Relationship Between a Modern Quilter and their Longarm Quilter

Have you ever noticed how the quilting compliments the modern quilt? I have noticed this more in modern quilts than in traditional quilts.

In traditional quilts the 'piecer' puts the top together and the quilter has to find a way of complimenting the piecing 

but in modern quilts the 'piecer' puts the top together firstly considering the impact of the quilting on the top.

Please don't disagree straight away without hearing me out.

A lot of experienced longarm quilters are aware of the impact their quilting can have on a very simple quilt top design, so sometimes they will put together a top that may come across simple to the eye, but really it is put together in this way because they have an idea that will showcase their longarm quilting delightfully 

I'm not saying one is more difficult than the other....eg. A.  The 'piecer' has a harder job because they have to consider what decisions their longarmer has to take to really make their top 'pop' or B. The longarmer has a harder job because they have to consider what decisions their 'piecer' has to take to really make the longarmer able to accentuate their piece or to blow their piece out of the water so to speak. Some 'piecers' put quilt tops together so simply in order for their longarmer to take full advantage of the negative space and transform their top to higher levels than anyone could have imagined! 

Either way the relationship between the quilt top maker or 'piecer' or 'designer' and their longarmer or midarmer or domestic sewing machinist needs to be communicative at the very least. I would almost advise going for a dinner or a drink with each other to go over design ideas before going ahead with decisions and if there is no time for that at least a cup of tea or coffee at meeting. The consultation between both should never be rushed and I would not advise the 'piecer' to say to their machinist 'oh just do whatever you like because the design decisions on the quilt need to be outlined by both parties.  

- Liz Dunne

Blog: http://lizdunne79.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.dunne.505
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizquilts
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/122071705@N06/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/lizdunne505

What is Modern Quilting? Part 3....

We asked each of you, our members, what Modern Quilting is to you.  Here's what you had to say...

To Sonya, modern quilting is an opportunity to indulge her love of fabulous fabrics while using the sewing skills her mother taught her to make really beautiful pieces.       

This lap quilt Sonya made for her daughter has pride of place in her sitting room.

Sonya is also making a quilt for her Grandad.  He is in a nursing home so this will be perfect to keep his warm & comfy. She is only cutting right now, but loves the fabrics!

Sonya is inspired by quilts she sees online in shops like Etsy.  This Little Boy Blue quilt, in particular, by mygorgeousquilts inspires Sonya.  She would like to do something similar for her son.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To Irina, modern quilting means no boundaries, freedom and embracing all kinds of techniques, textures and styles, including traditional.  The first thing she noticed with modern quilting was the variety of new fabrics, the brightness of colours, the highlight of solids as a main feature of a project.

She also started to know about the fabric collections and their designers, whereas in the past, you would never hear about the work behind a piece of fabric.

The Wonky Squares quilt is her most recent modern quilt.  A friend commissioned Irina to make a baby quilt for her new nephew and she wanted something very colourful and bright.

Irina loves this quilt because it is the first time she used solids and she loves the result they bring, so fresh and bright. She likes its simplicity, nothing really intricate and yet it stands out.

Irina's inspiration comes from all the modern quilters out in blogland. She keeps browsing through blogs and sees all these modern quilts.  She picks up on colour combinations from one, techniques from another, layouts from the next.  At the end she might not remember where it, but it's all in her head!  

What is modern quilting? Part 2....

We asked each of you, our members, what Modern Quilting is to you.  Here's what you had to say...


Modern Quilting to Tomomi is the arrangement of colors and fabrics. She made this sampler quilt in 2009 with Japanese-looking fabric with the idea of creating different looks from your standard old block.

Still, she has mixed feelings about this quilt.  Some blocks she is thrilled with, others (Tomomi thinks) could be improved with a bit more practice.  


Tomomi finds inspiration in a book called "Puzzle Quilts".  After reading it, she found herself thinking of quilting and creating differently.  

Photo from Amazon.co.uk (obviously)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Karen, of My 4 Lil Girls, is creating 2 modern quilts right now!  Modern quilting, to Karen, is about simple, striking design. Although she has a stack of quilt books given to her by a lovely American friend, they are still a bit traditional in style (in a beautiful, nice way).  It's the very set patterns that make them traditional.  Modern quilting, however, just grabs her eye and makes her say "Wow!" when she sees them...kind of like the difference between viewing a Da Vinci and a flashy Picasso.

In particular, Karen is WOWed by these Red Pepper Quilt designs: Log Cabin or Paper Pieced Triangles.

Karen's  modern pinwheel quilt

Karen's first attempt at modern quilting is this pinwheel quilt using colors that are brighter than her usual palette. It was inspired by Sarah's Pinwheel Pips quilt.

What is modern quilting? Part 1....

We asked each of you, our members, what Modern Quilting is to you.  Here's what you had to say...

For Judith, of Just Jude, the modernisation of quilting has been brought about by 2 things:

1. A flood of fresh modern fabrics & designers hitting the market. Applying modern fabrics to age old blocks & patterns completely changes the look of a quilt and breathes new life into time tested patterns.

2. A resurgence of interest in the traditional skills e.g. quilting, knitting, dressmaking becoming more popular among the younger generations. A new wave of creativity and ideas are coming through into quilting e.g. improv piecing, new blocks, working with solids etc., testing the boundaries of what you can and can’t do in quilting & sewing.

She loves this quilt because even though it was for her nephew, he is a stylish and trendy young man, and allowed her to go with daring Kaffe Fasset colourful prints. She mixed in some of her stash/basics with it (love mixing old and new) and the Kona Ash sashing/grout added the final modern touch. She also loves the colour brick pattern – it’s a great pattern for showing off lovely prints.

The inspiration behind this quilt was her nephew, who is very modern and stylish, into the latest fashions, and not afraid to wear bright, bold colours. The deep aquas also match his bedroom colour scheme. He adores his quilt, and now he also has a cushion to match!


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Anneliese, from Mail From the Cheeky Monkeys has just stared quilting, so she does not have many modern quilts of her own to share with us.  

She likes the MQG Ireland group and all the lovely quilts, miniquilts, pouches, mug rugs, cushions, etc she finds on on this blog, but most of all she loves the colors. They are so bright and lovely! Most of the prints used are  modern and fit perfectly. She likes to watch what is made out of these lovely fabrics and how they get together. 

The first books Anneliese got about quilting had boring colors or they had much to many dark colors, so she really enjoys having a look at the modern and fresh fabrics which are used.

In particular, Anneliese loves: 

Cindy's star blocks.  She can't wait how all these bright lovely colors come together (Stargazing Block 1)

The stained quilt along from Domestic Light and Magic, made by Lynz.

And she is proud of her gorgeous stash bee tree!

There are so many lovely quilts out there ....