Sunday, January 1, 2012

Year of the Dragon

Officially, it's not Chinese New Year until 23 January, when the Chinese lunar year moves from Year of the Rabbbit to Year of the Dragon. As my Year of the Rabbit quilt was so lucky for me, and I'm actually a Dragon (now you can work out how old I am this year), I thought I'd do a Year of the Dragon quilt.

Started with a dodgy sketch, as I usually do.
 And this is where I'm up to today... Couldn't get the camera settings right today though!
 Decided the baby dragon needed spikey free-motion quilting rather than smooth, so did jagged triangular shapes. Not sure what to do outside the circle yet though. I tried out the Aurifil, but I'm still having issues with the Singer - hope to get that issue sorted in the next few weeks - and then I should really be able to trial the thread fairly. It looks lovely though.
 I worked out that I HATE bamboo batting. Decided to try it and bought 3 meters. Grrr. It doesn't 'slide' nicely on the extension table when FMQing without backing, which is necessary for the trapunto technique I used, and it SQUEAKS like snow, which I hate.


Any suggestions on quilting the rest of it?
Now that's done, I can get on with the FMQ-along posting!
:)
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16 comments:

  1. Sarah January 1, 2012 at 9:57 PM

    Your dragon is lovely!
    As for quilting the rest of it you could try quilting Chinese-esque characters along the sashing?

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  2. NicJanuary 1, 2012 at 10:19 PM

    Love it! Sorry to hear you're having problems with the batting though. As for outside the circle, how about concentric circles that break/disappear in sections as they hit the border? You know, like the ripples a pebble makes when dropped in calm water. Your dragon circle could be the pebble :)

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  3. M-R CharbonneauJanuary 1, 2012 at 10:26 PM

    Oh no about the batting. I bought some too, but haven't quilted with it yet. The dragon is looking great. I say flames for some of the quilting motifs. Good luck!

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  4. Flo @ Butterfly QuiltingJanuary 1, 2012 at 10:48 PM

    Love the dragon!! I like the flames suggestion!
    Hope the Year of the Dragon is good to you!

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  5. Agnes B. BullockJanuary 1, 2012 at 10:49 PM

    I know this sounds like extra work and is, but when I applique/quilt, I actually layer a piece of muslin cut to match the batting (ie- quilt top, batting and muslin all in a nice quilt sandwich)! I am a novice quilter and this makes me less nervous about quilting than trying to quilt and subsequently ruin the back of the quilt when the threads look like mishmash. I also don't have to worry about the batting getting caught in the machine works either. Also makes it easier to move the quilt while FMQ'ing, which I am just learning now. (ANd it helps use up my muslin stash)After the appliqueing and quilting are done, I assemble the quilt, leaving the muslin attached, and then stitch in the ditch or use my quilting foot to finish the top. it also has the added benefit of helping to keep the needle less mucked up from the fusible applique . I hope this helps

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  6. Ruth BJanuary 2, 2012 at 12:59 AM

    Your dragon is so cute! I agree with Flo that flames would be great. I'm sure whatever you choose will be perfect. I so wish I could draw my own patterns!

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  7. GilesJanuary 2, 2012 at 1:18 AM

    hmmm if I were a Chinese dragon what would I want all around me? definitely some dim sum and those cute little cups of tea and some fortune cookies! could you FMQ all that??

    Glad for your feedback on the bamboo batting because I was wondering what that was like and I might have got some if there had been any in the shop last time I was browsing for batting!

    Happy Dragons to you when the Chinese New Year arrives :)

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  8. Danny HeyenJanuary 2, 2012 at 2:14 AM

    I think you need to add some little, charred knights.

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  9. mammafairyJanuary 2, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    I like the idea of charred knights! but I am not sure that is right for a chinese dragon!

    And, no I cannot work out how old you are- about 13 this year? Is that it. A very talented young lady!

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  10. LynneJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    That baby dragon is so cute!

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  11. Lucy | Charm About YouJanuary 2, 2012 at 8:57 AM

    That is so cute!! I love the dragon, beautiful!! I like the idea of concentric circles too :)

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  12. Julie FukudaJanuary 2, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    I hear those born in the year of the dragon are energetic, short-tempered, and stubborn, but also honest and brave. You probably have the ability to breathe fire but have never told anyone. With all those funny comments/ideas, I can only advise to walk softly and carry a fire extinguisher.

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  13. MicheleJanuary 2, 2012 at 10:51 AM

    I am also a dragon and I am most definitly not short tempered. I can breathe fire when I need to. Can you? I love the quilt and though I'm too tired at the moment to think about the best design to add to it, I am very interested in seeing what you end up doing. Since both of my babies are Asian, I love these types of projects and may need to create some of my own, if I ever get the time that is.

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  14. goletagirlwendyJanuary 3, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    Love the dragon. Used a multi-color thread for quilting the rest.

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  15. Katy CameronJanuary 3, 2012 at 9:50 PM

    Aww, cute wee guy! I'm going to make this the year that this blinking blog sticks in my reader feed!

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  16. Habibti at HomeMay 22, 2012 at 8:20 AM

    Oh awesome!! I love the baby dragon. You are so creative!!! Wow! I feel like a real slacker all of the sudden :)

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