Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Sometimes Bigger is Better

 We've always been told that
bigger is better.
But that isn't always necessarily true.

A bigger house, 
a bigger car,
equals bigger payments.

A big Gulp,
a big Mac,
equals big calories.

But sometimes bigger is better.

I just finished my quilt
Basket and Stars.
 I had
Big stitched


using Barb's Big Baptist Fan Stencil


You can find this incredible stencil
on her Esty shop here.

In this case, bigger was better.


I had finished the top of Baskets and Stars
in the fall.
It was a Moda kit I had purchased in the spring and
was part of the Collection of a Cause where
the proceeds were going to the Texas Quilt Museum.

 
"Baskets and Stars"
70" X 70"
2016

The quilting went so fast
and was so fun using
Barb's fabulous stencil and 
stitching with Aurifil #12 thread.

 Look at the amount of
space the stencil covered.
If you haven't tried quilting using
big stitches and some kind
of embroidery cotton for thread,
 you definitely must do it.

I'm pretty conservative when it comes
to marking a quilt.
In this case I used a Sewline

Mechanical Marking Pencil
with white lead.

I usually don't wash my quilts when
I'm done so I wanted the lines to be very faint
and not use some thing that would
add any chemicals to the fibers.

I even had one block leftover that I could
use for the label.
I had hoped to have this done in December,
but the binding just had to wait until January.
It's a wonderful quilt to have finished in 2016.



Until Next Time-

40 comments:

  1. It's wonderful! Congratulations on your finish!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your quilt turned out great! Congrats on your first finish of 2016.
    I'm so glad that you liked using the stencil. Your post made me laugh. Bigger is better with stencils and it does goes surprisingly fast.
    what a nice label.
    Thanks for your glowing review! xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful! I've been meaning to get Barb's stencil. Thanks for reminding me. I've never tried big stitch but I'm going to now. What do you use for a needle?

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful quilt and you did such a great job on the big stitching. I Love that Aurafil 12 wt. thread. You really are on a roll here.. first the red and white quilt.. now this one! Wow!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great finish. I have Barb's stencil but haven't used it yet. I just finished my Henrietta quilt doing the big stitch. I used #12 perle cotton. I love your quilt. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very very beautiful quilt & quilting !

    ReplyDelete
  7. Magnificent!! I LOVE this quilt...and your quilting is the icing on the cake! PERFECT!! I have the pattern and bought a Fat Quarter Bundle of fabric to add to the stash for this quilt...thanks for providing the inspiration! LOVE IT!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Magnificent!! I LOVE this quilt...and your quilting is the icing on the cake! PERFECT!! I have the pattern and bought a Fat Quarter Bundle of fabric to add to the stash for this quilt...thanks for providing the inspiration! LOVE IT!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kyle this quilt has been on my bucket list since you first blogged about it (I keep a screen shot of it hanging on your fence in my favorite quilts folder). Now you have finished it with another technique I have always wanted to try-big stitch quilting and with such a classic quilting pattern-perfect finish.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is absolutely gorgeous! The big stitch fans are perfect!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is just a wonderful quilt. Period!
    I bought Barb's stencil but have yet to use it. I am so slow about getting to hand quilted projects.
    You have done lovely work, Kyle!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a great start for your 2016 quilting year! This quilt is one to wrap up in with all its lovely softness!! Agree, the Sewline marking pencils are wonderful - I keep 2 for marking - 1 for the white and 1 for gray.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks great. I think my regular hand quilting probably qualifies as "big stitch" but I keep working on it. Good to know about the Sewline pencil as I am always on the lookout for marking items that work without leaving a problem in their wake.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your quilt is simply spectacular, and I can't imagine a better quilting pattern for that design than the big Baptist Fan. I love the big swirls it creates across the surface. I have a similar stencil that I've used just once (so far) but it's definitely a keeper, especially for big stitch quilting. Beautiful finish Kyle!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful quilt with lovely stitching! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, that is wonderful! I love the quilting and the fan stencil is awesome. Love the fabrics and colors in this quilt. It so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh I love it Kyle! That big stitch quilting went fast! So cool that you were able to use Barb's stencil. I bet it's so soft and cozy to snuggle under :0) Such a beautiful finish!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I adore Baptist Fan quilting Kyle! Have never seen this big version, but I can see how nice it is. What a wonderful finish!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a great use for the stencil - looks wonderful with the 'quick' quilting! If only we could get that stencil in Australia...

    ReplyDelete
  20. You and your quilts are amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Just gorgeous!! I love that stencil, and have used it to big stitch several quilts...love, love!! Your work is exceptional!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great quilt and your first finish for 2016…congrats. I have that pencil too, though haven’t used yet…ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for sharing your big stitch finish. Your quilt looks great! I hope to give that a try next time around :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I enjoy hand quilting the Baptist Fan. I do not have Barb's stencil but I know it makes a good size fan for getting it done.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Woo hoo! I didn't realize you were still quilting this. It looks great! That stencil always seems to work well, and it was a great choice for this quilt. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a great finish. Everyone seems to be moving toward hand quilting. I love the stencil and the big stitch and will have to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  27. It looks fabulous Kyle!! Love the quilting. Yep, bigger is better here.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Love this fabric range and the pattern, looks great finished.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Such a beautiful classic quilt. That Baptist fan quilt motif is perfect, too.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Such a gorgeous quilt finish!
    And the Baptist Fan quilting design/pattern looks fabulous.
    I too have Barb's BF stencil, looking forward to using it on a future quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love the quilt, congrats on hand quilting it. Good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  32. The quilting is perfect! What a wonderful finish.:)

    ReplyDelete
  33. oh my! it is gorgeous. Beautifully hand quilted!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is just beautiful Kyle - such a soft finish. And thanks for sharing the info about how you marked it. I too seldom wash my quilts right after they have been quilted so I'm always on the lookout for a way to mark them without leaving a dark line. I'll have to look for this marker.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love this post! I finished my piecing last weekend and am still thinking about how to quilt her. I think I might have done a stupid thing though. I cut out the back of the applique stars as I've done on other projects, but have since wondered it that was a good idea. I wasn't going to quilt on top of the stars, but now I think that I need to to secure them. I also added a 2.5" border all around because it seemed to look a little unfinished and sparse. I love your idea for the baptist fan quilting--one I've always wanted to try, and one which will solve my problem. The curves will soften the look of the other sharp points and compliment the basket handles. I've done big stitch quilting with embroidery thread and do love it! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I Love your quilt Kyle. I also absolutely love the Baptist Fan template. At one time a few years ago that was the only one I used. You think alot like me with not washing the quilt afterwards, so needing a faint drawing line.
    The pattern and quilt are really lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Congratulations on a fantastic finish! Love the texture of the fan hand quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Wow! Barb's stencil and the quilting added the perfect touch to a beautiful basket quilt! What a great way to start 2016!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I have the stencil and the quilt finished I want to use it on.......thanks for the inspiration to get it done! Your quilt is lovely, I bet after you wash it the quilting will be even more beautiful. Happy Sewing for a productive 2016

    ReplyDelete
  40. LOVE this quilt. LOVE the colors. LOVE the background fabric. And what's not to love about the big stitching using Barb's stencil. Such a fantastic job, Kyle! I've wanted to order a stencil from her Etsy shop but have been waiting to see it in use. Here it is, and I'll be ordering one soon.

    ReplyDelete