Seams French

In preparation for quilting my large bed quilt , auditioning stitching patterns and thread colours and weights has been an ongoing side project for the last several months. Some of the questions I considered: - Where is the focal point of the quilt? Is there more than one? - How can I create relief around the motif to be highlighted? - Which background filler is the most effective? - Should contrast be created by the colour of the threads or by using varying weights of thread?  Or maybe a combination of both? The 3 samples below are exploring the possibilities. Sample 1 is stitched using the same colours and materials that are in the quilt: teal silk dupioni that has been stabilized, 1 layer of wool batting and a cotton backing. All of the samples are using design elements from the quilt itself. In this first sample I tried my hand at thread painting with a contrasting colour. I used Magnifico, Superior's 40 wt. poly for the outline of the motif, and a 100 wt. silk for

"La Porte d'un Jardin de Colibri"      Remember this little boutis hummingbird ( "colibri" ) from a long way back ? Well, she finally found a happy home behind a silk gate of free motion quilting that opens to her peaceful boutis flower garden. She was accepted into the juried exhibit of Quilt Canada, which was held here in Vancouver last weekend, and came home with the ribbon for "Excellence for Work of a First Time Exhibitor". The finished quilt is 30 7/8" x 25 3/4": wall hanging size As I was designing the border, I wanted the flow of the boutis to continue into the border. The boutis is set into the centre of the quilt using reverse applique. The photo below shows the circular pattern around the hummingbird being extended to the border and completing the circle by piecing in some white silk. Following are some close-ups of the quilt. The top of the wall hanging. Detail of a machine quilted hummingbird that