Faced with a rather 3-d quilt top in need of quilting, I was stymied completely until I realized I did not have to machine quilt this piece in the usual manner. I could simplify the job, save a lot of time, and still add interesting detail to the piece.
I secured the layers of this quilt by adding tiny bar tacks, so small they became almost circular. Worked by machine with black thread, the tacks took very little time to execute and absolutely no effort was wasted by marking in advance. I simply placed them randomly but evenly distributed over the surface of the quilt. In no time at all, the work was completed!
Detail of "Mosaic," a Design Lines quilt by Dena Crain
The funny thing about this piece is that for the last month we have had swarms of tiny black beetles every evening due to unusual weather patterns. These beetles are so tiny even the window gauze screening does not keep them out! In 18 years of living at Lake Baringo, this is the first time I have experienced these tiny insects. Isn’t it interesting how the things that happen all around us can influence our work in remarkable ways?
Sorry – I’m not yet ready to display the entire piece, as Mosaic is still a quilt art work in progress. But I hope you will take note of this tip for a quick, easy, and attractive quilting technique. Perhaps you will find a place for quilting with bar tacks in your own quilt art! If so, the only requirement is that you secure the threads well by taking several stitches in place, beginning and end.
Happy tacking!
PS: This quilt sold during the Quilts of East Africa Exhibition at Cotton-by-Post in Ailsa Craig, Canada, in October, 2008.
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I like the tacking! You gave the tacking a modern flair which suits the quilt perfectly. Great job!
Thanks!
thank you it is stuffed with great information I am a South African and love your designs
I have often used this principle – for example “Western Deset” and “Forecast Cooler, Windy” both in my Colour Memories gallery – pass the cursor over the thumbnails to find the quilt then click to get full view. Both ‘tacks’ were single units of fancy stitches on my sewing machine – one features triangles, the other lozenges. Particularly effectve in metallic -I love glitter!! – and as you say – so quick and easy to do at random. Start right at the beginning of the motif, stop right at the end then snip – it a wall hanging. but if bedding, take extra care to porperly start and finish each motif to stand up to the active life of a bed quilt. Program the single motif into your machine if that is possible (mine is a 1994 bernina, by comparison to today’s machines it is slightly programmable) and it will automatically find the starting and finishing point for you.
Thanks, Alison, for sharing!! How are things in Oz?