Are you a quilter or garment sewer?

Most people who sew identify themselves as 'quilters' or 'garment sewers'.  I have made at least 12 quilts but my true passion is to produce garments.  You can never have enough clothes!  Most of the quilts I have made were hand quilted.  My grandmother quilted and pieced the entire quilt by hand.  Now that many quilters are machine quilting rather than hand quilting I think I may get my feet wet again. I'm sure those wonderful embroidery units have something to do with this transition. Can't wait to use those built in designs on my Bernina 830!  Perhaps it wont take me a year to complete if I try something different.  This mini quilt took just one day !  (Can't wait to try the Babylock Sashiko for the hand stitched look too!)




 Honestly, the hardest part was testing the type of batting or interfacing to get the right amount of support so it wouldn't curl against a wall. I tested Floriani's Stitch and Shape, Pellons's Flex-Foam and light weight polyester batting.  I ended up fusing Decor Bond to the fabric and the polyester batting as a filler.  Stitch and Shape sews like a dream but is very rigid and doesn't bend in a seam allowance. I will save that product for a tote bag or portfolio cover. The Flex Foam was simply too thick.  I wanted the wall hanging to be somewhat stiff so it wouldn't curl with a softer appearance.

 I decided to add a rod pocket to the top and bottom so I could insert a thin wood slat or dowel rod if I needed it.  The wall hanging measures 15x17".  (Sorry, I put buttons over their faces for privacy.) I embroidered Christmas 2016 with the built in font on my 830 and reduced the size to 80%.  I didn't use a separate software program which saved me quite a bit of time.  This size photo quilt would also look great in a frame.