String Tulip Quilt Finished

Prejudices are rarely overcome by logic. 

Not being founded in reason, they cannot be destroyed by logic.

~Tryon Edwards

Quilting

It was worth all the time it took to remove the border quilting. The spiral design didn't add anything to the quilt because it was hidden among the strong Xs and the tension was a mess. With the machine cleaned, the needle changed, and thread rethreaded it's sewing perfectly {except for my own bobbles.} 

String Tulips on Green baby quilt

Quilting began with a few free-motion arcs on the tulips then SID around the inside and outside borders. After that it was time to stipple the green center. Other designs were considered {for a couple of milliseconds} but there are already lots of strong lines in the piecing and I find stippling easy and effective. 

Detail of string tulip quilting

The third step was quilting the string border and this is where issues arose. The strings are so strong that no quilting shows. I thought FMQ spirals might work but had tension issues that took most of last week to resolve. After taking that out I decided to scribble back and forth in the basic direction of the strings. When I reached the opposite block corner I simply switched directions onto the next block. I went around the inner row of string blocks first then made a second pass of the outer row. Better views are visible on the back. {Photos below.} 

Detail of string X border

Usually I finish each quilt before signing it but a new idea occurred recently. If I carefully place my signature I can sign before quilting. It looks neater. I don't usually add a label. My dear mother used to write them because her handwriting was so lovely but I've found the ink fades over time as the quilts are washed. Painters sign in the lower right corner on the front of their work so why shouldn't we? 

Quilt signed and dated with cursive thread writing 

Obviously chartreuse is a favorite color of mine. I thought the green print on front had yellow crosses on it and couldn't find any fabric in my stash that matched/blended until I pulled these odd colors. There wasn't enough of the first so the second was added to finish the back. Of course, I could have looked at the selvedge but that would be too easy. ;-)

String Tulips on Green quilt back

{Over}thinking tripped me up again. In my mind there was enough of the darker chartreuse on the back to create the binding. Where did I get that crazy idea. Only a six-inch strip was left. Back to the stash. Several yellow-green prints came to light and this one worked best. Who'd have thought? 

This is why I prefer pulling fabric and setting them next to each other. There are wonderful surprises. Color theory is great in practice but we don't deal with color like painters. Unless we dye our own, we can't blend it. We use fabric; and printed fabrics in particular have their own ways of working. 

String Tulips on Green quilt folded

The outer border of the quilt is finished with half feathers. So easy and quick... which was appreciated even more after the inner border debacle.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 47" x 47"

Design: String tulips and string block border

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton

Thread: Superior Masterpiece 50/3 green cotton thread

Quilting: SID and FMQ

Approximate yardage: 6.5 yds

Previous posts:

1. Stringing along - the original idea

2. String Tulips - adjusting the original idea with applique

3. Working on the String Tulip quilt - starting quilting

4. Two Steps Forward and Three Steps Back - messing up the quilting

Reading

Did you read The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare as a child? It was recently available as an ebook and I took the time to reread it. On the death of her grandfather in the late 1600's, Kit sails from Barbados to Connecticut to live with her aunt and Puritan uncle. Her more relaxed background brings her into conflict with the rigid religion practiced in New England and it grows as she befriends a local Quaker shunned by most of the community. 

The book is praised for its theme of tolerance; however, given recent events it obviously ignores the issue of slavery. One sailor is proud his ship doesn't carry slave cargo. Kit sold {"let go" but didn't free so what else could it be?} her personal Black maid (slave.) Reading it this time made me wonder how Black children felt when it was assigned in grammar school. Fifth Chinese Daughter has worn better through the years. Still, this is a good story and a continuum on the road to the development of inclusion and tolerance... and I don't just mean the Puritans.

Enjoy the day, Ann