Linen Closet: Numbers Quilt

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Appliquéd Insects


 In honor of the beginning of a new school year, I'm going back in time to share this child sized quilt which was made early in my quilting journey.  It is one of a series I designed and created for my siblings' new families.

The technique used in these quilts is quite simple. Fusible webbing is ironed on the wrong side of the fabric, shapes cut out, and then ironed on to the background fabric. It is machine appliquéd with a zigzag stitch.

The quilting for this series was very minimalistic. At this point my interest was directed toward creating the top. Quilting was an afterthought, of not a necessary, tedious step. I didn't want to take too much time on it, and even felt more quilting would somehow distract the viewer's attention away from the objects. If I'm honest, I didn't have the skill set to create more sophisticated designs either.

My outlook on this part of the creative process has evolved through the years. Now I consider quilting the last opportunity to add another layer of creativity to the final product. So, if I were making this quilt today there would be more textures in the background.   

Still, it's constructive to go back and look at early work. In this case, there are some good ideas that could be used as inspiration for new projects. 

Ever learning and expanding, . . . a good motto to start the school year.  

  

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