Julie, aka Jaybird Quilts, and I have a running bet. I bet her last year that she couldn’t wear me out. That I could handle as many quilts as she threw my way…..and this quilt market, she tried. I quilted a bunch of quilts for her booth, and she nearly beat me…..I nearly couldn’t keep up with her. But I prevailed and am happy and slightly worn out!
Photo by: Julie Herman
She released several patterns at this quilt market, but today I am going to show you her Ditto pattern.
I really like this pattern and the diagonal lines that it creates. For this quilt, I quilted feathers in some of the “diagonals” and swirls in the rest. I know that Julie likes feathers, so I love to quilt them on her quilts.
But I didn’t just quilt this Ditto quilt, I quilted a second one with Vanessa’s (V & Co) new fabric line, Simply Color.
First of all, I love Vanessa’s fabric line. The blues and greens are perfect!
This quilt is a great example of “efficient quilting”. When I was quilting this quilt, I was running out of time. The closer I get to Quilt Market, the faster I need to be. But even though I need to be quick, I can’t just quilt an allover…..so I use a few “illusions” to give a quilt a “custom” look as quick as possible!
First, I determine which area(s) of the quilt will show the quilting the most. In those areas, I quilt the same way as normal. In this example, the area that showed the most was the green, so I quilted that with a swirl quilting design.
Secondly, to quilt more efficiently (read: faster), I will quilt my favorite design on a bigger scale. So in this instance, I wanted to quilt circles, so I quilted them on a larger scale then I normally would.
Then, in areas where the quilting won’t show up as much, I pick a design that I know that I can quilt quickly. So in this diagonal line, I quilted a basic swirl. Something that would be quick and easy!
In the smallest diagonals, I picked a design that looks great but that I know that I can quilt quickly.
I love to quilt…..I love starting a new quilt and hoping it will turn out exactly like it looks in my head. I also love the satisfaction of finishing a quilt. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with “quick quilting”. I like to do the best job I can in the shortest time, and this quilt is a perfect example of just that!
I will be back tomorrow with more quilts from Julie!
Happy Quilting!
Quiltingismytherapy's Blog 
These are perfect designs for both quilts, great job! I really love both fabric lines, isn’t fun to see sneak peeks of new fabrics?! I want you to know that you are costing me a FORTUNE with each new post,, I fall in love with each book & fabric line,, that clean up your act/studio book better get here quickly! =) Have a happy day,, Linda Alexander
Another awesome quilting job, well done! Thanks for sharing your technique.
I love how you detail the thought process on the “why” and not just the how. 🙂
this is beautiful, I would love to see an example for a quick quilt for a beginner, I am going to use a long arm for the first time, and I have a quilt thats Squares… 1st time quilt.. any examples?
You and Julie make a great team Angela. Her designs are always great, graphic and fun to try out different fabric. And your quilting is a wonderful element that enhances them so well.
Do you load the quilt on the diagonal, so you can easily quilt across each pattern? Just thinking out loud. It is great!
Nope, I load it regularly and work my way across the quilt quilting each design as I get to it’s section. When I quilted the feathers, I just did a lot of advancing backand forth. Let me know if that helps!
I can’t wait to try out this idea.
Apreciei este website. o material é de fato bom. Irei revir novamente.