I started my first practice graffiti quilt. I used the only cone of OMNI thread I had, which happened to be a cream colour. It actually shows up very nicely on the black fabric but I wish I had more colours to experiment with.
Graffiti designs are meant to be spontaneous and Karlee Porter herself has no plan or prior sketch to follow. She lets the design flow freely from her mind and through the needle to allow for a densely stitched expression of creativity. This is a pretty big departure from traditional quilting and I must say, very relaxing and enjoyable. It is fun to let go and just relish the lack of parameters. I stitched away while watching the quilted area expand and radiate from the centre starting point. The only time I stopped was when my bobbin was empty - I had no problems at all with my lovely Sweet 16 and it felt awesome to really test her out with different shapes of stitching.
I am pleased with how the quilting came out and the more you quilt the fewer "mistakes" stand out. I didn't worry too much about stitch length and my tension looks good, especially since I matched the top and bottom thread. In order to achieve the thick lines I had to go over the lines of stitching many times. I wasn't sure how many to do but Karlee indicates in her QNNtv appearance that it can be 7 or 8 passes. I would definitely like to try a rainbow of colours in this technique but I am not going to buy any more thread before we move.
Speaking of which, we have accepted a conditional offer on our home and keeping our fingers crossed that the myriad of dates for conditions to be met, closings to finalize, and movers to be booked, all gel together. We are getting closer and I am trying to look forward to getting my new studio in order, my frame back in use, and my machines humming again. The whole family is so excited to start this new phase in our lives!
WOW!!! AMAZING!!! BEAUTIFUL!!! I can only imagine how your graffiti quilting will look with different colored thread. Yay, Angie!
AND... Congratulations on moving -not the pain of moving and all that - but the idea of change and improvement and quality of life. May your transition be smooth, worry-, and trouble-free, whenever it does happen.
Posted by: Jose | May 23, 2015 at 02:57 AM