Modern Charm quilt

Happy mail = Happy day!
Friday's delivery of the usual bills also included these four fine specimens....
Four new cones of Magnifico by Superior Threads!

Four new cones of Magnifico by Superior Threads

They are Pink Pink Pink #2008, Aruba #2142, Passionate Purple #2124 and Electric Green #2101.

 I layered my quilt backing, batting and top for a pin basting session that afternoon.

Then Aunt Elna and I spent the weekend working away on the Modern Charm quilt.

And after three days of intense quilting, I was finally able to apply the binding.

I have long been admiring examples of the Spiral Quilting as shown on blogs such as Amanda Jean's Crazy Mom Quilts and Svetlana of S.O.T.A.K Handmade.

With the larger throat space of my Aunt Elna, I was finally able to try my hand at spiral quilting, and added a little interest with echo quilting thrown into the mix.

I was afraid that those bright Magnifico threads were going to be too much.  That they would detract from the design.  And that each little mistake would be so much more obvious.

But it isn't until you see the back of the quilt, that you can even appreciate all those hours.

Quilt Stats

Title:  Modern Charm

Fabrics:  Charm pack of Simply Style by V & Co., sashing and binding is Folio by Color Principle for Henry Glass & Co., and background in Artichoke of the The Morris Apprentice collection by Barbara Brackman for Moda.  Backing is Winter Parade by Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle for Henry Glass & Co.

Quilting:  Spiral and Echo quilting in a 3.5 stitch length using Magnifico by Superior Threads.

Size:  62" x 67"

Pattern:  Modern Charm for sale in my pattern store.

What can I say about those Magnifico threads?
I am in love with them!

Having previously used Superior's Fantastico thread, I was eager to try a bolder thread that would help this quilting design stand apart from the background.

The sheen of the Magnifico is amazing!

Aunt Elna and I are also tremendously pleased with the new needles we ordered.  While piecing the thick seams of the Fox & Friends triangle quilt top, I noticed there were skipped stitches along those thicker areas where the points met.  And I grew worried....

Was it Elna?  If she could not handle those seams, how would she perform when quilting?

Along with the four cones of Magnifico, I also ordered a package of Superior's Titanium-Coated Topstitch Needles in the recommended size.  That's another nice thing about Superior Threads.... They list the proper size needle recommended for each type of thread!

Here is a little information snippet from their Home Machine Needles page:

Because these titanium-coated needles have an ultra thin coat of titanium nitride, they will stay sharper longer and outlast any current Topstitch needle on the market.

The Topstitch needle has a large eye and deeper groove.  It is often referred to as the Magic Needle and that it really does make a difference in your sewing experience.

They certainly did make a difference in my sewing experience!  You know how you are supposed to change to a new needle after 8 hours of use?  I quilted this entire quilt (3 days of quilting) using one Titanium Coated Topstitch Needle and never had a single incident.  No bobbin issues, no thread breakage and not a single skipped stitch!  I was sew relieved!!!

I invite you to take a look at the Superior Threads site.  Do a little research into these needles for yourself.
Here is a fun little quiz for you....

1. How many layers does a Superior Titanium-Coated Topstitch Needle contain?
2. How much does it cost, per needle, to upgrade to a Superior Titanium-Coated Topstitch Needle from a standard chrome or nickel plated needle?
3. What size needle is recommended for use with Magnifico thread?

Keep On Quilting On!