Stitching Away

To embroider the center of the koi quilt I've started with a feather stitch around the edges. This anchors the furoshiki and frames it.

For this I used a blue and green viscose thread, about the same thickness as size 5 perle cotton. The slipperiness of viscose is a blessing when you have to stitch through many layers of fabric and batting (in my case, the furoshiki, the patchwork under it, the batting and the backing, plus any seams I happen to hit along the way.) I had to use a rubber needle-pulling pad the entire time. Viscose is also a pain because it is slippery and doesn't want to stay put. I had to thumb the previous stitch to hold it in place while making the next stitch.

All of the above made keeping the stitches consistent a challenge, but I think I did okay.

Yesterday I stopped by JoAnn to pick up a few more hanks and balls of embroidery thread in various shades of blue so I'd have enough thread. It's a big quilt.