Monday, November 24, 2014

Then and Now

Sometimes the past and present collide, even in quilting. Look at this juxtaposition of quilts hanging on the railing in my quilt room right now. So very interesting! The first is a quilt top made out of scraps and odd bits of fabric I wanted to use up at the time--years and years (and years) ago. The second is a quilt made out of scraps straight out of the scrap bin, sewn together about two years ago.
An old quilt and a new one
The first quilt is still being machine quilted in a very simple and ordinary way so that I can get it moved on down the road and out of the guilt box drawers. The second one was hand quilted {by moi of course} with some gorgeous, addictive Perle Cotton. I spent a lot more time with that lovely than was ever spent with the first one. For one thing, I've learned to not rush things. Details are important.
Machine quilting
But the thing that stopped me in my tracks was the oh-so-obvious learning curve from then until now. Wowsers! You've come a long way baby! {Remember the old Virginia Slims commercials that were so popular? Bad product, good saying.*wink}
Still more quilting to do....
I'm not crazy about spending the time to finish up this older quilt at this particular point in my quilting life. There are other quilts that feel more exciting. But still, it will be passed on to someone who will no doubt appreciate having a comfort quilt. That matters.
Scrap Attack #2 finished!!
This quilt though, (Scrap Attack #2)--it's for me. I love the fact that it's made from my scrap bin. It has all the rest of my orphan border pieces from another quilt too--made into those sweet little trees. Its got character, charm and imperfection, something I adore in the right setting. This quilt might actually have that kind of setting. The first one? Not so much. I also love the graphic look to this quilt. It feels right and good, like I dipped my toes into another genre and actually lived to tell about it. Dare I hope this can be done once again in my quilt room? Only different?
Loving this quilt....
This quilt is also tangible proof that I'm still learning and growing. Oh yes I am. And the fact that I stitched this quilt now, instead of directly after I completed the top, means that the stitching is vastly improved from what could have/would have been. I wasn't even thinking about Perle Cotton when this quilt top was finished up--not even on my horizon! It makes me appreciate the overlap of skills that this quilt benefited from, because of delaying the quilting side of things. Why it isn't happening with the machine quilting side of things though, I can't possibly fathom.*wink
Ah..., the Perle Cotton stitching.....
Maybe because I instinctively think in the language of hand stitching these days? lol  More like the lack of practice, practice, practice. Oh well. I'm still not sure what my 'style' or 'signature' thing is yet in quilting terms, but it's coming along. And how thrilling is that?

18 comments:

  1. While it might not be your favorite that orange & green one is a good one to work on in autumn...perfect colors for it :)

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  2. I love your new quilt and the colors are so different also. Someone will like the older quilt too when you finish it. Right now because I know I will be doing some machine quilting I am actually trying to pick out patterns that I know I can straight line stitch - I will need to practice more and more on that before I will be happy with machine quilting

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  3. I like your first quilt, even though those are not usually colors I like to work with. But I would have to say, I really like the second one. So whimsical and happy.
    Debbie

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  4. Both quilts are beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  5. I keep on hoping that I am "learning" as I make my projects, too. I just pulled out my First quilt to bring to Mom at Nursing home--it is just squares and hand tied. But altho, I wouldn't make it today it is nice to see how I started. It is very hard to continue moving forward on each project--I keep saying that I'll only finish my WIPS BEFORE starting something new--and then I SEE someone else's quilt (like your header--gee thanks--yet aNOther one!! lol) and think oh, but I have to make one of those, too!! I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday...hugs, Julierose

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  6. I love reflecting on the change in my skills from when I started quilting and as I've progressed through the years. I think this hobby of ours is all about constantly evolving our skills.


    Im the opposite to you - machine quilting all the way for me !!!!

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  7. I think it's fun to see how I've progressed through my quilts. I love the second one. The first helped to bring you to this point.

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  8. I think you'll like your first quilt better if you give it some time in the hoop for some hand stitching with your favorite perle cotton. :)

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  9. I really like how Scrap Attack 2 turned out and #1 is not too bad either.

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  10. Quiting is a journey and styles, favorite colors, fabrics and techniques come and go. It's all part of your history.

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  11. Audrey, I love this quilt. I like the unusual colour combination, I like the little round trees, which give it a slightly quirky feel and your quilting is the perfect match. I love my hand stitching so much I have given up on the machining; whenever I try it it looks somehow too hard, not organic enough, for my quilts.

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  12. Oh, I LOVE that second quilt with those sweet little trees. Do I spot a little bird in one of them? The first one looks very comforting though in those nice soft colours. Quilting is such a wonderful journey!

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  13. Quilting is a wonderful thing - the quilts keep us warm but they also allow for artistic expression. We all change in time and so do our quilting styles...and skills!!

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  14. I think we all look back on our first or older quilts and we see a difference. We learn and find new ways. But, they are all special. I often find myself going back to those "first" quilts and wanting to add to them and make them better.

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  15. It's always so interesting to see our quilting journeys evolve, isn't it.

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  16. Hopefully this is everyone's story. We should all grow as artists and be able to tell. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Our quilts do tell stories don't they. Your scrap attack is really loving the perle quilting skills you've been perfecting over recent months.

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