free motion quilting
Showing posts with label free motion quilting. Show all posts
horseplay
Today I'm sharing another project that ignited my creativity, reinforced my style and encouraged me to push my skills. I am so happy with this finished table runner, which now sits pride of place on top of my fabric cupboard (no longer covered in mess!).
I created this runner in the summer as part of the #justjudecollaborates series of makes organised by Judith Hollies. It's actually made using the Horseplay cushion pattern by talented designer Kerry Foster of PennyDog Patchwork.
The fabric pull took a long time. I really liked the fabrics Kerry used in her original version. It was a struggle finding a print combination that would work, and having decided that it would ultimately live in our dining room/my sewing space, I wanted it to not be too fussy. I picked out some pastel solids but then added in more deeper jewel tones of mustard, blue, turquoise and raspberry. Now if you told me that list I wouldn't be convinced it would work but somehow combined with the pastels it looked pretty. Thinking it may be too flat, some pastel prints were added in the mix and I hit on a combination I really love.
The darker print that Kerry used in her cushion adds such depth to the pattern so I knew there had to be some contrast. I tried a dark solid grey but again it was too flat with the other solids. Then I unearthed one of my favourite Karen Lewis prints from my stash, Trellis in Coal from Blueberry Park, and may have squealed! (I must ask Karen if there's a chance Trellis could be re-released!)
Of course the grid pattern of the print wouldn't stay perfectly symmetrical as some pieces of the pattern are curves, but the intersections look like sparkles and it fit so well with the theme I was going for.
forest mountain quilt & more...
Time for a catch up... I have been busy making and it would be wrong not to document everything here. This is a round up of some of the recent projects I've demonstrated on Sewing Quarter, I'm starting small and working up to the big quilts!
This block was made using Jo Avery's fabulous Compass Spin pattern, a combination of foundation paper piecing and sewing curves. It's a great project for playing with fabric value.
Happy hump day everyone! I hope you're having a great week and your projects are going well!
This block was made using Jo Avery's fabulous Compass Spin pattern, a combination of foundation paper piecing and sewing curves. It's a great project for playing with fabric value.
Spider Web blocks are quickly becoming a favourite of mine and I created this simple cushion using the Creative Grids Spider Web & Kaleidoscope Ruler - which makes it so easy and accurate. The pink and red combination is lovely for spring!
Another cushion, this one from the book Quilt Petite by Sedef Imer. This is such a sweet design and I really loved making this, with so many different techniques in one cushion it was a fun sew.
All the little details are so cute and it was nice to do a bit of hand stitching. I did forget to trace the text before backing with fusible fleece though, so had to freehand 'Bonjour!' but it turned out ok!
I used a couple of strands of different coloured threads for the bow, I've never thought to embellish a project with bows like this but it looks adorable. I used a surgeon's knot to keep it secure. Now I want to add bows to everything! Click below to watch me demonstrate making the cushion:
Then I had some fun making a block keeper from quilt as you go pre-printed wadding. This is am easy project and would make a lovely quilters gift. I loved cutting the Anna Maria Horner fabric, it looked especially cool on the 'spine'. Totally forgot to take photos of the finished project though, so you'll have to make do with some stills of it on the show!
On to the quilts...
First I made a smaller version of the Seventh Heaven pattern from the book Dessert Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. A lovely one to sit and chain piece, then rearrange the blocks to create that random look!
A reminder to be mindful when adding borders, I was so 'in the zone' I completely missed noticing my upside border until I was already half way through quilting it! Thankfully it still sort of worked so I decided not to unpick.
Finally my Forest Mountain quilt, I designed this one to make with the Creative Grids 60° ruler. It's pretty large at 74" and it was fun to just use solids and one simple shape. It was a fairly dull day when we took these pictures, right before all that hot weather, the colours are far more vibrant in real life and the greys at the top are actually a little more subtle. I think this has a nice whimsical feel, a sense of the great outdoors in a modern quilt interpretation!
I wanted to do some free motion quilting but kept it fairly simple (in part due to the size but also deadlines!). I quilted a rough tree / branch shape on the background triangles to give some texture and organic lines and curves in the sky to represent clouds. The back gives off a sort of Blair Witch vibe, glad I used yellow or it would be creepy.
From the front I think the texture looks good and my son was completely in love with this design. He wants it for his room, which is a huge compliment. I still have a work in progress bee quilt for him that I know he'll love too and that's also a tree / triangle theme so he knows what he likes!
Happy hump day everyone! I hope you're having a great week and your projects are going well!
▪ houndstooth runner & quick step quilt ▪
This is a fresh and pretty quilt made for Sewing Quarter. I had fun quilting this one and doing a bit of appliqué. The four patches were strip pieced so it came together quite easily.
The Quick Step quilt pattern is from the book Quick & Easy Quilts from Annie's, Leisure Arts. I made a smaller version than the one in the book, with four blocks and sashing.
The wavy lines in the centre were free motion quilted and then I used the walking foot to do some straight lines and curves around the outside. I didn't mark any lines, just eyeballed it. I really enjoyed creating the curves! Given more time I think this pattern would be perfect for some intricate free motion quilting and those larger sections could be filled with beautiful designs, something floral to match the flowers created by the appliqué perhaps.
hanging basket tote bag
One of the joys of appliqué is creating anything you want from fabric shapes. I drew some simple flowers, petals and leave templates to make up this hanging basket design. The initial idea was a bowl of flowers, a modern take on the traditional basket quilt block design. It evolved into two pattern shapes, the bowl and the basket. The Kaffe Fassett prints were also perfect for some fussy cutting - in the same style as Bari J's beautiful fabric collage style - so it became a mix of appliqué shapes and collage. I like the organic look that creates.
I used Bondweb to position the flowers - as I was making up the design I attached the handles first to give me an idea of placement but would recommend sewing them on later as it was a faff to keep them out of the way!
I did sketch style stitching with black thread, using the free motion foot and just echoing inside the shapes. Black isn't often my colour of choice as it's so harsh but that's what makes it work so well here. I think of it as doodling and the thread is my pen.
If you haven't tried this technique it really is a lot of fun and it's a great way to get used to using your free motion foot. Also it is really easy to cover any mistakes by going over the stitches, I usually go round the shapes at least twice. You can watch the video below to see my Sewing Quarter demo and get more tips as I create a bowl of flowers.
The straps on the tote are a little different because they aren't completely sewn down. The ends are attached with a square of stitching and a large zig zag, then I tucked the straps in while sewing the lining to the bag and turning the bag through. I them pinned them in place and did three lines of top stitching around the top of the bag for decoration and to hold the straps in place.
This means on a warm summer's day I could tuck a cardigan or shawl in through those straps ready for evening (dreaming of those warm days already!). Or extra space for all the kids jackets I end up carrying.
I have to say I'm quite fond of the minimal back side too! I'm planning more totes with straps like this because I really like the look.
Click play to watch the demo and let me know if you have a go at this technique!
linking up to finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts
make music wherever you go ~ guitar baby quilt
When I saw the Fat Quarter Baby book I knew I was going to make the 'Kevin' quilt for my sister and brother in law (who loves playing guitar). At that point she wasn't even pregnant but I could have given it to them for the cat. Earlier this year, however, my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and so I had a reason to finish the quilt, which I gifted last week. Prepare to be bombarded with baby cuteness...
Starshine in Nightfall, Rhoda Ruth by Elizabeth Hartman; Lined Grids in Yarrow, Dow by Carolyn Friedlander; Southwest Key in Nature, Rhoda Ruth by Elizabeth Hartman; Crosshatch in Chestnut, Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander; Ant March in Citron, Picnic by Melody Miller and Coming Home in Clay, Bound by April Rhodes
Background: Subdivided in Grey, Doe by Carolyn FriedlanderBacking: Butter Churn in Navy, Feed Company by Sweetwater
Pattern: Kevin quilt from Fat Quarter Baby
Quilted with Aurifil 40wt #2600 and 12wt #4241 for the guitar strings.
She is so precious!
Happily her parents love the quilt and it's currently in her cot :)
Jelly Roll Jam II quilt
The Fat Quarter Shop have a new free pattern, it's perfect for making baby quilts because you can make two from one jelly roll or even make a double sided quilt. They asked me which Jelly Roll I would like to use to make up a quilt and I chose the beautiful April Showers by Bonnie and Camille.
This quilt will be given to my friend who is having a baby boy and it measures about 36 x 38". I chose to take out all the flowery prints and stick with the blenders, raindrops and umbrellas. It was a lot of fun playing with the strips and deciding which ones to use for the narrow blocks, I'm happy I went with the umbrellas and the dots.
I free motioned quilted this clamshell loop pattern using the tutorial by Elizabeth. My fmq skills need work but it perfectly echoes the shapes of the raindrops and umbrellas and I adore the texture it gives the quilt. It puffed up beautifully after being washed and dried.
I used some of the jelly roll strips to make a scrappy binding and backed it with a turquoise brushed cotton fabric I had.
It will be super snuggly for the new baby and my youngest girl was testing it out before I even hand sewed the binding on!
You can get the free Jelly Roll Jam 2 pattern here. Also check out the Fat Quarter Shop's YouTube video, Kimberly has great tips for putting the quilt together!
There is currently a sale on all jelly rolls at the Fat Quarter Shop so grab yourself one and have fun making the Jelly Roll Jam 2.
Simply Solids Bee Quilt - le challenge
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The le challenge theme this month was charity. In January it was my turn as queen bee for the Simply Solids Amaranth group and I asked the bees to make me Herringbone blocks using this tutorial. I also asked for some solid strips to use as binding as I knew this would be a quilt to give to a local child.
I tried out lots of layouts but in the end settled for a random scrappy look, which I love! It makes nice wonky diamond patterns and shows off all the bright colours. I decided to do free motion quilting and used this brilliant tutorial. I changed the direction of some of the triangles and it works well with the quilt pattern. What I now realise is this type of fmq works much better on a smaller scale and I should have created more triangle shapes because I went big and it shows all of my 'not at all straight' lines.
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Thank goodness the quilt went all lovely and crinkly in the wash and it actually looks ok but when I do it again I will use a much smaller scale. I actually think all the fmq I've done that I am happy with is in small areas, so that might be a good plan for me to stick to generally. I used an equally bright backing fabric that ties in really well and I love the scrappy binding. Big thanks to the Amaranth Simply Solids bee for all the fabulous blocks and I know this quilt will be treasured by a very deserving child.
To learn more about charity quilts and to get some great free patterns please read Katie's recent post.
If you'd made anything for charity recently, or any makes that relate to the theme 'charity', such as charity shop buys or upcycled projects then come and join us at le challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop.
Have a lovely weekend!
Glampervan
I made my eldest daughter a Glampervan cushion!
I initialed it for her and because I'd made a Skull tooth fairy cushion for my son I thought I'd better make one of the windows a pocket. Only fair they have the same.
She helped pick the fabrics, and she adores it... just waiting on a cushion insert to arrive to fill it!
and it looks like this one is getting ready to be mobile...
or not!
Before I leave you for a weekend full of fun, frolics and chocolate please go and check out Le Challenge, I'm also over there today with details of the giveaway for this month!
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