Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Medallion Chinese Coins IV is a Wrap

I can't settle in for long quilting sessions. It's up and down all day - short spurts of quilting with long breaks to complete other tasks. Consequently this little top took weeks to finish. It should have taken about half a day. But it's done. Quilted, bound, signed, washed, and dried.

Say it with Flowers:
Medallion Chinese Coins IV quilt

The first quilting idea was a single squared-off spiral. The sketches looked good on the borders but didn't work in the center. Then I saw Barb's post of Baptist Fans on a variety of quilts and knew that was the solution... again. The examples with seven curves were particularly attractive so I determined to try them. The result?

Not quite as good as I wanted. The final curves are much larger than the available area under my needle so I had to stop in the middle of each, reposition, and start again. Almost every one has a jog or curve change there. Perhaps not as noticeable to you as it is to me.

Baptist fan quilting with seven arcs

This reinforces a post by Amy. Among other tips she mentions the "range of motion that keeps the top under control and flat at the needle." In my case, five curves is the maximum for my machine. Lesson learned and hopefully will be remembered.

Binding detail on
Medallion Chinese Coins IV quilt

There were a number of blue bindings in the leftover bin. All sewed together, they make a good finish. And the fans look better than I first thought. What a relief.

Quilt Details
Size: 45" x 52"
Design: Chinese Coins
Batting: Hobbs Premium 100% bleached cotton
Thread: tan Superior cotton thread, YLI nylon monofilament
Quilting: walking foot spiral and free motion quilting

Enjoy the day, Ann

27 comments:

Quilting Babcia said...

I think this is my favorite of all the Chinese Coin series you've posted. So pretty with the appliqued flowers scattered about over the coins. Baptist Fan is about the best go-to quilting pattern for so many quilts, and it looks great here too.

Julierose said...

I think your quilting looks fabulous! And I just love how those flowers spill out of the center medallion--lovely work hugs, Julierose

Quiltdivajulie said...

Little bobbles like that prove we did it ourselves without a panto so I am learning not to stress so much over them. In fact, I am quite enjoying the ability to finish things myself. Fans were definitely the right choice for your wonderful quilt!!!

Rose Marie said...

Wow ..... it turned out perfectly!

PaulaB quilts said...

I agree with QB..This is the winner for sure. It's so charming. The scattered flowers are delightful.

Nifty Quilts said...

Yay! Beautiful finish! The Baptist fans are perfect. Any little imperfections only give the quilt more of your own human hand.

Judy said...

I like it! It's a nice combination of interesting fabrics and quilting.

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

I told Frank just last night...there are some people who do perfect quilting, then there is me. And that is OK!

audrey said...

I adore this quilt, the scrappy goodness, the rich colors, the simple but striking applique! Your Baptist fans add an extra layer of texture. Love it!

patty a. said...

The quilt turned out great! I like the high contrast and the appliques.

Mel Beach said...

The quilted Baptist Fans add amazing movement and texture!! Great choice!

Ann said...

I'm delighted to know you like this one best. Adding the applique flowers raised the level of this quilt. Baptist Fans are a wonderful way to add texture to quilts. I'm noticing them frequently on vintage quilts. Thanks for writing.

Ann said...

Thanks, Julie Rose. The flowers make the quilt look finished, don't they?

Ann said...

Such a good point, Julie. We work to be better and more accurate but I still want my work to look handmade. This design makes it easier to quilt my tops myself. Like you, that's a big plus.

Ann said...

Thanks, Rose Marie.

Ann said...

Thanks, Paula. It turned out better than I thought. Those flowers were definitely needed. Thanks for writing.

Ann said...

Thanks, LeeAnn. I like that thought - the human hand.

Ann said...

These were the last scraps in my bag... at the time. It's full again now. Mixing curved quilting with straight-line piecing makes a good combination. Thanks for writing, Judy.

Ann said...

Well, my quilting is far from perfect either. I realize I like printed fabrics much more than solids and the quilting doesn't show very much. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Ann said...

How kind of you, Audrey. Those scraps hung around the bottom of the bag for years. I'm glad I forced myself to use them all. Like some of your fabrics: they are good quality; just old. It's great fun to see what we can make from them. I'm sold on Baptist fans these days.

Ann said...

Thanks, Patty. I now realize many of my scrap quilts are high contrast. Adding applique is a challenge but finished the top.

Ann said...

Thanks, Mel. It would be fun to try them on a very small scale, wouldn't it?

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

A lovely quilt, I really like how the scattered flowers tumble out into the border! Thanks for sharing with 'sew stitch snap SHARE'.

Ann said...

Thanks for hosting S4. Such fun to see the lovely variety of quilts and projects there.

Mystic Quilter said...

Beautiful finish Ann and thanks for the mention of posts referring to Baptist Fan.

Ann said...

I'm glad you find them useful. I always enjoy seeing what others have written. We can learn so much from each other. Thanks, Maureen.

Angie in SoCal said...

Medallion Chinese Coins IV still my favorite of all of yours.