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| Fifth Chinese Coins quilt |
At first the fabrics seemed a random assortment; however, the monochromatic blue scheme made its presence known. {Black and white create the darkest and lightest of any color.} The multitude of blues became a boring as the quilt grew. Adding small amounts of purple and green perked it up again.
So the monochromatic color stretched into an analogous scheme. In the end, I simply had to add a smidge of red coins, too. By this point I was thinking about the color wheel. Orange should have been the "correct" color to complement blue but it didn't work for me. Whether it's because the many of the blues have a green cast (making a red the complement) or because it's my favorite color, nothing but red would do.
One perennial problem with improvisational quilts is finding the edges. Where and how should it end? Making Chinese Coins columns uniform length seemed easy but when I started quilting I realized a couple of rows were short. No problem. I sewed two coins side by side and appliqued them to the end of those two short rows. They are about to be trimmed in this photo but at least the other rows didn't need to be shortened further. This quilt needs all its length.
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| Coins were appliqued to the top of these rows to get the correct length |
The first quilting was SID along the column seams with nylon monofilament on top and cotton in the bobbin. Next I quilted horizontally about 2-3" apart with cotton in top and bobbin. With that done I went back and split the distance with new quilting lines. Keeping the line spacing consistent but wide in the beginning of the project lets me stop whenever (a) it looks right or (b) I get tired of quilting. If I start out making close lines, I'm stuck to the bitter end.
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| Basic horizontal quilting on Chinese Coin quilt |
The quilting is certainly close enough to hold the quilt but it looks a bit dull. I sewed more lines between a few of these rows and realized I liked the variation. So...
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| Horizontal quilting with variable spacing |
The quilting alternate between seven to ten rows of close lines then six inches or so of wider spacing. Can you see them in this photo? It adds a bit of textural difference. Well, that's what I think.
When I pulled the Moda stripe for the Racetrack quilt I felt it worked even better with this one. Fortunately, there was more than enough for both. Love clearing older fabrics from my stash. Another one bites the dust!
Several aqua blue prints make up the back. This may be my first monochromatic back.
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Enjoy the day, Ann
When I pulled the Moda stripe for the Racetrack quilt I felt it worked even better with this one. Fortunately, there was more than enough for both. Love clearing older fabrics from my stash. Another one bites the dust!
Several aqua blue prints make up the back. This may be my first monochromatic back.
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| Binding and backing on Fifth Chinese Coins quilt |
Previous posts:
Quilt Details
Size: 73"" x 80"
Design: Chinese Coins
Batting: Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon100% cotton
Thread: grey Aurifil cotton 50/2 thread, YLI nylon monofilament
Quilting: Walking foot SID
Enjoy the day, Ann