When An Idea Hits You ~ Go With It!

This is for real!  You know how you always have something to do?  A deadline, a WIP, blocks to piece, dinner to make, and idea to explore, but something comes up and changes your entire schedule?!  You know!  

I am totally putting the blame on Debbie at A Quilter's Table for yoinking me away from my schedule!  Kidding, of course!  The Crosscut Quilt-along on Instagram, hosted by Debbie, was actually the diversion I needed!   A quilt-along that was simply...fast, and low pressure!

Crosscut Quilt
20" x 20"

After all the blocks were finished and the rows assembled, I found I liked it just the way it was! And I have to cut it up?

I was hesitant at first because once you start there's no turning back!  And really, it is worth it!    

After day four, I couldn't help myself.  I needed to finish this quilt.  Not because I was tired or it, of over it...I was excited to see the results.  The results even shocked me.  Me!

I sliced and diced my squares, arranged and rearranged until I came up with the ideal (to me) layout.  The blocks were sewn together again and I was frothing at the bit to quilt it. And then... Screech!!!!  To a halt!!!!

I had an idea!  Heaven help me!  Where these thoughts and ideas come from is any ones guess, but it happened.  I enjoy putting the unexpected in quilting or trying something different.  

What I did, and it's nothing new in the land of quilting, is to insert and accentuate a detail.  I wanted dimension that reflected the block.  Most would call it Trapunto Quilting, basically stuffed or padded quilting.

I didn't find out the 'proper' method for doing Trapunto Quilting, not me!  I just made it up as I went along.

What did I do?  From scraps of batting, I cut two 2" strips batting, folding each strip so there were basically three layers and zig zag stitched from end to end to secure the strip together.

Once I decided where I wanted to place the 'X', I had to decide how I would keep the strips in place.  There were a couple of options from machine stitching, hand stitching to glue basting.  I went with the glue.

I put a fine line of glue under the strips and used a hot dry iron to set the glue.  I wasn't sure if it would work on batting, but it did.  The strips are secure and there won't be any shifting at all.  

After pinning the layers together, it was time to 'let the quilting begin'!  Something I was really looking forward to.  Would this unconventional method work? 

Yes!  This is the result I wanted!  A raised, defined element that works with the original design and gives amazing dimension.  

I first quilted as close to the batting strips as possible, and then quilted each section.  Doing the dense quilting accentuated the 'X' even more.  

Even before washing the detail is there, but I knew after washing and drying it would be even better.  No question.    

The back shows the quilting detail, the raised strips much better than the front.  It's kind of crazy!

This did not disappoint!  In one of the low volume fabrics there was a small touch of green, so I added a tiny piece of green to the binding.

I want to thank Debbie for hosting this quilt-along!  For making it a fun event, one that took me away from my every day responsibilities for just a moment!

I plan on exploring this 'stuffed quilt' detail even more.  I'm wondering what it would look like if I rolled it instead of folded it?  Mixing it with hand quilting, or more machine quilting?  Glue basting it or stitching it?  

Have you done this before?  Something similar?  I'm always looking to push the limits, thinking outside the box, pushing the boundaries!  I may not have done the traditional Trapunto method, but what I did worked for me. 

If we never pushed and experimented, we would never learn.   Or have all these wonderful new methods and techniques!

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