Three Types of Quilting and the Orange Peel

    Quilting design and motif varies from quilter to quilter..ask three quilters how to best enhance a quilt top and you will get three very different answers. My quilting designs tend to fall into one of three main design categories. I call them echo/outline, all over, and artistic.
   Echo or outline quilt design simply takes the pieced or appliqued design element and enhances it either by stitching in the ditch (seem lines) or echoing the design. Generally, I use them together working my quilting ino the ditch as well as echoing the design in the blank spaces. In the Dresden fan quilt pictured above we can clearly see the echo and outline design enhancing and even copying the original design element of the quilt top. The quilt has density, texture, and beauty added through the simple act of repeating the lines.

    This quilt has a lot of beautiful curves and ripples in the pieced design. To complete the quilt without detracting from the theme, it is stitched in the ditch (outlined) to enhance the design, create soft texture, and give no other element  to the work. Being a bed quilt, the outline keeps the quilt soft and subtle for a great snuggle effect.

    When a quilt is really 'busy' or really plain or is intended to stand up to plenty of use, an all over design can enhance the final product. This quilt above has a lot going on in the design; plenty of color and line. This quilt is currently on the quilt frame being quilted with last week's Baptist fan design. The gently curves will give stability while adding some softness to the lines in the design. I have a Dresden quilt next in line that has only six applique on the whole cloth top..the design plan is to add lined texture with an all over cross hatch, allowing sturdiness and contrast to the bed size quilt.

    When a quilt has plenty of artistic thought in the piecing, it screams artistic quilting. In the Holly Lane quilt above, we have applique and piecing done with very specific fabrics; it conveys a scenic motif that draws your mind to visions of winter wonder. The quilting here was intended to enhance the vision bringing swirling snow and stars in the sky..chimneys held smoke billows and in the borders holly dances along the way. Artistic quilting is the most time consuming and detailed of the three..for me, it is often added to a smaller wall quilt or done by special request for a client.

   Now for our sampler. This week another easy to mark design, the orange peel..sometimes called the wineglass, fills the fourth space on the sampler. The base of a drinking glass, a small desert plate or even my canning ring gives the overlapping circular patter. Where the Baptist fan was a softer circle, the orange peel adds a bit of intricacy to the fabric with the oblong slivers it creates. Perfect for all over quilting, filling empty squares, or adding beautiful texture to a border, the orange peel is a wonderful design to have in our tool box.