Double Flying Geese Quilt - A Finished Quilt

And a picture post.

I so love how this quilt has turned out! Considering the number of bulky seams that are almost inevitable when working with Flying Geese units I was pretty happy with how flat and even the quilt top turned out, and now that it is quilted it looks (and feels) amazing. 

The quilting has added the texture that I was looking for, and the closely spaced lines don't go unnoticed on the solid background fabrics. Quilting designs can sometimes hide when using printed fabrics alone, but that is not the case for this quilt. The lines are closely spaced - about 5/8 eighths of an inch apart - and create a visual interest that now only draws in the eye but also the hand.

I really love the effect of grid quilting but I know it can be tricky to get a neat result without the shifting of the layers of fabric, batting and backing fabric. The first task is to baste the quilt well. The next step is to stabilize the whole quilt. I usually like to start by ditch stitching the horizontal and vertical seam lines, in this instance creating an all over 5" grid of lines; first the horizontal lines, then the vertical lines. I start at the edge of the quilt and work my way to the center, then turn the quilt upside down and repeat. And repeat for the vertical lines. Once the quilt sandwich has been stabilized (and most of the basting pins are removed) I start by stitching lines right in between the already existing lines, and I use a quilting guide attached to the walking foot to assist with keeping the lines straight (by running the guide along the seam lines). For this particular quilt the second set of lines created an allover 2.5" quilting grid. I then repeated the whole process two more times to end up with a quilting grid of just 5/8 eighths of an inch.

I very rarely mark the quilt ~ only when the spacing in between lines is too wide for the quilting guide to reach, in which case I use a Clover Hera Markerto mark lines. You also want to ensure that whilst quilting your quilt is well supported. Any drag on the quilt will affect the way your sewing machine feeds the quilt layers and can not only result in puckering and shifting of the layers but also affect the quality of your stitches. I am fortunate to have a large sewing table into which my sewing machine is lowered to create a level working space. The sewing table has a large folding "flap" at the back of it and when fully extended it measures almost 50 inches x 50 inches, supporting the quilt well. I hope that answers some of the questions that I receive from time to time regarding my quilting process.

For the back of the quilt I have used my favorite backing fabric ~ Newsprint from the Paint Collection by Carrie Bloomston ~ and I have mixed up my usual binding routine by using Squared Elements in Honeycomb by Art Gallery Fabrics for binding fabric. I think it complements the neutral undertones of this quilt well.

QUILT STATS

200 Flying Geese Units

Flying Geese unit measure 3" x 5.5" (including seam allowances).

Approximately 100 different printed fabrics including a
number of beautiful Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics.

Up to 10 different neutral solid fabrics.

The finished quilt measures 50 inches x 50 inches.

This quilt is listed for sale in my Etsy Store.

The listing details:  Modern Double Flying Geese Quilt

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

Red Pepper Quilts Etsy Store

Double Flying Geese Quilt - Work in Progress

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