Sally's Beautiful Caswell Quilt

 Once again, another amazing applique quilt from Sally.   Her vision for these appliques and fabric choices are so nice, there are lots of details in this quilt.   I have included a ton of photos, I apologize.  I haven't taken the time to really analyze, but the texture looked right so I put it in!    So much to see in this big quilt.   30 blocks if my memory serves me correct.    I used Quilters Dream wool and almost all quilting was done with Aurifil cotton thread.   Yummy!   Even though the quilting is on the dense level, this quilt is still oh so soft and cuddly. 

 



  

 

 

This had a very distinctive border, I finally decided by doodling on it that I would mimic the spacing.   I placed an echoed wavy line between the 2 designs, a fat feather over the yellow and about a 1/4" grid on the outside.   My doodle also included pebbling from the wavy line to the feathers, but I really couldn't see my thread on that fabric under the needle so I opted to omit the pebbles and I think that plan was good.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The back is a beautiful brown floral and at first I was very concerned with the tons of light Aurifil thread on the back in the pebbling and outlining.  The contrast was stark, but once you get enough on the backside it starts to look OK. and recedes to the background.  

 

This client did not want blue or purple markers used on this quilt as she does not intend to block or launder, at least not anytime in the near future.  I pre-marked the grid with a white Bohin type mechanical pencil over a sandpaper board trying to keep the fabric in line and not shift.   It was a daunting task, the fabric does shift, the pencil has to be marked back and forth all of which affects acuracy.  Even with that areas were faint and even more faint in appearance when I got this on the frame and that lighting.   My conclusion is, I must be able to use a high contrast marker for this type of grid quilting.  When quilting,  I come up to an area, 3 lines may intersect plus background fill, then on to the next section continuously.   I'm not trying to stitch one line in and out over the top as it cuts across the applique.  I am working and traveling across the quilt regardless which direction the lines are going, stitching what is immediately in front of the needle.

 

There are good products, plain old water, water with a little baking soda and a product I like called Blue Line Eraser.   Even with removing the lines as I work, I still feel like the quilt should have a soak when completed to completely wash away any traces of that marker.   I'm not sure if that is the proper conclusion, it's just the way I think.   The next issue with using any of these removal methods is surface bleeding of fabrics!   Yikes!   Most of the time any bleeding, as long as it isn't heat seat will remove when soaked.  There are oodles of articles on the web out there on that.  One good one by Vicki Welsh.   I've had my fair share of bleeders in my own quilts but they have soaked away just fine.  Sound in if you have any thoughts on the matter!