Pointless

So, I've been thinking about matchstick quilting a bit lately; I'm not sure if that's what you call it but dense machine quilting in parallel lines, only about a quarter-inch (or less) apart. There were a number of quilts that I pinned up at the exhibition quilted this way, and it looks good and gives an interesting texture. To me most of the winning quilts weren't that interesting - nice enough but we've seen it before - except for the one that got first in the wall quilt - Homage to Rosalie Gascoigne by Meg Cowey. The photo doesn't do it justice, the solids and the colour choices gave the lines a clarity that draws you in and back. Definitely more than the sum of its parts. And of course the dense quilting was perfect for it.

Another quilt that captured my eye on the internet was this one - isn't it amazing? Great colours, and of course that straight line quilting again. So I gave it go, and did this thing.

Which is a big fat yawn from planet bland. It's deliberately askew - I consciously didn't try to make it straight because I knew I'd fail, but even if the execution was perfect it would still be a take it or leave it number. The straight line quilting isn't particularly difficult or time-consuming (although it might be if you wanted to do it properly), it's just BORING. And you end up with a boring quilt. The photo is terrible too - the camera really struggled to focus on it. It was probably too repulsed to focus.

The worst thing is that the density of the quilting makes it useless as a bed quilt! It doesn't drape, or bend or snuggle at all. So I called the stupid thing "Pointless" because that's what it is. Pointless. I quite like the pink and blue together, but that's it.



But, as with many of my pronouncements ("this quilt is useless!!!") I was proven wrong within about ten minutes by a boy and his cat, who think it is perfectly cosy. I will wash it a few times and see if it loosens up at all, and in the meantime it can see the winter out on the sofa.

 Blaaaaah.