Quilt: Walking Wheel

    Details:
  • Dimensions: 39 1/2" x 39 1/2"
  • Design, Piecing, Assembly and Hand Quilting/Embroidery: Joanne Grimes
  • Fabrics: Varieties from local thrift stores
  • Quilting/Embroidering Threads: 3 Strand Embroidery
  • Embroidering Stitches: Stem, Portuguese Stem & Wide Chain see WalkingWheel closeup images

Wow, it has been awhile! I took a break so I could reacquaint myself with the real world. I received an invite to a show the other day so I decided to make some new stuff for it. The due date is April 20th. I am breaking my own little rule about not repeating designs, but the current Walking Wheel quilt is a tie quilt, way too heavy, too big to hang, and is being used on a bed. I do want all of my designs to be show worthy so I have deemed it OK to redo my tie quilts so they can be shown properly. I am only doing the same design. The fabrics, quilting and size are all different. Time to get to work.

    Click on a day to see progress:
  • Mar 31, 2015
  • Mar 8, 2015
  • Mar 3, 2015
  • Feb 23, 2015
  • Feb 15, 2015
  • Feb 14, 2015
  • Feb 9, 2015
  • Feb 8, 2015
  • Feb 3, 2015
  • Feb 2, 2015
  • Feb 1, 2015
  • Jan 31, 2015
  • Jan 25, 2015
  • Jan 24, 2015
  • Jan 18, 2015
  • Jan 17, 2015
  • Jan 11, 2015
  • Jan 10, 2015

  • Jan 10

    Of course I must contemplate which design to do. Well I did have to figure this out and it just ended up being a tie quilt redo.

    This is the design.

    The tools I use to draw the design to size.

    The finished design. This is a closeup. The circled numbers are the individual pieces. The other numbers indicate where each piece connects to another.


    Jan 11

    I picked out fabrics and grouped the numbered pieces in their proper fabric selections. I am using 12 different fabrics. It took a little figuring what went where, but with a little help from my 12 yr old we got the groupings matched to their fabrics.



    This is what my groupings look like. Don't ask me to explain it. All that matters is that I know what to do with it. Basically the lines of numbers correspond with the numbers on the pattern. The circled numbers go with the fabrics. The little symbols match roughly what the pattern pieces look like.



    Jan 17

    I start in the middle as usual. This is the grouping that fits together quite well for ease of sewing.

    The pieces are pressed onto their fabrics and laid out how they will be sewn together.


    The first two pieces are sewn together


    The center hexagon is added to the sewn pieces


    More pieces are added.


    I keep adding pieces.



    Not bad so far...


    Jan 18

    I finish up the first section. I did make a change on the round next to the little equilateral triangles so that the pieces contrast better.

    The second section is ready to go. Now I basically repeat the process from Jan 17.

    1


    3

    2

    5


    7

    4


    6


    Jan 24

    I keep adding pieces...



    ...until I get done with round 2.



    Jan 25

    Round 3 paper is cut, pressed to fabric, fabric pieces cut and laid out properly. This is the last round.



    Here I go...Showing one section...



    So then I repeat from the top of today and add another section. I did have to handstitch some of the curvier pieces. It just takes too long to mess around machine stitching real round parts.



    Jan 31

    So I add another section or two. I think I've got the curved piecing figured out quite well. I haven't had to rip out many pieces in awhile. Yay for me.



    Feb 1

    All sections and borders are added. I did a quick prewash to get rid of the washable marker. It's now ironed out and ready to make a quilt sandwich.



    Feb 2

    The sandwich is made and pinned from the back. I did this upside down because the top is flattest against the floor.



    Feb 3

    I picked some threads for the quilt top. I doubt I'll stick with what I picked out completely, but this gives me a base line idea. I'll be using embroidery thread and hand quilting the top.

    I drew out a design on the quilt top. It's rough and hard to see on the maroonish area, but it's there.


    Feb 8

    I start quilting the top with embroidery thread. I ditched the threads I originally picked, well not all of them. I rearranged the embroidery thread in the box and I pick thread colors as I quilt.


    Feb 9

    Here is what the back looks like so far.

    I finished out the green half heart.


    Feb 14

    I did another section with the triangles and half hearts. It's coming along nicely.

    The progress is seen better on the back.


    Feb 15

    ...and I hand quilt another section. Yup it's boring to look at. This takes time, which isn't very exciting.

    The back is a little more interesting to look at, but not by much.


    Feb 23

    ...stitching on...hard to tell I did anything, but I did...



    Mar 3

    I finish the inner star and half heart area. in the green and maroon half hearts I used a Portuguese Stem Stitch. One can't really tell from the pics, but it's there.



    Mar 8

    Stitching, sewing, hand quilting, embroidering, whatever you want to call it. It's getting done. I am using a wide chain stitch for the single flower petals that are scattered around the darker maroon area.



    Mar 31

    All done! Here's a couple of closeups showing the stitches used. It's entirely pieced. My signature is there, too.



    The original tie quilt


      Details:
    • Dimensions: Full Size
    • Design, Assembly and Tie Quilting: Joanne Grimes
    • Fabrics: Varieties from local thrift stores
    • Tie Quilting: Yarn