Sunset - Ta Da!

Sunset is finished. After trimming and washing, she is 42" wide by 41" tall. I used a bunch of Kona solids with Kona Charcoal for the background and binding.



I have a lot of photographs of this quilt, but none of them actually show her off that well. The reds and oranges tend to turn into saturated burning blobs and the threads disappear. Like a sunset I guess.

For the matchstick quilting, I used a lot of different threads, including Aurifil, King Tut by Superior Threads, Sulky, and Valdani. They are 40wt and 50wt.



The picture above is the back after washing. The orange strip is a Katie Jump Rope print by Denyse Schmidt. I varied the thread colours randomly, with no advance plan, as I felt like it.



This back photo is before washing, the only photo here that is. You can see that the washing added some more texture but it is not a dramatic change. The real change from washing is in the drape of the quilt. Even though I pre-washed all the fabrics, the quilt gets fairly stiff from the matchstick quilting. After the wash, it feels and moves almost like any other quilt, a significant improvement in the drape.



You can see the matchstick quilting better in the close up photos. I worked to make the lines unevenly spaced and added some greater spaces from time to time. I use a fairly long stitch length, it is 4 on my Horizon.



To keep the lines from tipping over or becoming too wobbly, I used a hera marker and marked a line about every 2".



I started quilting in the middle and just worked to the edge. I encountered some pulling when I returned to the middle and changed directions, you can read about it here. Some folks have suggested first quilting lines spaced 1" or 2" apart over the whole quilt and then returning to fill it in. I think I might try that next time as it will also provide markings that are easier to see than the hera marker.



Other people suggested quilting down a line, taking the quilt and turning it and quilting up next the line. While that is how I quilt small items, and I expect it is a method that will seriously reduce any pulling on the fabrics and piecing, given the time and effort to matchstick quilt this, all that extra turning of a quilt even this size is not for me. I did find that it also helps to lessen the pressure on the presser foot and to remember to hold the fabric in place as I went, especially at the beginning of a line, to reduce any stretching.



A bunch of the photo attempts were on a windy day. I love this action shot, although it is hard to see the details. You can also see a little of how my house is decorated outside for the holidays. It is hard to decorate evergreens that are over 50 feet high and take up the entire frontage of the house.



And here is probably the best photo I have. I adore Sunset. All she needs is a hanging sleeve, and she is going on the wall.

By the way, my back has improved dramatically, and should be all better soon. And I am mostly on holidays after today, so there will be more blogging and sewing for me, in between cooking, and visiting and relaxing.

Finally, don't forget that Q4 of the Finish-A-Long is drawing to a close. I, for one, will be working on my finishes in the week after Christmas to get them done before the end of the quarter, maybe you will be too. I will share more on the schedule for year's end this weekend.



I am going to show off Sunset around the internet, and there will be other lovelies to visit at each link - Fabric Tuesday, TGIFF, Finish it up Friday.

Best,

Leanne