We be Stitchin'!

As part of my never (ever) ending quest to improve my abilities and quilting experience I am evaluating my stitching technique.  I never really gave it much thought until I started reading about stab stitching.  I like the sound of it and it sounds like fun, so I started to explore and see what all the fun was about and realised I already do a little bit of stab stitching.  I also rock, gather, pinch and pull.

It appears that my personal stitching style is a mash-up of several techniques.  I am not sure what to call it, Stab-Rock-Pinch-Pull or Rock'n Pull or Pinch'n Stab?   I dunno. 

I would like to learn to properly Stab Stitch, and perhaps I can work on my technique as the results are really quite nice, I could even improve my "understitches" that way.

Some say...

What could possibly go wrong?  Famous last words often heard on BBC's smash hit Top Gear, and while hand stitching this fun quilt. 

can't...leave...quilting...top...gear...

 First off, the top is a duvet cover made of one thread count.  The bottom, a length of cotton, is of another thread count.  I know the rules about using sheets for backing or in this case tops of quilts, but that has never stopped me in the past, and it will not stop me in this case either. 

While obtaining the batting and backing from the fabric store we were giving stink eye was given when it was revealed that this quilt was half sheet and half cotton quilting fabric with a cotton batting.  The lady with the scissors was very helpful in reminding us that sheets were not meant for quilitng.  Uh hunh and just tell Jezza, James and Richard that they can't use whatever they damn well please to make a car or a quilt or even a caravan.   The Stig would not have been amused. Nor was I.

Rules, like traffic signs are only suggestions unless there's a cop around.  <wink wink>

I am familiar enough with the properties of cotton broadcloth as well as the quirkiness of sheet fabric.  I understand the different shrinking rates of fabrics and take that into consideration.  As it is I am a rebel and do not prewash or pretreat (short of ironing) my fabric as that handmade dorky look is what I am trying to achieve with my stitching magic.



Binding detail

When quilting a panel, which this quilt essentially is, it tends to take a special bit of planning particularly in terms of batting, stitch length, detail and open spaces.  I like to really get intricate with the detail on panels as there isn't a lot of filler I am willing to do by hand.  If I was machine quilting, I could fill in the open areas with squiggles and other stuff also called "stippling." 

I prefer instead to stitch around the highlighted areas - namely the printed bits and leave the rest open.  Warm and Natural allows for stitches to be up to a massive 10" apart.  I'm not sure I believe this claim, but rather than quilt, er court disaster I am making sure there are less than 10" spaces of clear and unstitched areas between the quilted bits. 

    

Stig Approved.




 Vital Stats:

Approximately 43 x 70 inches finished.

Stitch Per Inch: 8 spi body of quilt and 4spi on binding.

 Batting Type: Cotton - Warm and Natural brand

Binding: pre-purchased

Fabric: Front-Top Gear duvet, Back-cotton broadcloth