Finishing Tied Rustic Vintage Quilt with Antwerp Edging Stitch or Knotted Blanket Stitch

Antwerp Edging Stitch

Monday I cleaned off the dinning room table and spread the rustic hand pieced vintage quilt I have been working on across the top.  It has been a couple of weeks since I have had it out and this would be a good week to try and finish it.  Rain and storms all week and rest my strained left leg a bit.

Trimmed, turned, and pinned.

I trimmed it cutting the batting back about a quarter inch inside the rough edge of the top.  Then I trimmed the muslin underside equal to the pieced top.  Next with straight pins in hand folded both the top and the bottom pieces under equally about 3/8" and at the folded edge pinned all of the way around the quilt.

Slip stitched edges.

My plan is to use quilting thread and hand slip stitch the two folded edges together.  This is my way of basting it together before the decorative finish is applied.  I am crazy about alpaca yarn.  I have no explanation for it.  Just one of the little mysteries of life!  At any rate I want to then do a fancy Antwerp blanket stitch using alpaca yarn matching the ties holding the quilt together all the way around to embellish the finished edge.

Yes, I know this is different, but I like different and so this is the direction I am headed with it!  We shall see how it works out!

My view in the dinning room!

Alpaca yarn is terribly soft and non allergenic.  It makes a soft and not a bit scratchy contrasting
 edge.  I have always loved anything finished with a blanket stitch so I love the idea of trying a variation of it on this piece.

My favorite stitchery book!

Also worth mentioning here is an amazing woman who has more than mastered the hand stitching of the world as far as I can see! Sarah Whittle has published a wonderful book I purchased about a year or so ago and she is a Contemporary Embroidery Artist I am quite in awe of!  Her book details more stitches than I would have guessed exist.  It is called "The Needlecraft Style Directory" and gives beautiful instruction, history, and illustrations of stitches from around the world.  I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in hand work or it's history.