Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Medallion Chinese Coins IV is a Wrap

I can't settle in for long quilting sessions. It's up and down all day - short spurts of quilting with long breaks to complete other tasks. Consequently this little top took weeks to finish. It should have taken about half a day. But it's done. Quilted, bound, signed, washed, and dried.

Say it with Flowers:
Medallion Chinese Coins IV quilt

The first quilting idea was a single squared-off spiral. The sketches looked good on the borders but didn't work in the center. Then I saw Barb's post of Baptist Fans on a variety of quilts and knew that was the solution... again. The examples with seven curves were particularly attractive so I determined to try them. The result?

Not quite as good as I wanted. The final curves are much larger than the available area under my needle so I had to stop in the middle of each, reposition, and start again. Almost every one has a jog or curve change there. Perhaps not as noticeable to you as it is to me.

Baptist fan quilting with seven arcs

This reinforces a post by Amy. Among other tips she mentions the "range of motion that keeps the top under control and flat at the needle." In my case, five curves is the maximum for my machine. Lesson learned and hopefully will be remembered.

Binding detail on
Medallion Chinese Coins IV quilt

There were a number of blue bindings in the leftover bin. All sewed together, they make a good finish. And the fans look better than I first thought. What a relief.

Quilt Details
Size: 45" x 52"
Design: Chinese Coins
Batting: Hobbs Premium 100% bleached cotton
Thread: tan Superior cotton thread, YLI nylon monofilament
Quilting: walking foot spiral and free motion quilting

Enjoy the day, Ann