"The Biggs" is being laboriously hand quilted. It might well be the last quilt I
ever stitch so intensely but at about 80% done the end is almost in sight!
I have shared
Benjamin Biggs quilting pics on Instagram but nothing on the blog since
this post in Feb 2016 when I finished the
quilt top. It waited awhile in the quilting queue - with some Quilters Dream cotton batting and reels of YLI natural hand quilting thread on hand. Meanwhile some quilting design research...
A lot of the blocks in this quilt are quite irregular/quirky so I want to keep that feel in the quilting approach - nothing too symmetrical across the top.
I planned to scatter a variety of antique-inspired motifs in among the blocks where there was a little open space.
The motifs were drawn on to the top, before sandwiching, with a wash out pencil (General's Sketch and Wash graphite). The design is almost rubbed out by the time it is quilted so not much is left for washing anyway!
Winter weather, lots of 'Tour de France' recordings to stitch by, and a quilt in the hoop ...sigh.
Once all the motifs and applique pieces were outline stitched, it was time to commit to an intense background fill...and no going back once started! The outer ring of 16 blocks are echo quilted, and the centre block will be too. I love the look of echo quilting but it is hard going at times - all the turning and turning of the hoop. Nice not to have to mark but there's a lot of focus needed to get relatively even stitches and relatively even row spacing.
The inner ring of 8 blocks are grid quilted (3/8"grid) - marked with the Hera marker, block by block - I love this process.
Just an aside : I've been thinking about adding trapunto - stuffing the quilted motifs with yarn from the back. It would give them more definition but am not sure it would be right for this quilt. The antique original on
Sentimental Stitches blog photos does not seem to have stuffing, and I love the soft, wrinkly textured look. I'd really like to do this lovely pattern justice. Might the trapunto make it stiffer ? look too formal ? or maybe just look downright bizarre seeing as the motifs are all different and unevenly scattered on the quilt?! Sounds like I've made up my mind...but will see when the whole is quilted and bound. The fun thing about hand trapunto is I'm guessing you can add it any time... even years down the track!
The border quilting is parallel lines 3/8" apart - Hera marked again, about a yard at a time, and the easiest quilting on this quilt!
When I started this post it was to be titled "The Biggs and some baskets" but have scrubbed "the baskets" as the post has got too long!
Back soon to share something else I've been working on 😊