Mar
29
17
I hope I’m not boring you with border designs created from arch/swag border “frameworks.” These are endlessly fascinating to me and they stitch up pretty quickly, so I just keep cranking them out. The design above features the crosshatching in the upper section and I really like the “sparseness” of it. There’s enough cross hatching to create interest but not enough that it becomes a dominant part of the design. Another “plus” is that there’s so little of the cross hatching that the stitching goes very fast.
The design begins by creating a basic arc border framework using an arc ruler. I used the PTD 12 arc ruler, but again, you can create these types of designs with any arc ruler. I then added a scant 1/4 inch channel to make the arch more defined. This next step is where the curved crosshatching begins. Sticking to just one side of the arc framework, I used the etched lines on my PTD 12 arc ruler to stitch (3) 1/2 inch wide channels, then repeated the same thing on the opposite side of the arch framework. This left the small triangle at the center base. To make it more intricate, I then added a scant 1/4 inch wide channel inside it. Now the real “bones of the design were complete.
To “decorate” this skeleton, I first added a row of pearls in gold polyester thread inside the center-most 1/2 inch wide channel:
I loved how that came out! Next up, I added a small featherette inside the small triangles at the base. I used a bluish-purple polyester thread for that:
Of course, it would have been fine to stop there, but I have this dreaded disease where I am compelled to always add one more round of thread work to just about everything, and that’s how the design ended up as:
I am about to fill the outer border of a small quilt and I’m debating whether I should use this design or the one below:
I think I like that latter one more, but I need to sleep on this…
Filed under Free Motion Quilting, ruler work on a HDSM.
Boring us? Not in the least!!!
Absolute gorgeous. Thanks for sharing and inspiring. I’m actually working on a project with borders that I want to do a similar arch with crosshatching. You shared a photo of it ages ago and I need to go find it, just to make sure I apply it correctly. Thanks for all the #CreativeGoodness, tips and tutorials. I’ve learned so much from you over the years and you never fail to inspire creating beauty.
QuiltShopGal
http://www.quiltshopgal.com