Creative Jump Start

I mentioned I was in a bit of creative funk in my last post. Not that I'm stumped for ideas, just so many projects it's hard to focus and figure out which to do first. So I decided a little creative jump start would be in order. I wanted something that was a bit of play, something fairly easy to complete, and something that would feel real good to get it done and out of the house.

Look! My cutting table is clear enough to baste on!
I am a horrible quilt guild member. I make it to maybe 2 meetings per year and haven't helped out with any of their projects so far. I haven't brought fabric to the exchanges, joined a creative challenge or anything! But I did offer to quilt a panel quilt for their charity auction last year. I'm not sure if I agreed to get it done before last year's auction, but I didn't.

Plenty of shapes and spaces to have some fun.

So it fit the bill perfectly! Fast-ish, playful, and will feel so good to get it done. I keep telling myself not to over quilt it, but every line of the design is almost begging to be stitched. I sandwiched it up yesterday and have been quilting it off and on, whenever I can fit a few minutes in. Today was a work day, so I didn't have much time on it today.


The backing was provided by the guild too. It's a lot lighter than the front and I tried to quilt it with a dark grey thread on top and a cream thread on the bottom, but even though I got the tension close to perfect, there was too much contrast and you could see the contrasting color inside each stitch-hole.


I kept the cream So Fine thread from Superior Thread on the bottom, but tried out a new to me monofilament nylon thread by FilTec on the top. Now I don't have to change the top thread for every color or stay exactly on top of the printed outlines.


It's super fine and needs more tension than the previous brand of monofilament poly I used before. There are a few early spots I might take out when I'm done as the tension was a little loose on the back. I hope the guild doesn't have anything against invisible thread. I've heard some people think it shouldn't be used on quilts for children.

But I'm glad to have a project going and especially some time to think on my other projects while I work on this simple piece.

Tomorrow, no quilting will be done as my parents are taking the kids and I for a train ride and day trip to DC to see the cherry blossoms. I'm not entirely sure the kids will appreciate the trees as much as my folks, so I bet we end up in the Smithsonian, especially as they are calling for rain. But I know the kids will love the train ride!

7 comments:

  1. Bring rain gear tomorrow....Have fun!

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  2. We took the (teenage) girls to DC during the Cherry Blossom Festival in 2010... I will never again visit during the Festival! It was so full of people and you had to jockey to see what you wanted to so, and many of the museums had waiting lines to get in the doors. I wish you a pleasant experience without waiting lines!

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  3. Happy day with yur kids and paarents!!!

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  4. Will await your report of the day!!!! I've never been to DC for the blossoms but photos look amazing!!! Your little quilty project is wonderful and the clear thread is perfect. Those little dots of thread color on the back are so annoying when you know that the tension is good. Most of the time those will disappear when the item is washed but in the case of such a project as this, that probably won't happen. "Clear" mono is the perfect solution........quilt on............................

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  5. Love cherry blossoms. Love to see anywhere in full volume that's me being Japanese and missing it...

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  6. When we lived in the DC area we always had to stop in the Air and Space museum for a "space burger" for lunch. Have a fun day.

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  7. Oh how I wish I had gotten this comment before we left on our trip! Then I would have insisted on the Smithsonian and food first! :-)

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