Free Motion Quilting - feathers

Sometimes free motion quilting can be so frustrating! The problem is, I am a perfectionist. I also am one of THOSE that thinks if you don't quilt your own quilt, you can't lay claim to making the quilt. WHO AM I TO ARGUE with Eleanor Burns - who "quilts with her credit card!" Problem is, my credit cards are all gone, and we live on cash only.....when I think about shelling out cash to someone else to quilt, well............I would rather buy fabric!

Well, I have quickly gotten to the point of having several quilt tops sitting in my studio, un-quilted. I am DETERMINED to learn to quilt them myself. The perfectionist in me though, won't let me start them! This too goes against the teaching of most free motion quilting teachers....their advice is always practice, practice, practice. and even practice on real quilt tops (GASP!!!) What if I mess it up? Well, if they site there an never get quilted, what good are they anyway?!? (<---those are exclamations of ambivalence.)

This month's free motion quilting challenge with SewCalGal was feathers....who doesn't love them? I know I love them. I tried drawing them, and when you look at them at a distance, some of them weren't too bad, but again, the perfectionist in me reared its ugly head. I had to use a template. Besides, Diane said we could! Okay, so she was encouraging and teach complete free motion, but she did mention templates at one point, so I took that as complete permission.









This template is from one of my absolute most favoritist free quilting template locations.....forestquilting.com - if you haven't been there, be sure to go and collect all of their beautiful free quilting motifs. I used the one called "Feathered Heart Motif"

The pdf says it is for a 12" square, so I needed to reduce it for my 8 1/2" practice piece. To figure out how much to reduce it, I divided my square size, to get the percentage of the original size I needed to print. (The original pattern size 12 divided by 8.5 equals .67 or 67%) On my print settings, I set it to print 67% of original size.

Next, I took my quilt square, and marked the center lines, by folding and marking. I used a light box to align the center lines on my square, with the center mark on the pattern. I then traced once side of my heart. Then I flipped the pattern over, and traced the other side. Note, the disappearing ink pen disappeared too quickly, so I had to revert to the water soluble. The other neat thing about this project is learning to use all those nifty tools I have sunk a lot of money into!

I set my machine up for free motion quilting. This time I spray basted my practice sandwich, as this is a pretty complex motif and I would have a heck of a time working around pens.


I tested my machine out on scrap piece and everything worked fine.....I went to my real piece and YIKES I started having skipped stitches. Since I cleaned my machine, before I started, I knew that wasn't the issue. So, I changed needles - stitching once again worked fine on my scrap piece. Went to my real piece again - and skipped stitches!!! WTH!!!! Yes, I am using expletives, because I HATE reverse sewing.


 
So, to the internet I go.....since I had a new needle, my machine was clean, my tension was fine on my scrap piece, I couldn't figure out what was happening, then it dawned on my, I had a thicker batting on my scrap piece!! I found Diane's advice about skipped stitches in free motion quilting here - and made a new "scrap piece" using the same skinny batting, and voila - problem of skipped stitches solved.

Sorry for the novel here, but I had to get all that out!

Free Block of the Month from Lecien - Block 5

Time to download the next block of this beautiful applique quilt! Click on the photo below, to get block five.

To make you smile......

Because the kitchen remodel, I haven't gotten a lot of quilting done lately, so I wanted to share a couple of photos I took in the last month or so....I think they will make you smile.


I took this photo in the lobby of a hotel we recently checked into....what's wrong with this picture?

The funny thing about this one, is the story that goes with it.....my mother (age 65) and I were riding along and she excitedly read this sign to me - "Over 60? Singles Vacation Ahead!" - you tell me, was this wishful thinking or a case of bad eye sight? Incidentally, she is still married to my father.

Free Motion Quilting - Heart Shaped Leaves

 

Month one of my practice for the January Free Motion Quilitng Project Challenge is completed (which is more than I can say for my kitchen renovation - but I am not bitter!)

The design for this month was heart-shaped leaves. The hard part about this particular design is turning the leaves in different directions. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to evenly distribute the direction of the leaves.









I practiced drawing the heart shaped leaves first.












 

I then drew something of a  compass on my paper, to practice drawing the leaves at multiple angles, without moving the paper. After looking at the picture I just took of this drawing I see another problem....can you see it?  ALL of my practice drawing leaves faced inward to the center of the compass.


I think the fact that there is a point on the end of the leaf, makes it more difficult for me. I seemed to be obsessed with he direction of the point. Had it been a curved leaf on the bottom, the directional thing would have been easier....does that make any sense at all to you?








I then moved to my practice quilt sandwich. I used an old practice quilt, so that is why you see the gold stipple quilting in addition to the leaves.

Notice the burr in the thread....a speeding problem. I have to make myself slow down in this process.

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This is how the tension looked on the back to start with.....notice the thread "burr"

I think I finally got a decent tension, after some adjustments.....my bobbin thread is the non-gold stitching you see here.

Are you participating the Free Motion Quilting Challenge? You can join us at any point, and it is a great opportunity to challenge yourself with a new skill.

Free Block of the Month from Lecien - Block 4

Time to download the next block of this beautiful applique quilt! Click on the photo below, to get block four:

The quilting tool you never knew you had........

Recently, I happened upon a very handy tool for quilting - I bet you even own one yourself! What's that you might ask? Well...........

It's a plastic serrated knife silly!

What in the world of quilting could you possibly use that for?

Why, for closing safety pins used in basting your quilt of course!

The knife slides easily underneath the pin without damaging the fabric, and without your fingers being pricked by the point of the pin. In addition, the serrated teeth grab the pin, so that it is extremely easy to navigate the closure. Try it - I guarantee it, or your money back!

OR you could spend the $8.99 suggested retail on something like this:

Money spent elsewhere = missed fabric opportunities!!!!

"Necessity is the mother of invention" - Unknown

Seeing Red - and loving it!

It is January in Northwest Georgia....do you know what this is?












 

 

 

No, you haven't just awakened from hibernation to discover it is June...... 

 

 

 

Yes, I had a fresh, juicy, firm, vine-ripened, mouth-watering tomato sandwich for lunch!

How is this possible? Did the grocery stores suddenly find something besides a ROMA tomato that tastes good and has that great vine-ripened texture in the winter? Did they finally find something besides cherry or grape tomatoes that burst with juice and flavor? NO - we are all still waiting for that miracle!

I got my 10 pound bag of tomatoes from an unconventional source.......one of our family favorite restaurants. When we had dinner there on Sunday, I couldn't help but notice how delicious their tomatoes were. So delicious, that I wanted to snitch them off the plates of unsuspecting diners around me and take them home - for a BLT!

Rather than risk being jailed over a slice of tomato (although it might have been worth it) I instead asked the manager if I could purchase some from him he said yes - at an incredible price I might add. I would have cost me more for sad, tasteless grainy tomatoes in the local grocery store.




So for today, I had a little bit of sunshine on a wet, grey day - a fresh tomato sandwich on soft bread, slathered with mayonaise!

How was your lunch?