This post was drafted in July… I can only apologise
We’ve been working on Woodland Creatures for just under a year, and if I’m honest I've been procrastinating as I've been a bit apprehensive about releasing it, as I only really know my own quilting software and I wasn’t sure how universally this thread layering technique would translate across different longarm systems.
However I've told myself to get over it and it's finally released! Link to pattern
To make sure you can decide for yourself whether this pattern will work for your setup, we’ve done two important things, firstly we've created free test blocks you can download and try first, and secondly we've filmed a full YouTube walkthrough showing exactly how we set the file up and stitched it out.
I really recommend watching the video before purchasing as it’ll quickly tell you whether this technique feels like a good fit for you.
(if you’re using an Innova with AutoPilot - you’re absolutely fine.)
It uses our Thread Layering technique, which builds up the image by stitching three separate digital files in sequence: Background, Foreground, Mid layer, where each layer is intended to be stitched in a different thread colour (though that's up to you - or you could stitch every panel in different colours!)
The design is intentionally forgiving, with enough flexibility to cope with slight movement or shrinkage during stitching, so placement doesn’t need to be overly precise.
How it’s stitched (this bit matters)
This pattern is best stitched panel by panel, not colour by colour across the whole quilt.
The background and foreground layers are interlinked, so they must be stitched without advancing the quilt. But, to fit the mid colour, you’ll probably need to advance the quilt slightly, before advancing fully and moving on to the next panel.
Stitching one colour across the entire quilt and then returning to stitch the next will make alignment near impossible to align.
Technical details
Horizontal repeat: 70"
Background + foreground stitch depth: approx. 13.7"
(If your machine can stitch 13.7", you can stitch this pattern)
Recommended stitch density: minimum 10 SPI
Thread suggestions (what we’ve been using):
Background + mid: Aurifil 50wt at ~12 SPI
Foreground / accents: Aurifil 28wt at ~10 SPI, slightly reduced speed