I’ve finished round two of stitching on my sunset kawandi, and it was so worth it. I love that I spend time after each project evaluating, so I’m going to share my thoughts on this one with you.
First off, I may never make anything larger than a placemat without a double gauze backing, ever again. It is a dream to stitch through, and the finished quilt is almost buttery, it is so soft. I’m excited to see what happens after I wash it.
Starting on the longarm and basting down fabrics to help me sort colors was a great idea. I will be doing more of that in my next projects. For a sunset Kawandi, it helped make it very easy to keep track of what I was doing.
Constructing the top quickly, with wide-ish rows, then going back and adding a second round of stitching is interesting. The second round was easier, and more meditative, but it wasn’t as much fun as constructing. However, it does make the project more portable, which is nice. It also caught a lot of little wobbles and loose bits, and I really liked that. This piece feels very sturdy, ready for serious use. Which is a good thing, because Oscar and CJ are absolutely obsessed with it.
Silk batting is a dream to stitch though. Maybe even better than cotton wool blend. So I now have a new favorite setup for my quilt bases. As soon as I finish off a couple of my current batting rolls, I’ll be ordering myself a roll of silk to have on hand. I prefer using rolls when possible – cheaper long term, and the batting is nice and flat, except for one fold.
The little collages I did are an absolute delight to find in the quilt. I think they may become a regular part of my process. I’ll be releasing an on-demand class for them early in September.
Adding silk and velvet to the piece is fun, and they are easy enough to stitch through. I don’t know how they will hold up in the wash, but the absolute worst case is that they disintegrate, at which point I will add a patch. So, no real downside to that experiment.
If you have been wanting to take a class with me, I have a quick offering. I’m part of the Scrap Success Summit, which starts today. I’ve got a 45 minute Kawandi Style Quilting video there, which you can watch for free, although we will do our best to sell you the bundle. There are opportunities to purchase permanent access to the videos (there are 26 classes from 21 teachers), along with other bonus products. My bonus content is my Kawandi Project Pouch pattern. I also have an on-demand class at Gotham Quilts which is always available, and I periodically add more content. I’ve also got live teaching events coming up at Berry Basket Quilters (Medford, NJ) and at Art in the Barn (Furlong, PA) in September.
Hi Jen
I just watched your Scrap Success Summit. I’m excited to try something. I’m wondering what I would do with a 12″ square so i think my first project will be more of a placemat size or rectangle. I absolutely love your sunset!
It’s always a struggle between teaching a practical size versus the time it takes to demonstrate the basic skills. A placemat is a great size to start with.
I took your Scrap Success class, thank you! I’m working on the 12sq and think it’ll be a cute wall hanging somewhere in our house:)
I’m so glad you were inspired to give it a try!
What brand/type of silk batting do you use? Is it 100 percent silk, or a blend with bamboo or polyester?
I use Hobbs, which is a blend of other things as well.