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4 February 2014

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!

http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/5578781


53 comments:

  1. Oh my Lorna! That.is.stunning!!! The quilt is cool and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the quilting!!! Did you mark it at all before you started or did you freehand it? I love it! I am going to hang out here and just stare at it for awhile!!

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  2. Amazing! Wow for spiral quilting. Quilting really stands out competing with the quilt top design. Yay for that throat space.

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  3. This quilting is just stunning! You really did a beautiful job!!

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  4. WOW, WOW, WOW! Lorna, You did all that...on a machine...in 3 days??? The quilting is amazing and the thread colors are so eye catching! Great job, you must feel very relieved as well as thrilled with the outcome! I have wanted to try concentric circles but have yet found the courage!

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  5. I just LOVE the quilting . Would you be able to write a little bit more about how you did it?

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  6. You already know I love that quilt!

    Have you always been sewing on a 760? I got one a few months ago and I just LOVE him!

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    1. Ok, wait, not love unconditionally. There is one little thing that bugs me... when quilting a large quilt, I tend to change the speed slider by rubbing the quilt up against it and not realizing it. Really annoying when I'm expecting to take off and it just blip blip blips along or I think I'm getting ready to go slow and end up zooming! I fixed that problem with a bit of painters tape. Still a weird design choice!

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  7. What words can possibly describe that quilting? Amazing, Wow, Great Job! I've done one quilt with spiral quilting, but it was just from the center, without deviations. This project makes me want to expand my horizons. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

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  8. Stunning finish - especially from the back!

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  9. Lorna, you have outdone yourself! It looks A-MA-ZING!!! That quilting is.. uhm?... STUNNING! Overall great GREAT quilt!!

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  10. That looks amazing! I hope all the spinning of the quilt didn't make you dizzy. LOL

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  11. Pretty! Only three days?! Very impressive. I'm amazed at how well the colors blend in given how bright they are! My favorite is the Aruba. :)

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  12. Your quilting is just stunning! I love your take on the spiral quilting with all of the echoing! I would not have thought to use those colors, but they add a really great depth to the quilt.

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  13. Beautiful quilting on that quilt! Nice job.

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  14. Holy cow, that is some stunning quilting!!! The bright thread colors stand out just enough against that black background! It gives a vibrancy I can't even capture in words. Bravo !

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  15. Wow, that is some awesome quilting!!! Elna is good to you:) amazing work Lorna!

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  16. I think I'd be tempted to hang it with the back showing at least part of the time. That quilting is gorgeous!

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  17. Wow wow wow - this is absolutely stunning Lorna! I absolutely adore the quilting you did a fabulous job!

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  18. Oh my good ness girlfriend! WOW!! This is totally magnificent. That threat was a perfect choice for the quilting. Looks to me like you and Aunt Elna are now best of friends.

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  19. Stunning! Just stunning! Your intense quilting session really shines! I love how the colored threads look over the background fabric. And the back looks like an art quilt! You must be just thrilled with this piece!

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  20. Oh my goodness!!!!! That is some amazing quilting! I'm a longarm quilter and I don't think I could do that!!!! You are amazing. I'd hate to think what awesome quilting you would do with a longarm! You need one! :)

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  21. Your quilting is beautiful. I can only dream of doing this kind of work on my long arm. I became a HUGE fan of Magnifico after trying some with Superior Thread's "try me" special. Your work is amazing and the results really show your attention to detail. I may have to try to add some color-work into my next quilt. Thanks for the great share and the inspiration!

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  22. Oh my goodness. Your quilt is fantastic. I have not achieved that level of patience yet for machine quilting. I must endeavour to though because the results are amazing.

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  23. AWESOME!!! Love the quilting on this beauty!!!!! Moving from one color thread to another, brilliant!!! The back looks so cool!!! I also adore Superior Threads - that's all I use on my longarm and love it! I really like the education they put on their web site...all for free :)

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  24. Love that quilting. Simply fab!

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  25. A very, very, very lovely quilt. Well done!

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  26. Magnifico! I love all the information that is on the Superior website. And their needles are fabulous.

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  27. Love your quilt and your quilting! Don't you just love that Superior site. I find out more tips and some great bargains out there.

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  28. Sooo tell me more about Magnifico...I use the King Tut. (LOVE superior btw)

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    1. Still need to get my hands on some Magnifico....this is still one of my favorites quilting finishes of yours Lorna. Perfect post to rejuvenate. :)

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  29. Holy mackerel! That is one spectacular finish! The quilt is dramatic but the quilting really, really is amazing. I can't imagine how much wresting of a quilt goes into quilting like this. wow....

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  30. oooh Love the quilting on that! What a great quilt..

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  31. Wow, you have taken spirals to a new level. I love it. I love superior threads but I have tried Magnifico. I think I will now.

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  32. Wow!! This is amazing! The different colored threads--really give it another dimension! :) Your quilting looks fantastic, and I can't imagine how long this took! :)

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  33. gorgeous quilting! I am going to have to check out that needle!
    - Katelyn @ Sing While Crafting

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  34. Oh wow! This quilt is stunning! The back is just as beautiful as the front. I love the combination of fabrics. All of the elements of this quilt work perfectly together!

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  35. What a beautiful quilt! I use Superiors titanium needles along with Bottomline and Sew Fine thread. I'll have to try the one you used in this quilt.

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  36. WOW, Lorna! This quilt is awesome. The colored thread and that fabulous quilting design is totally set off by that gray background.

    Thanks for sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  37. Wow, Lorna, the quilt is pretty but your stitching is AMAZING!!! Whoop whoop for you!!!

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  38. Like everyone else, I'm going to say WOW and STUNNING! Thanks for sharing the needle and thread details, too!

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  39. O.M.G.!! Gorgeous! Stunning! Love that quilt! The hours and hours to quilt it! Amazing! I am a huge fan of Superior Threads. I still couldn't answer your questions, though, except maybe that the size of the needle would be 80/12 for Magnifico. (King Tut and Masterpiece fan myself.)

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  40. Those gorgeous cones of thread just call! and it's good to see your quilt again.

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  41. WOWEE! your quilt is so gorgeous. The quilting is fabulous. The thread colors are great too.

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  42. Phenomenal quilt!!!!! The quilting is just beautiful and I love the idea of using lots of thread colors.

    BTW who needs bills when you have yummy thread to open;P

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    1. I am baffled on how you did the echo and spiral though. lol

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  43. Absolutely beautiful quilting. I have found it hard to keep such long lines of quilting as straight/even as you did. Fabulous.

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  44. Lorna, your hours of work paid off!!!
    Beautiful quilting really adds to a quilt, and you knocked this out of the park!
    Carole, Fresh off the Frame

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  45. I love everything about this quilt so glad you shred on Val's blog today.

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  46. This is awfully late to comment, but I LOVE what I see here! Did you use the walking foot for this wonderful quilting? Your machine is one lovely machine and your quilting is fabulous!

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  47. I really appreciate you answering my question!!! I will look into my settings! :) Your machine - again - is beautiful!!! And your quilt with that thread is Magnifico!!! HAHHAa.....err.....no, it really is!

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Your kind comments certainly make my day!