It has been a while since you saw anything from this kitchen project. The blocks are from the ‘Tea for Kate’ set that I designed in 2016.
This is what I started out planning.
I used lots of Alison Glass fabrics combined with lots of ‘pretty friends’. The blocks are 12x 12 inch and I added a 3 inch border. It will be a 30″x42″ wallhanging. I used all different white-on-white fabrics for the background.
This quilt will go on a wall near my kitchen, and I decided to use a double batting: 100% cotton on the bottom an a wool on top. The wool batting is supposed to give extra poof to the quilting. I have never used wool before and to me the batting looked rather thin. Well, the ‘proof is in the pudding’ as the British say, right?
When the quilt was on the longarm, I started with stabilizing the top by stitching in the ditch along the outside of the block. I used a longarm ruler by Jamie Wallen’s Quilters’ Apothecary. This ruler has a handle that you can hold for better control. This type of ruler does NOT work with a normal domestic machine as the available height does not comply with the handle and the way you position your hand. This ruler only is an option for midarms or longarm machines, I guess.
After stabilizing the quilt, I ditched outside all the colored fabrics, while switching thread colors for each different fabric. The threads were all different weights and I was too late to realize that I should have checked tension with every switch… well the back of this quilt will be towards the kitchen wall… nobody will see it. I will show you it later, but that is about all the screen time it will get, ha ha
The kitchenware will get straight line quilting with a few circles sprinkled around. I am using circle rulers by I Love To Quilt for the cake block, a local Dutch company. I did markt the ereas destined for the circles with a blue water erasable pen.
I used the same blue pen for marking up the background… but I need your help deciding on what pattern to apply there. I will quilt with white thread and am aiming for texture.
What do you think? Which one should I use to fill in the background?
Little squares alternating horizontal and vertical line quilting ?
orange peel
An orange peel with filler (using this tutorial)
Maybe dogwood?
Or 45 degrees angle straight line quilting?
So, what is your favorite pattern for the background? I am leaning towards the filled in orange peel.
Have a lovely week!
Esther
ipatchandquilt 
I also like the filled orange peel. Cute wall hanging! 🙂
Thank you Laura!!!
Have a lovely day!
Esther
How lovely to see these blocks again! I agree with you that the filled orange peel design is best: it makes the white background look like a beautiful damask-patterned tablecloth.
Yes! That is the idea I was going for! Thank you for confirming my hunch.
Hugs
Esther
I would go with orange peel but not the filled one. BTW are you in the Netherlands Esther ? its just with you linking to a Dutch ruler company I had not heard of. Thanks brenda
Hello Brenda,
Yes, I live in the very south of the Netherlands, close to the German border. Thanks for your advice!
Have a lovely day
Esther
I was hoping to be cycling there this year but doesnt look like it will happen. I have friends in Bergen op Zoom and Zoetermeer
Good Morning Esther:
De design on the quilt is very bold and colorful. I would not do any background design at all. Compromise.. user a design, but in the same color as the background. That “soften” the whole quilt. I will send you an e-mail and explain.
Annie
Thanks for the email!
Hugs
Esther
Definitely orange peel!
Thank you for your advice! I love the orange peel too!
Have a lovely day
Esther
I like the round fills for this quilt. And I never knew the name “dogwood” — I thought that was orange peel too!
As far as I know, the dogwood is a orange peel placed horizontal and vertical. A orange peel is diagonal. A dogwood can be done with a curve that does not create a circle. It can be flatter than a orange peel.
Have a lovely day,
Esther
Very cute quilt! I like the filled orange peel. Are you liking the two layer batting? I love using wool batting, especially my favorite, Quilter’s Dream Wool.
Thank you for your advice! I really don’t know about the double bat. It is slightly thicker I can see that. So far no real extra poof as the background in still unquilted. There is not a lot of contrast yet. I do hope the double bat will do the trick.
Have a lovely week
Esther
I guess I’m not with the majority. I was immediately drawn to the 45 degree quilting!
It is a lovely quilt!
Thank you for your input! I also really like that option too!
Esther
I like ranked choice voting for politics and other decisions. LOL.
1.Small squares 2. filled orange peel 3. 45-degree angle
Have fun!
Hi Esther, I lean toward the orange peel. The front is busy enough that the background can be simple. Very nice work. Laura in Utah
I admire your quilting skills so much. I really like the simple orange peel. No offense, but I feel the more complex,(busier) patterns detract from the items, teapot dishes , etc. Just MY opinion. Love your work, or is it really “PLAY”? Joette
Hi
I would do the orange peel on a light grey, just enough colour to create a texture without dominating!
Looks very good!