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Home / My Blog / Classes and workshops / ::Sheets of Rain Quilt::

::Sheets of Rain Quilt::

May 14, 2011 By Katie

Ever since Crazy Mom Quilt’s Ticker Tape Quilt I’ve had a quilt idea in my head.  A quilt with “ticker taped’ raindrops.  So appropriate for Seattle.

However, over the year or so the quilt idea has evolved from a ‘quilt as you go’ quilt with appliqued raindrops to a free motion quilt with a continuous raindrop stitch AND raindrop appliques.

My plan is to not go through all three layers of the quilt when ladder stitching the raindrops down, so that the continuous raindrop stitching is all that shows through on the back.

The raindrop stitches are complete and the binding is stitched down, all that’s left are the appliqued raindrops.  I’m thinking mostly primary color here.

It’s like a thunder storm on the front (which rarely occur here in Seattle and I miss them) and a sunny day on the back.

So today I made the raindrops.  Sorted through the scrap bins, picking out the favorites.

My Mom taught me how to make appliqued shapes with templates so you don’t have raw edges (which just didn’t seem practical for a baby quilt needing to be washed often).

If you haven’t done this before, draw your shape on paper or wax paper and glue it or iron it (if you use wax paper) to cardboard.  Cut it as cleanly as you can.  Use a nail file to smooth edges if needed.

Cut around your raindrop or other curved shape giving yourself about a 1/4″ seam, or trace around the shape on the wrong side of your fabric and cut a 1/4″ away from the line.

Baste stitch around your shape about an 1/8″ from the cut edge, starting and ending your thread tails on the curved end AND on the same side of fabric.

Pull on the strings.  I didn’t do it, but if you place the basting closer to the template when ironing it will help create a smoother curve (so “they” say).

I starch both sides and iron as I’m pulling those strings.  I give the strings one wrap around a finger when I pull so it’s taunt.  If you’ve glued paper on to your template then you might want to face it down or it mucks all off with the starch.

Traditionally or by what I’ve been taught at least, you iron the top tip or a point down the middle first and than cross over the sides…make sense?

As you can see, I don’t do that.  I just do a straight cross over.  I occasionally clip some of the fabric out to reduce bulk.

Whatever, they look fine.

Pull out the template and give them a final press right side up, giving a tuck to anything that’s come out of wack when removing the template.

Aren’t they delicious?

Then clip the threads and pin that sucker down.

I actually have a use for those pins that will make you blind.

When free motioning I would try to correct a raindrop ‘gone bad’ by adding an echo, but if that didn’t go so well I looked for those spots to add a raindrop applique.

Uh oh, looks like this quilt might have a load of raindrops.  It’s kinda been one of those rainy years.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

P.S.  The sun shone today.

—————————————————-

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Filed Under: Classes and workshops, fabrics, free motion, Improvisational Quilting Classes, Improvisational Quilts, Innovative Patchwork Piecing, instructions, modern quilt, Modern Quilting, Modern Quilts, Seattle Modern Quilting Guild, seattle quilting, seattle sewing Tagged With: Anna Maria Horner, carolina chambray, classes, fabric, free motion, handcrafted, handmade, Improv, improvisation, improvisational, improvisational patchwork, invisible zipper class, modern quilt, modern quilting, quilting, Quilts, raindrop quilting stitches, sew katie did, workshops

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate says

    May 14, 2011 at 3:24 am

    That is great – love the quilting and the drops.

  2. Karen says

    May 14, 2011 at 3:31 am

    This looks really exciting. I love what you are doing and how it looks!

  3. Dan says

    May 14, 2011 at 3:59 am

    The raindrop quilting is so lovely with contrasting thread on the shot cotton. Is that Kaufman ‘black’ chambray? It’s such a rich grey – I love it.

    Thanks also for sharing the applique technique. I love how freezer paper peels off fabric, but I also love that it sticks to itself or thicker paper permanently to make templates. And that sort of basting used to strike me as fussy, but now I think of it as super efficient. I guess that’s what a couple years of ripping seams will do to you.

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 14, 2011 at 3:33 pm

      Thanks. The fabric is Carolina Chambray in Ebony. I usually buy a bolt. It’s getting difficult to find. I use to find the basting and applique fussy too, but now I enjoy a ‘couch’ project.

  4. Michelle says

    May 14, 2011 at 4:17 am

    I LOVE what you’ve done. Very clever.

  5. Noelle says

    May 14, 2011 at 5:58 am

    Love it!!!! Love the quilting. Love the drops…can’t wait to see it all finished.

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 14, 2011 at 3:49 pm

      I’ll bring it Monday night.

  6. Marit says

    May 14, 2011 at 9:39 am

    This brings so much sunshine on a rainy day!
    Love your idea. This will be beautiful…

  7. Sew Create It - Jane says

    May 14, 2011 at 10:05 am

    This is so clever! I love the simplicity of the design.

  8. Eileen says

    May 14, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    Awesome concept and design. You are a rock star. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

  9. elsa says

    May 14, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    Katie, I love this design! it’s wonderfully brilliant and would be a great one for Portland, Oregon too, it rains at the drop of a hat here (tho we have had a bit of sunshine here as well). You always do the most amazing designs, thanks so much for sharing.

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 14, 2011 at 4:06 pm

      I’ve thought about you Portlanders with this quilt too. Thanks for the compliments.

  10. tracy_a says

    May 14, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    Gorgeous! Love the idea and the execution! Great work!

  11. anina says

    May 14, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    Oooh! I love this. Especially the grey background. Very appropriate.

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 14, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      You’re the applique queen Anina!

  12. Lisa Mason says

    May 14, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    What a lovely quilt! Love the whole idea. Looks quite wonderful to me.

  13. Nova says

    May 14, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    so fun! love love love it!
    x

  14. liveacolorfullife says

    May 14, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    I love this quilt!

  15. Rachel at Stitched in Color says

    May 15, 2011 at 12:32 am

    What a fabulous idea! I really love that quilting concept. I should save it to try on something nice and small…

  16. Nancy says

    May 15, 2011 at 11:18 am

    We are having a rainy day today so this is perfect. What a lovely idea. Makes rain pretty.

  17. Penny says

    May 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    I’m really loving this, Katie!! The applique’d raindrops are the perfect touch!

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 15, 2011 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks Penny!

  18. isa says

    May 15, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    Absolutely fabulous!!
    It reminds me of my favorite ever fabric print – raindropstripe from A. Henry

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 15, 2011 at 2:56 pm

      That fabric was originally going to be the back!

  19. Heather says

    May 15, 2011 at 2:03 pm

    Thanks for sharing. Love the raindrops and the process you are using to create this!

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 15, 2011 at 2:55 pm

      Thanks Heather.

  20. Jeanne says

    May 15, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    I love this — the background, the free-motion falling raindrops, the big fat applique raindrops – love love love! And I must say knowing the weather inspired you makes it a bit easier to deal with the fact that the sun has gone away again…

    I am looking forward to seeing the whole thing when you’re done.

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 15, 2011 at 6:21 pm

      Yes the weather…when will we see you again disappearing lady?

  21. Pétra (Creative Mom) says

    May 15, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    I love how your idea progressed, can’t wait to see the finished quilt.

  22. Anita says

    May 16, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    The rain has felt extra miserable this year for some reason. And I love, love, love your raindrops quilt!! I think it would make the whole rainy season so much bearable! And I’m really inspired by your method of quilt first and then applique later. The wheels in my head are turning…

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 16, 2011 at 1:51 pm

      I hear you on the rain and it looks like more today.

      Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

  23. erica k says

    May 17, 2011 at 3:07 am

    I LOVE that! The quilting is awesome! I miss thunderstorms too, where are you from?

    • Sew Katie Did says

      May 17, 2011 at 4:03 pm

      Michigan and then Northern Arizona. It rarely storms here like that, except for the day my son was born was crazy!

  24. Amber says

    May 17, 2011 at 6:47 am

    I thought of the raindrop fabric from AH when I first saw this on Flickr too – gorgeous!!

  25. Dot says

    May 19, 2011 at 2:25 am

    Oh my goodness! I LOVE this!!
    Can’t wait to see the finished product. It’s gonna be awesome.

  26. Cheryl Arkison says

    May 19, 2011 at 2:58 am

    Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Come here, it’s plenty dry. Better yet, I’ll come there. I love the rain.

  27. kristel says

    July 19, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    is there a spot where we could see a an image that shows the whole thing? i love it, but as a total beginner, am a little intimidated. 🙂

  28. Adrianne (Little Bluebell) says

    July 27, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Katie! This is so good!!! I love how you started with quilting and then started adding touched of applique. Very inspiring.

  29. Katie says

    January 16, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    I LOVE this quilt! What a great job! I’m quickly falling in love with “couch projects”. I’m here in Las Vegas and we rarely get rain so this quilt would be a refreshing addition. This quilt is wonderful inspiration. 🙂 Great job! Any tips for free motion quilting the raindrops? Did you trace them first?

    • Sew Katie Did says

      January 16, 2012 at 6:43 pm

      I draw on paper for a bit and then just go for it. Have fun!

  30. Régina says

    August 23, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    Lovely quilt! I used this quilting motif and blogged about it, linked to your nice raindrops here: http://reginasquilts.blogspot.ca/2012/08/rainy-day-finished.html

  31. Kelly in Chicago, IL, USA says

    August 29, 2012 at 5:49 pm

    I am so in love with and inspired by your raindrop quilting here! It is so fun and organic feeling! I’ve pinned it to my “Quilty Goodness” board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!). Feel free to follow me if you’d like: http://pinterest.com/lipglass/quilty-goodness/

  32. Mary Lou says

    August 21, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Thank You so much for posting this FMQ raindrops motif I just quilted my Dancing Umbrellas quilt by Laundry Basket Quilts and it was exactly what it needed.

    • sewkatiedid says

      August 21, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Oh, I would love to see a picture!

Trackbacks

  1. Blockapalooza almost done says:
    May 18, 2011 at 8:59 pm

    […] I got these all done I took a break to catch up on some blog reading, and laughed when this post from Sew Katie Did popped up in my reader. She managed to get a nice clean curve with the […]

  2. Rainy day project says:
    May 29, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    […] love quilts in all shapes and sizes, but Sew Katie Did has just taken it to a new level with her beautiful Raindrops […]

  3. motleycraft-o-rama: Raindrop Stitches by Sew Katie… | pasdepalais.com says:
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    […] Via Flickr: raindrops […]

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