How long do your quilts stay basted for before you tackle the quilting?

I generally try and get my quilts basted shortly after piecing the top. This approach usually keeps me progressing in the quilt journey. If I leave the basting for too long, the quilt top is more likely to get folded up and added to my WIP pile.

This is probably because basting is my least favourite step of the quilting journey - ha! So, getting that done and out of the way is a huge incentive to keep her moving along.

But it has happened on several occasions where I got the quilt basted and she ended up draped over the sofa until I needed the pins from said basted quilt to move other quilts forward, which gives me the incentive I need to just get her done! Surely, I’m not the only one who plays these kinds of tricks with themselves – ha!

I share all this so you understand what my intentions are vs. what the reality is sometimes. Take this blue and coral Artisan Cotton version of the Shattered Star quilt, it only took me about 5 months to finally get her quilted and bound – ha! But she got done and that’s what’s important 😉

Shattered Star Quilt Pattern available in the shop.

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ARTISAN COTTONS

As a texture lover, I’m always on the hunt for new fibers that give my quilts extra dimension and hand feel. Which is why I was so excited when I first got my hands on Artisan Cottons. They have a softness to them that is similar to a silky cotton, but still has some ‘tooth’ to the grain of the fibers giving you a hand feel similar to linen, but not as textural. Since this is a cross-dyed quilter woven, there is a different coloured fiber running in the warp and weft of the fabric.

The cross weave adds a subtle dimension that a typical solid cotton lacks, but since it’s cotton there’s less wiggle to the fibers compared to linen (making it easier to work with).

The first time I worked with this collection was in the Shattered Star Table Runner and I couldn’t get enough of the colour saturation and soft feel. Which is why I wanted to show you how they looked in a full-size quilt!

Here I’ve gone with a combo of blues with a pop of coral. I almost didn’t include the coral, but then I found the Cotton + Steel Imagined Landscape Seaside Daisy print by Jen Hewett (which I’ve been obsessed with since I first laid eyes on it) sitting in my stash and I just knew this was the quilt she was meant for.

QUILTING

This one sat for the longest time draped over my sofa. I know, I recently said the same thing about the Which Way Up quilt – ha – and that’s because I store my basted quilts there. It’s the safest spot for them and means I only have a couple of wrinkles to press out if she’s sat there long enough.

Why they get caught there for a longer period of time is due to any number of things (deadlines shift, fabric delays happen, pandemics, you know, the usual run of the mill 😉), it’s seldom because I’ve lost interest. I’ve been wanting to see this one quilted up since I purchased that backing fabric wayyyyy back in 2019.

What’s interesting is how many different quilt designs I considered for this one.

Since I had already tackled nested diamonds in the Ruby & Bee Solids version, and organic wavy lines in the Little Town + AGF Solids scrappy holiday version, I wanted to try something new in this one.

The other Saturday after having been sick all week, I was suddenly taken with the need to quilt. All week I’d wanted to hand stitch something but didn’t have a project for the couch. When I started to get my strength back, all I wanted was a nice zen stitching session with my Juki. This quilt was already basted and primed to go.

Ultimately, it was my quilty mood that determined the design. Smooth, gentle organic wavy lines.

This time, spread out wider to allow more open space between the lines. And allowing more surface area to feel the Artisan Cottons.

The fabrics in this quilt feel amazing and I didn’t want to lose that sensation by going with quilting that’s too dense.

I kept thinking of gentle flowing streams as I was stitching, and it was beyond calming.

BINDING

I have a tendency of making my binding early in the quilting journey. It seems to keep me from stalling on my projects. Once I’m done quilting, I can easily move right into binding. I love that.

What I hadn’t anticipated is that I would question my binding choice as soon as I started stitching her on.

It’s not that I don’t like the coral, you know my love for coral. It’s just that, I feel like a blue binding would have resulted in a calmer quilt and would really allow the coral in the quilt and on the back to pop. Now, I find there’s a little too much blending/ coordinating going on with the coral framing.

It’s still really pretty! And I’m super happy with how she turned out. This is the thing with quilting, there are so many decisions that can be made to affect the final look of your quilt. Something as small as the binding choice can really have an impact.

MATERIALS FEATURED

In case you want to make a similar version, here’s a full overview of the fabrics and materials featured in this Shattered Star quilt:

For more inspiration on machine quilting designs on your domestic sewing machine, check out:

I’d love to know if you’ve ever let your mood dictate your quilting decisions.

Happy quilting!

xo

Shannon

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