One of my dear friends has fallen in love with primitive hand-quilting (Hi George Ann!).   Essentially, this means using a colorfast embroidery thread instead of a quilt thread that is colored to quilt a pattern on your quilt.  Obviously, you need an embroidery needle (but a sharp one) to create your quilting stitches and not a small quilt needle.   Here is an example of small proportions so you can get an idea of what it looks like:

I am sure you can see the idea based on the image.  The stitches are not small and that is the whole goal of the primitave quilting.  The more I have researched what she is doing, the more appealing I find it.  It truly has a homemade feel to it.  It leaves the quilter with the feeling that they are not going for perfection, but rather the final outcome of a truly heart-felt finished quilt that was stitched with viewable stitched love, from a quilted heart.

When I want to tackle a new project such as the one above, I start with the basics such as a simple four-patch block design.  Over time, making sure my seams match in the middle and my blocks being the exact size as they were designed to be has become my challenge, my way of showing that I can create an exceptional quilt traditional quilt block.  I am not looking for perfection, as that defeats the purpose (in my opinion) of making a handmade gift.  I am searching for my own exceptional talents by going above and beyond with a basic block pattern.  But, by embracing the primative – it is allowing the block to speak for itself, despite my talent in creating the block.  The stitches are raw, they are expressive with each in-and-out of the needle.  They are not distracting from the overall feel of the block, they are framing it.  They are intense.  They are showcasing the important, but they are also creating a whole picture – because the block cannot stand alone.

Try to create a small primitive quilt block.  Use thin cotton batting and cotton batting, and be sure to use a very sharp embroidery needle.  See how it feels as you prepare it, then see how the final outcome looks upon completion.  You may just enjoy the final effect as much as my friend and I do!