There are many things to celebrate with this finished quilt. I used a bunch of scraps in the hearts and pulled almost all the other fabric from my stash. I quilted the fabric that was fused with the Pellon product with success. Now I have a throw I can gift to a friend who has no idea it’s coming her way. Just-because gifts are the best, aren’t they?
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| To learn how I piece my backs, click here. |
I do want to share a few thoughts on the particulars of this project—in case you have some interfacing in hand and are plotting your own shortcut quilt ...
Fabric fused with interfacing behaves differently than straight-up quilting cotton.
Most of the time, we use interfacing to make a fabric more substantial, to give it body and a firmer hand. That’s great for a bag project, but if you interface your quilting cottons, you can’t fudge things you might otherwise. There isn’t any give, making the fabric less willing to be coaxed into submission.
If you’re going to fuse your blocks, you’ll have to fuse the whole quilt top.
When I started making my pixelated blocks, the quilt design wasn’t fully developed. Once I decided upon the big solid squares and sashing, I knew I had to back them with the same interfacing. The Pellon product doesn’t drastically change the hand of quilting cotton, but it does add some weight and a quilt top of some fused fabrics and other nonfused fabrics wouldn’t have worked.
It wasn’t hard to fuse the interfacing to those other fabrics, but it seemed to defeat the idea of using the interfacing with the heart blocks to save time. And I did have a leftover heart block. Incorporating it in the quilt back wasn’t an option—there was no way I would interface the yards of other fabric I used there!
Amazon Prime’s contracts with the BBC may affect your productivity with such a project.
I decided to rewatch Doctor Who, starting with season one, before embarking on this project. Before I finished the quilt and the series, Amazon’s contract for the show expired. Bah! This quilt’s name—Cross My Hearts—is a nod to my favorite two-hearted alien. : )
What do you do while you sew? Do you Zen out and become one with your project, or do you, like me, need a distraction? I’m in between streaming shows right now and have been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack instead. Any suggestions?
Linking up to Let’s Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, and Finish It Up Friday ...
This is awesome!!! Love the placement of the hearts. :D I've been bingeing on Parenthood, and before that House. I'm almost done though and will need a new one. Maybe I'll re-watch all the doctors. :D
ReplyDeleteLove this alternate gridwork look! Great job!! Hehe, we JUST started rewatching Doctor Who last night. It's back on Prime! Run!
ReplyDeleteYay for the finish! And great tip about needing to use interfacing on the other blocks. Is there a significance to the number of hearts you selected to use or the fact that you used darker blocks for the rest of the piecing of the top (and not just continued negative space / white)?
ReplyDeleteNo, there is no significance. I can't even recall how I started playing around with the solid blocks. I do remember thinking that I would regret using them -- going with all white would be the safer choice! -- but I'm pleased with how the design came out.
DeleteSuch an awesome quilt! I love those solid square blocks you added!
ReplyDeleteDid you also use batting when you basted the quilt, or was the fusible Pellon sufficient?
I definitely needed to use batting. I adore Quilter's Dream Request, but it's kind of pricey so I don't use it often. Instead, I used Warm and White, which I find to be good quality for the price.
DeleteSo how does the quilt feel, now that it's been entirely interfaced --> if that's a word? Is it stiff? Does it still drape the same? And like the commenter above, I'm curious, did you use batting, too? Perhaps a thinner one? Looks great! The quilting really stands out and I love the layout you chose! Great finish!
ReplyDeleteNow that I've washed and dried this quilt, I can make a definitive judgement on the drape. I'd describe it like this: the quilts that I make with the softest drape use Quilter's Dream Request. When I use Warm and White, I can tell it's a bit less soft than the QDR. This quilt is another step away from soft on the spectrum. But honestly, it's something only a quilter would pick up on.
DeleteIt's a great finish! Kudos.
ReplyDeletePodcasts!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt. I'm wondering on the drape of the quilt, too.
ReplyDeleteI know lots of people binge watch while they sew, but I can only listen. Pandora usually but I just got a new phone and am hoping to figure out podcasts soon.
Fun quilt! The hearts look like they'd be fun to make. I am into the third season of A Chef's Life. It's fun and relaxing to watch/listen to...and makes me really glad I don't own a restaurant. Whew! That's hard work. I also enjoy listening to quilting podcasts.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great looking quilt, love the hearts and the colors. TFS!
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely! I watch series on netflix or bbc i-player on my tablet when i sew.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely friend you are, so kind. I haven't used interfacing in my quilts before, I can see the advantages and disadvantages. I like to listen to audiobooks, the Harry Potter series read by Stephen Fry is excellent to listen too, I like science fiction too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful finish! I love the 'blank' blocks in the quilt! I was wondering about the drapiness also. I like to listen to podcasts while sewing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful quilt! I've seen the interfacing method before, but never tried it. I'm not sure I would want to interface an entire quilt just because of the weight, then again when I improv or scrap quilt there is a lot of weight involved in that! Pillows or runners would be the perfect size to play with this method! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous but I can definitely see how interfacing the whole quilt is less than ideal!!! I had the same Amazon experience watching Veronica Mars (back on now). My latest fave is iZombie but be warned only Season 1 is available.
ReplyDeleteThis looks great and I was interested to hear about the interfacing :)
ReplyDeleteI love the hearts ! Thanks for all the tips and thank you for linking up to #scraptastictuesday!
ReplyDeleteI really like the grey fabrics in your hearts. Thanks for the comments on the interfacing too.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! It turns out I hadn't read this post - I didn't know you back in 2016!! I'll bet this was pre-Rosie. Anyway, you mention great points that are well worth taking into consideration. I rarely use even the lightest interfacing for the reason that I hate the stiffness it gives pieces. Unless it is warranted, like for a bag. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne
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