Black and White Fun.




Who doesn't like black and white? It can be classic, it can be modern, it can be whatever you want it to be. Combining printed blacks with solid white to get this design was brilliant by creator Lynn who was following a Bonnie Hunter Quilt Along. 


When Lynn first brought me this quilt, she wanted me to accentuate the white in the quilt. Makes sense given that this would be great negative space and where you would actually see the quilting. If this quilt were done in less busy colors, then you really could have two different designs to go for, that is quilt them so the eye is drawn to these specific areas. Because this particular quilt is so busy, as far as fabric choices go, the only quilting the eye would see is in the white and in the solid black border.
 
Accent Quilting #1
Accent Quilting #2

How did I come up with my quilting choice for the white? Well, by now you must know that I prefer to do straight line quilting. I love to do modern quilts. Sometimes the simplicity of the design takes a few hours to concoct. After all, the design must be within the customers likes and your ability as a longarm quilter to create it in your head and then quilt it.

I knew that the center white square needed to be quartered. So from corner to corner I did a stitching line, and then I just accentuated the lines. A 1/2 inch from the original "x", then a 1/4" for each line there after. I like that it breaks the block up, helps the eye come towards the center and also compliments the simplicity of the quilt.


Bonnie Hunter even signed a block for Lynn, so I knew that I wanted this triangle section to be quilted differently than the rest. Although a subtle design change, it makes the autograph stand out. 


I did use Madeira monofilament in the black and white sections. Lynn was hesitant at first until she was able to feel the quality of the thread and how thin it was. No fishing line in my studio! To be able to blend light and dark, especially black and white fabrics, and not have to change thread or see the quilting makes monofilament a must sometimes! I just did straight line quilting in the black and white.



 Now to my favorite part! The black borders! I didn't want super heavy quilting in these. Lynn and I had discussed doing more triangles in the border. So, after some playing around I finally decided on what to do! First, I needed to find the center and mark it. I used my handy dandy chalk pencil to draw the center line. I then measured the size of the white triangles in the body of the quilt so I could replicate them in the border with the correct size. Keeping things proportional in quilting is important for balance.




I had to make sure that I measured the point of the triangle correctly too. Easy as one, two, three with the right tools!





I did do one line of echoing at the top point of the triangle. This helped give the border more stability and allowed the triangle to be seen. 


 At the very top of the border I had to improvise because there wasn't enough room to get another triangle out of the border. I decided to do some straight line quilting again, as I did in the very outside border. I feel like straight lines help keep things straight, tight near the edges of the quilt so there isn't any rippling. I was pleased with how this design turned out.

How did I get the chalk line out? I used a scrap piece of fabric and rubbed the chalk right out! I am always trying to find good marking tools, especially ones that are easy to remove from fabric.

 Here is the final quilt all squared and surged. Lynn was at my door two hours after I told her it was all finished! I think she really wanted to see how it was transformed! She even brought it to our Modern Quilt Holiday meeting and showed it off. I love being able to see a clients face light up when their quilt is transformed.



 Thank you again for reading.  A special Thank You to all of you that allow me the pleasure to transform your quilt. I am forever grateful.

Have a Merry Christmas!

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