Monument Valley

[incandescens]

Completed penultimate step on large blue brick quilt today. Said penultimate step being the machine-sewing of the binding strip on one side, which isn't too difficult. Unfortunately, ultimate step involves hand-sewing the binding strip onto the other side of the quilt, which takes more time, especially when said quilt is nearly two metres square. Yes, that is eight metres of handsewing round the edge. Time to get out the DVDs.

Also completed the pinning stage on a rather psychedelic but (thank goodness) rather smaller quilt. Only about three by four feet. Much quicker.

Also did some writing.

Would have got even more done, but was led astray by the Monument Valley game (for iPad, iPhone, etc), which involves a small figure wandering round Escher models, and which is absolutely gorgeous. It doesn't last long, barely an hour or two, but it was utterly worth getting it. A beautiful piece of work. I must recommend it to everyone at work with an i-thingy tomorrow. Well, except for the people who recommended it to me. They just get gratitude.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Is the jagnormous quilt a commission? It sounds lovely, however labour-intensive. (I assume machine sewing the other side is not an option, but I'm not sure why.)

[incandescens]

No commission, just a personal project. It should come out quite nicely when done, fingers crossed.

The handsewing of the binding on the back of the quilt isn't strictly necessary - it just avoids a machine seam line showing on the reverse side of wherever it was stitched down. It's far from the only way of doing a binding, but it's the one I've been doing because I like the effect. (So I suppose I can't really complain.) It's the way I've done the binding on the quilts you have.

The way it's done is to prepare a long strip of fabric for the binding, long enough to go all the way round the edge, about two to two and a half inches wide (dependent on personal preference). One then folds it in half and irons it along the length. Then it's machine-sewn in place on the front side of the quilt (raw edge against raw edge) and then the maker rolls the folded edge over to the back of the quilt and whipstitches it in place there, so that you have a smooth edge all the way round.

... I realise that is probably near-impossible to imagine just from that description, but anyhow. ;) It does make for a nice finish.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thank you. You make that easy enough to envision, and if I look at my quilts I think I see what you mean about machine stitching not showing through to the other side-- the handstitched back lies much flatter. But when I look at mine- yowch, that's some tiny invisible stitching there. Am envious and appalled in equal measure.

[incandescens]

Thank you, you're very kind. :)

I owe at least part of it to having to sew on nametapes at school. And another part is that I take care to use thread of a shade that will blend in with the background fabric. It'd be a lot more obvious otherwise. (And yes, I do now have an ongoing rising number of half-used reels of thread...)