.


The border was a lot of fun to quilt!  With the outer border being solid the curling feathers show up really well and don't get lost.  I think they were the right finishing touch for this quilt.







7 comments:

  1. Totally beautiful, the fabrics that go with the stitching, the blocks, and the borders, and your quilting is the perfect finish.

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  2. Your quilting really highlights the beautiful cross stitch blocks! Love the feathers in the outer border and I'll have to order some Microquilter thread on my next order!

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  3. I love seeing the mix of cross-stitch and quilting together in one gorgeous piece. The quilting is the icing on the cake!

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  4. Gorgeous. The quilting you have done really highlights the cross stitch.

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  5. Gorgeous. The quilting you have done really highlights the cross stitch.

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  6. I really like how you tackled that quilt and you did a great job giving it just enough to make it shine.

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