Thursday, November 24, 2011

They're Coming To Take Me Away..Ha Ha!


That's right, I can hear them coming....it's The Quilt Police!!!
Once they see what I did on Robin's Mystery quilt I'm sure they will be after me.
My crime...using black thread on top and bright yellow in the bobbin. That's right I did it!  I'm guilty :)
I am slowly learning the advantages of matching thread top and bottom but sometimes I just can't bring myself to do it.  Robin bought a beautiful yellow fabric for the back and to use black thread on that would be a bigger crime in my opinion.  I like to match my bobbin thread with the backing fabric...there I said it!


Yes if you look really close you can see some black dots on the back but that can be okay if you know your client will be okay with it.  I set the tension so the yellow would not show on the top.  I knew Robin would be fine with how it looks and she was.  She knows after it is washed some of that will disappear and that most people don't look at quilts like quilters do and will never notice.  But I do have other clients that would go nuts with the dots and I would have just suggested to them to get a black backing instead. I am lucky to know my clients well.


I think we all have our different views on the subject of matching top and bottom threads and I don't think there is one right answer.  It all depends on the quilt, the client's preferences and the quilters experience. 
Am I crazy...don't be afraid to tell me, I can take it ;)


Did a little shovelling and sweeping and now have a new spot to lay quilts.  The sun is just above the trees at noon so this is the only place to get a good picture this time of year.  There is a good 4 inches of ice near the shore so enough to hold my weight.  


This is Mystery quilt #13.
Rhapsody is the panto I chose as it matches the design in the printed fabric.

15 comments:

  1. Looks great as always! Matching makes sense to me but then I'm to whom little dots din't bother!! Can hardly wait to see this one up close! Was going to make a comment about your title but will let your imagination fill in the blanks!!And I also noticed that the fish match too!!! E

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's gorgeous! I've never really thought about the bobbin thread on a machine quilted quilt - I don't often look at the back of a quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are right, it is important that you know your customer's preferences, and the quilting on mystery quit 13 is lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is gorgeous! An A+. Love the quilting and the colors. C

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am always a little nervous of using different colours...you never really know if it's OK till it's completely off the frame but I do love the contrast on this quilt. It looks great out on the ice but you make me a little nervous going out there....I am sure that just last week it was still water....'Be careful out there!'

    Best Wishes
    Kay in Scotland

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm with you...I would rather have my thread match the back fabric or close to it with pokies than a really dark thread on a light back. Good choice!!

    those are tough though.... tension nightmares sometimes!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I often match the top thread with the top and the bobbin thread with the back. The only rule I follow is to trust myself and my quilting choices.

    I love seeing the quilts on the snow. They just look awesome. Thanks for sharing.

    Oh yeah, I really like the quilting on this quilt too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are my hero, Kathy!!! :-) I always match top and bottom threads, but hate dark thread on a light back. It so can make your quilting look worse. I'm always afraid of the pokies, so I always match. I'm going to ask my customers from now on if they don't mind a few pokies here and there. Really its' usually not that bad. :-) Thank you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your quilting is beautiful by the way!!! I can't believe how much snow and ice you have!!!! I walked outside with a sweatshirt today!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. In a perfect world, I like to have the backing with a bit of a print in it so that if there is a difference in thread colors, it doesn't show. Right now I'm doing a quilt with tan on top and blue on the backing . . . my tension has to be perfect or the tan shows threw . . . but it's my quilt . .. so it's OK. I would prefer not to use a totally contrasting thread on the bottom that shows every single stitch on the backing.

    Your quilting and presentation on the dock are just fabulous!

    Bev

    ReplyDelete
  11. ....correct spelling ... through not threw . . . my spelling teacher would not be happy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bev here is a trick I learnt along time ago. If the backing fabric is dark and your using dark thread in the bobbin and the top thread is light...use a Sharpie marker on the light colored pokies of thread on the backing. Voila...a few hours later all the pokies are gone :)
    P.S. Only do this if it is your own quilt!!

    ReplyDelete