WOW Annie,you do good work.Nice quilting.
Kathi

Just beautiful!

I love seeing your beautiful work. TFS
Jean

Your work is wonderful and so pleasing to the eye. I have a long way to go before I can do that good. TFS.
~Geraldine

Thanks everyone. I don't often get the chance to do traditional patterns, so this has been a nice change from overall meandering.

Annie

Your quilting is unbelievable! I am in awe of work of that quality done on a regular machine. Every time I think I need a long-arm, I think of your quilts--and then tell myself to keep practicing!

Thanks for sharing!

Oh, that is beautiful!

I lurk here a lot and I've always admired your work but I have some questions. When you do a quilt do you mark everything out on the top before you start? Do you make a stencil to fit the space? Like the heart design you've used here. If you do use a stencil do you make it yourself and how do you mark it on the quilt? Do you use a stencil for the feathers? If they are done free hand how do you get every thing so even? I know practice, but when your first starting how do you do this so that it looks good and you don't feel like you have to rip it all out? Are you back stitching some place on the feathers? You can't see it, how do you do that? I've used painters tape to make straight lines, how did you get your lines so straight? And how do you look at a quilt and know what you want to do on it?????? You use a treadle machine, do you feel like it is easier to control then an electric machine or is it a historical thing that you enjoy? Well I'm just full of questions arn't I? LOL Thanks in advance for the information. Peg

Peg--
The quilt itself is large--nearly 100 x 100, so the HSTs and squares are all pretty big. The small squares and HSTs are 6" to a side.

As far as how do I know what to put on a quilt--that's a tough one. In this case, the big squares and wide borders just seemed to say, "Feathers!" Because this is a raffle quilt for a large group of blackpowder/fur trader reenactors, I wanted to incorporate a design that harkened back the to French fur traders that plied their trade in the northern states, so I used the Fleur de Lys/Heart design in the HSTs. The whole quilt is meant to look very traditional.
Because the designs are very traditional and need to be perfectly symmetrical, I am using stencils. I drafted the border design myself, the hearts are a stencil I made awhile ago that just happens to fit the space perfectly, the big feathered wreath is purchased template. I'm using a combination of quilter's chalk pencils and colored pencils to mark the patterns.

I do have to go over some of the stitching on the feathers twice--I go down the feather to the circle then back up over the "vein" and on to the next feather.

I used freezer tape for my straight lines and followed them with the edge of an adjustable zipper foot.

I have much more control over my speed with a treadle than I do with an electric. When I need to go slowly, like when I'm going back over the veins in the feathers, I can slow down to a stitch at a time very easily. I tried out my first treadle because I was having problems with my electric machine, but I would never have kept using them if I didn't whole-heartedly prefer them.

Annie

Hey there Annie,

It's not only gorgeous work, but thank you so much for your efforts in answering the last question -- super informative.

I'm certain I speak for others in saying thank you for taking the time & trouble to explain so thoroughly.

(PG) Karen

Just beautiful!!! I have always preferred the look of hand quilting, but one thing I would say for machine quilting that is a real plus is that the quilting is so much more visible on the back. I don't think I will ever get my back stitches to equal the front. Carole

Karen--It's my pleasure!

Carole--Unlike many machine quilters, who deliberately choose busy backings to camoflage problems (usually tension) on the backs of their quilts, I prefer solid colored backings that highlight the quilting. The black sateen is gorgeous!

Annie