Binding the quilt for baby Casper: the "Love your thread" technique / Coaserea bieului la quilt cu tehnica "iubeste-ti ata"

I finally finished the quilt for Baby Casper. His parents love it. To thank me Casper's mother sent the next day a picture and wrote me how happy Casper is to play on the quilt. Dutch people are very polite: as soon that they get a present, they call you to thank or they send a picture or a postcard. You feel that they really appreciate the present. I must say that my nationals do not do this: they send only an e-mail and that's all. Sometimes even not an e-mail.

Am terminat in fine quiltul pentru baby Casper. Parintii par a fi foarte incantati de cadoul venit cu mare intarziere. Dar mai bine mai tarziu decat niciodata. 
O poza drept multumire de la Anke, mama lui Casper, trimisa a doua zi dupa ce quiltul a intrat in proprietatea micutului Casper. 
Trebuie sa va spun ca olandezii sunt foarte bine crescuti si reactioneaza prompt dupa ce au primit un cadou cu un mic semn de multumire: o poza, o ilustrata, un telefon... Nu numai cu un email care nu spune mare lucru in afara de 'am primit si iti multumesc'. Am o nepoata din Romania care nici macar cu un email nu se oboseste. (NB. Cleo, nu vorbesc despre tine, pentru ca tu in Belgia te-ai ... olandizat).

I am rather pleased with the finished quilt. I still like the design, but I think now that I should have used more contrast. The finished quilt is just as I designed it, as you can see.

Concluziile dupa finisarea acestui quilt sunt in general pozitive. Imi place cum a iestit modelul, dar poate ar fi trebuit sa folosesc mai mult contrast. Dupa cum am mai scris candva un quilt devine frumos daca are suficient contrast intre blocuri sau blocuri si margini / bieu.
Quiltul a iesit exact ca in design. 

The free motion designs are OK. Some are better than other designs. 
You can see how I quilted this quilt here: Quilt pentru baby Casper
I like the big white stars. Not only the choice for straight lines and pebbles, but also the thread color (yellow on white). 
I should have done the same in the yellow stars: white thread on yellow fabric.

Quiltuitul la masina a iesit bine, desi unele motive sunt mai putin reusite decat altele, asa cum vedti aici: Quilt pentru baby Casper
Imi plac mai ales stelele mari albe, pentru ca am avut inspiratia sa nu le quiltuiesc cu alb, ci cu o culoare contrastanta (galben). 
Ar fi trebuit sa fac acelasi lucru si cu stelele galbene, adica sa fac free motion cu ata alba pe material galben. Cred ca ar fi iesit mult mai frumos.

Love yout thread / Iubeste-ti ata

I always sew the binding by hand, with double thread and tiny stitches (1/8"). Not quite invisible, but very close. The problem is that my thread breaks or tangles, although I never use a longer thread than according to the rule: from the fingertips to the elbow. It still tangles and breaks. Very annoying.
I heard a long time ago about Natalie Chanin's method 'Love your thread' (on Craftsy, of course, where else? after that from her books), but this is the first time I used it... A big  success. Much less tangles.

Bieul l-am pus de mana. Nu am facut poze, asa ca va spun numai ca eu cos bieul pe spate cu ata dubla si cu pasi foarte mici (1/8 inch = aprox. 3 mm). Nu cred ca trebuie sa va spun de cate noduri am parte si de cate ori mi se rupe ata de atata tras de ea... Desi nu pun ata prea lunga in ac.
Ma tin de regula ca ata nu trebuie sa fie mai lunga decat lungimea bratului persoanei care coase, de la cot pana la varful degetului mijlociu.
Auzisem acum un an - doi de tehnica care se numeste 'love your thread / iubeste-ti ata', dar nu am aplicat-o niciodata pana acum. 
Pot sa va spun, dupa ce am incercat, ca m-a ajutat mult sa evit noduri si ata incurcata.
Despre aceasta tehnica am auzit pe Craftsy si am citit in cartile lui Natalie Chanin de la Alabama Chanin Studio.

Pull the thread through the needle until the two ends are equal in length. Hold the thread BELOW the eye of the needle with your thumb and index finger of your right / left hand and run the thumb and index finger of the other hand  along the thread, from under the needle to the end of the tails. This si called ' loving your thread'.
Don't hold only the needle, because you will damage the thread across the eye of the needle. You will cause more damage than good to your thread, which will be weakened in that area, while you are pulling.
Repeat several times, until you see that the the thread is relaxed.
Natalie says that by ' loving your thread' you work the tension out of the twisted thread by rubbing. The second advantage is that the natural oils in your fingers will train the two tails to lie side by side.

Tineti ata intre degetul mare si aratatorul mainii drepte (daca sunteti stangace) sau stangi, dar sub urechea acului, si miscati degetul mare si aratatorul de la mana cealalta dealungul atei. Repetati de cateva ori, pana vedeti ca ata nu se mai rasuceste tot atat de mult ca prima data.
Atentie! Nu tineti numai de ac, pentru ca tragand de ata cand o intindeti, o sa aveti o prea mare tensiune in punctul de sprijin din urechea acului. In acest fel slabiti ata, care se va rupe repede, dupa ce coaseti un timp cu ea.
Natalie spune ca aceasta tehnica ajuta la slabirea tensiunii din cele doua capete ale atei, care sunt foarte strans sucite si in stau sens opus. Avand ata dubla, cele doua capete sunt rasucite in sens opus si trebuie sa fie echilibrate.
In al doilea rand - spune ea - uleiurile naturale din piele vor actiona asupra atei si vor face ca cele doua capete sa se alinieze mai bine, paralel unul cu altul.

Natalie says have to talk to your thread when you love to. Tell the thread that she will make the best garment for a nice person, etc... You can do it, if you believe in magic. It does not hurt anybody.
I did it only once, because it amused me to tell the thread that baby Casper is a sweet child, who never cries and deserves the best quilt I could make for him. But only once, because it was not fun anymore to talk again to the thread. I can beter brain wash myself that I did a good job and have to repeat it as soon as possible with another quilt.

Natalie spune ca trebuie sa vorbesti cu ata cand aplici tehnica ei. 
Sa ii spui atei ca va face cea mai frumoas rochie, broderie, bieul la quilt, etc... pentru o persoana draguta, iubita, care merita... etc... 
Poti sa faci asa daca crezi in magie. Nu se supara nimeni.
Eu am 'vorbit' cu ata o singura data, fiindca m-a amuzat sa ii spun ca Baby Casper este un copil dragut, care nu plange (un lucru foarte important pentru vecini, adica pentru mine -:)!!!) si ca merita cel mai frumos quilt pe care il pot face eu. Pe urma m-am plictisit, pentru ca nu vad cu ce ajuta vorbitul cu ata.
Mai bine vorbesc cu mine, ca sa ma autohipnotizez sa mai fac inca un quilt repede.

This ' love your thread'-technique is very useful if you embroider or sew by hand (hems).

Aceasta tehnica poate fi aplicata si la brodat sau la cusut (cusutul tivului cu mana).