It’s another Charity Quilt finish for Friday. This was one a fiend made and I decided to try a new panto called Whisper. One thing I learned was, circles are never as round as the panto. LOL! But, I also deduced, I could eliminate the circles on the next time I use the panto!
So here’s the deets. 47″x54″ top made with scraps, so I went with a brassy olive thread to blend with the scraps and the tan border and backing.
I had a lot of trouble keeping this one squared and lining up the panto on each return. Not sure why, but I will try harder on the next one. Overall you can’t really tell unless you look very close, so it is what it is.
The next Charity quilt top will be another for this same friend. This one will be trickier because it has a pattern of light and dark squares that will mean I need a blending thread for the top, but the border and back are a deep bright blue. So, do I try to use two different colors of thread, or the same? I bought a bright blue to have on hand, but I am not sure I want that color on top of the cream scraps. I might have to play with it, because the difference in tension might show the alternate color on top or bottom. So I would have to be diligent on getting the tension right.
So, what would you do with the thread issue? And, any suggestions for the quilting? I am using FMQ because it is 56″x62″ and will not fit into the center of the frame, so it can’t be a panto without a lot of shifting back and forth. With FMQ I can do each section within the frame and then move to quilt the next sections.
Linking up with the Friday parties on the sidebar.
chrisknits 
That’s a beautiful quilt!
Thanks! I can’t claim the design, just the quilting. > >
It’s so nice of you to quilt those charity quilts for your friends! The finished one looks great to me!
Thanks. It’s a win-win because I get practice quilting and they can help fund our cause, we hand out quilts to patients at one of the area hospitals each Christmas. > >
The blue thread might be just ideal for the second quilt. It will pick up the blue in the front and make it pop. And the motif will show up nicely. I just had one quilted with bright pink and it worked well in the light areas as well as the colored areas.
I will have to lay my threads on top to see which ones work best for both light and dark areas. > >
I rarely have good results with cream on top and dark on the bobbin–it drives me crazy so I use grey on the bottom and cream on top and they blend much better-just an idea. go with the fmq and just have fun!
That’s a great idea! I have a gray I will try on the backing and see how it blends. Thanks > >
Lovely scrap quilts, Chris!! A friend of mine shares your thoughts about quilting circles. Her solution isn’t as cut and dried as your. Her new panto is ALL circles!
Oh my! I can’t even imaging it. LOL > >
both great charity quilts – can’t really help with the thread issue – but I’m sure you will solve it.
Thanks! I will figure something out. > >
The quilting looks great, as well as your friend’s piecing! Looking forward to seeing how the next one turns out 🙂
Thanks! It may be a while as I struggle with the simple decision of thread. LOL! > >
The quilt looks fantastic. I’m a sucker for a scrappy quilt. Sorry I’m no help with your thread questions. I just seem to quilt everything in cream or a light grey.
Yeah, I do tend to just go with a blender, but this time the contrast is so much. Oh well, I will come up with a solution! > >
What great quilts!! You will have fun what ever you decide to do 😉
Thanks! How could I not have fun when it’s quilting! >
I would go with a pale silver or pastel blue thread color. Lighter thread on dark fabric looks much better to my eye than drastically darker thread against white fabric. And I also prefer to match top and bobbin thread color because even if your tension is good, you can often see the bobbin thread in the needle hole and it looks like bad tension even if it isn’t. Contrasting quilting thread usually looks pretty cool on the backing side of the quilt, whereas high contrast quilting thread might detract from the pieced top. Oh, and if you use a lighter weight thread, like So Fine 50, Glide 60 weight or Bottom Line 60, the thread will blend in better as it crosses different fabrics than a heavier 40 weight thread would. Happy quilting!
Thanks for the info! It’s stuff I have heard before, but I tend to forget since I am not using it daily. > >
Hello Chris,
Really cheerful scrappy quilts. They will be a lovely gifts for the charity to give out.
Thank you for linking up with free Motion Mavericks.
Love, Muv
Thanks! > >