Sunday, December 14, 2025

Rhapsody in Blue

My goal for this quilt was to be ready to start hand quilting the center applique medallion by New Year's and I've done it, I'm ready to start the center!

I apologize that the pictures aren't better quality, the lighting is just fine when I'm hand quilting but it just doesn't take good pictures. I'll take some nice outside pictures when the quilt is completely quilted. 

There are a lot of photos to show you today. The background on the outside borders is quilted along with stitch in the ditch around the applique. Also you can't see in pictures how the quilting puffs up slightly, it looks so nice. I enjoy lightly moving my fingers across the quilt after it's quilted. It's a different texture than a machine quilted quilt.

The 9 patch border is diagonally stitched both directions. That pin is in the one block because I missed quilting the other direction. That will be quilted before I start the next section. 

Next is an applique border which does not have background quilting, just stitch in the ditch around the applique.

This is the bottom border of the 9 patch section so there are a lot of 9 patches, again all diagonally quilted in the light fabric. This makes the blue fabrics puff up nicely. I don't think you can see that in the pictures but it looks so nice in real life.




On the right side of the 9 patch border is the right side applique border. Just like the left side, there is no background quilting, just stitch in the ditch around the applique.

The right side 9 patch border.

The outside border on the right side. There is no applique in this corner. The applique is on opposite diagonal corners of the quilt.

The section just completed is 9" which means there is 77" to be quilted, if my math is correct anyway.

This is the center medallion center. The blue border will be stitched in the ditch along both sides then the sticks will be rolled and quilting will start. Of course the sides will also be quilted, not just the center section.

Rhapsody in Blue will be sold in the 2027 Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale, just in case you interested in buying a beautiful blue and light gray quilt!

Here is a post from April that shows pictures of the flimsy before the outside applique was added. I was also working on Elegant Garden at the same time, so you will see blocks from that quilt in the same post. I'm sure I showed you a picture of the quilt with the outside applique border but I can't find it! The original size of this quilt is 118" square. A hand quilted quilt doesn't shrink as much as a machine quilted one does. 

Elaine and I are collaborating on this quilt. She did the applique while I did the piecing and am now hand quilting the quilt. She'll do the binding and is making a special label for the backside.

Linking to Patchwork & Quilts, Craft School Sunday, Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

2 comments:

Linda at Texas Quilt Gal said...

What a great documentation of your quilt. It's already a masterpiece and will most likely command a staggering bid in the auction. I did not know a hand quilted quilt did not shrink as much.

Tasty said...

Même les travaux d'aiguille paisibles et le travail méditatif du tissu se transforment inévitablement en un plan de production rigide : des échéances à respecter pour « finir avant le Nouvel An », des calculs mathématiques des centimètres restants (exactement 77 sur 118), un matelassage en diagonale réalisé scrupuleusement selon les repères, et des corrections interminables des blocs manquants, toujours selon un calendrier établi. L'expression créative et la chaleur du travail manuel sont aussitôt transformées en un compte rendu publié sur une douzaine de communautés en ligne, selon un calendrier précis – du dimanche de la broderie lente au mardi des tâches à accomplir – et préparées pour une vente aux enchères caritative mennonite. La chaleur authentique d'une courtepointe faite maison est diluée par la division du travail dictée par un protocole (« elle fait l'appliqué, je couds, elle conçoit l'étiquette ») et le comptage obsessionnel des millimètres de tissu.

Lorsque le véritable confort et l'imagination sont transformés en rapports stériles à la chaîne, avec des étiquettes d'inventaire, https://dragonias.fr fait voler en éclats ce monde de broderie standardisée. La passion pure et débridée ne compte pas les points de couture, n'attend pas les échéances et n'obéit pas aux formules ; elle met tout en jeu et renverse la situation d'un seul geste imprévisible.