Quilting Design for Redwork

[Margaret B.]

I posted this elsewhere too, but perhaps this is a better location for my question:

Hello quilting friends! I am making a redwork quilt for the centennial of the wee hamlet in which I live. It will have 6 redwork blocks -- all embroidered 'sketches' based on landmark buildings around the town, most of which no longer exist. It will also have 6 red-and-white pieced blocks. I am looking for advice re: the actual quilting design. Should I simply quilt around the redwork sketches, or should I do cross-hatching or some other subtle design? It will be a throw-sized quilt and will have a sleeve for hanging as well. I don't want to quilt it too densely, as I don't want to distract from the featured blocks. Any suggestions welcome! Thank you!

View My TQS Profile
margblank

Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:44 pm
Location: Mirror, Alberta, Canada

[Margaret B.]

Would it be possible to post a picture of the top? it can be much easier to see what would look right, than to go from a description.

Although off the top of my head I would suggest echo quilting around the buildings (3/5 lines depending on space) and possibly a simple wreath - feathers or flowers or town badge (if appropriate & simple) on the pieced blocks.

Alternatively you could just do square diamonds on the background, stopping when you come to the embroidered area.

[Margaret B.]

Thanks Rosemary. The top isn't completed yet; however I can post a photo of two of the finished embroidered blocks, so you can get an idea. I am just planning ahead -- call it 'research'! :-)

[Margaret B.]

Here is one of the redwork blocks of which I spoke. Each will be 12" square (finished). This one is of the old railway station, which has been gone for years now. Each block has a description in Pigma pen (red) and the initials of the embroiderer and the date.

Thanks again for any suggestions. :-)

[Margaret B.]

Looking at the picture you have posted, I would slightly change my suggestion to quilting an oval around the embroidered picture, like a photo frame. You could do this as a single line, or a double or even triple line; you could even do a double line and then add an edging of half circles or half ovals reminiscent of a lace edging. It all depends on what you fancy, whether you are going to hand or machine quilt it, and how confident you are on your skills.

For the overall design of the quilting - again it is easier to work out once you can see a layout of the pieces to be quilted, even something as simple as a coloured pencil drawing. I have some ideas about how you might be placing them, - 6 x embroidered + 6 x pieced =12 blocks, either a 3x4 or a 4x3, probably alternating, presumably with a border to contain the whole. If you then block out the ovals of the embroidered areas, you need to consider the negative spaces left. What might work could be twisted rope style borders that link up, separate and link up again with other strands. I am thinking of the picture of the Lod Mosaic floor that Lotti posted in 'Anything Else' or maybe a celtic knot work pattern would work?

[Margaret B.]

Looking at the picture you have posted, I would slightly change my suggestion to quilting an oval around the embroidered picture, like a photo frame. You could do this as a single line, or a double or even triple line; you could even do a double line and then add an edging of half circles or half ovals reminiscent of a lace edging. It all depends on what you fancy, whether you are going to hand or machine quilt it, and how confident you are on your skills.

For the overall design of the quilting - again it is easier to work out once you can see a layout of the pieces to be quilted, even something as simple as a coloured pencil drawing. I have some ideas about how you might be placing them, - 6 x embroidered + 6 x pieced =12 blocks, either a 3x4 or a 4x3, probably alternating, presumably with a border to contain the whole. If you then block out the ovals of the embroidered areas, you need to consider the negative spaces left. What might work could be twisted rope style borders that link up, separate and link up again with other strands. I am thinking of the picture of the Lod Mosaic floor that Bridget posted in 'Anything Else' http://forum/everything-else/5283-lo...o-field-museum or maybe a celtic knot work pattern would work?

[Margaret B.]

Thanks again, Rosemary. I like the idea of the 'frame' around the embroidered picture. There will be a mix of 'landscape' and 'portrait' layouts, but a frame of some sort would work well either way. I am thinking about a 'quilt-as-you-go' approach, and yes, they will be 3 blocks across and 4 down, with narrow sashing in a typical 'quilt-as-you-go' block by block style. I haven't decided on hand or machine -- perhaps a combination of both, with hand quilting on the embroidered blocks and machine on the pieced ones, and then the border. This is a very rustic little hamlet, so I won't be doing too much in the way of 'frills and ferbellows'. ;-) It'll be simplicity all the way. If I were to do a twisted rope quilting design on the border, I think it would be more open and less complex than the Lod Mosaic, but I like the idea.

You have given me a good leg-up to start with.

Thanks again!

Margaret