Giveaway and April 2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge

I finished my April FMQ Challenge hosted by SewCalGal.  The goal was to try a new marking technique for our free-motion quilting.  We were supposed to lay a piece of tulle over the pattern and trace it.  Then lay the tulle over the desired quilting material and trace it again.  We were given a specific pattern to use.  Easy enough.  Here’s my piece. 

I then decided it needed a bit more quilting before I could call it finished.  I call it Spanish Sunrise.

I also sandwiched my mother’s quilt.  All ready to go now.  Tomorrow I have an appointment to do my taxes.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh?

A couple months ago, Diane Gaudynski suggested we keep a quilter’s journal.  Everyone who enters The 2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge and also posts it here as well, will be entered this month to win a copy of A Quilter’s Notebook.  Prize to be chosen the first week of May by Random Number Generator.  Good luck everyone!

What did you FMQ today?

-Wendy

My FMQ Challenge this month

I've done lots of FMQ this month, but not much in the way of background or fillers.  So, at the 11th hour I made this little sample of some fillers I commonly use along with some I have wanted to try. 

For the grids and straight lines, I used some thick acrylic templates for the first time.  By the time I finished, I think I may have had the hang of them.  I tried some tiny feathers in there (can you see them?), but they look so much like pebbles I decided they were worthless that small.  Another new one I tried was the triangles.  I like that one.  Kinda fun, kinda funky.

All in all, a fun exercise.  And since the point of this was practice, practice, practice, I think I fulfilled that with the FMQ throughout the month and the sampler at the end.

I'll finish this little guy off and send him to AAQI with my other two.

And what else have I been FMQing?  Why the Princess Star quilt, of course.  Here's a pic of outlining the central motif.  I'm working on outlining the star right now, but my Juki is in the shop for timing as is my Brother.  That leaves me with the dreaded Janome.  It's behaving so far. 

-Wendy

I made my piece for the Free Motion Challenge.  The pattern requirement, Ivy leaves, is a go-to pattern for me.  I often use it.  So I just did a small bit in the border of this quiltlet.  I'll eventually paint it and add more stitching.  Keep an eye for the progress on my blog.

-Wendy

Champagne Sunday

I finished my table topper, Champagne Sunday.  And it’s Sunday, too!  How about that.  Bright and cheery for any day (even a cloudy one like today).  I tried some new stuff with this little quilt, including stitching alongside another row of stitches, using the FMQ foot as a guide.  As you can see, I didn’t do so well at that.  It’s amusing, looking at this all the way around, you can see how I get better at it on each border.  Very marked where the last border meets the first.  I just recently bought a Juki TL 98Q after working with a Janome 423S (their very bottom end machine) for a bit over a year.  I can’t stress how much easier it was to FMQ with a sewing machine that is made for quilting. 

 

I love this quilt.  I truly do.  It’s based on a Katharine Guerrier design.

Enjoy the day.  I’m off to do some writing.

-Wendy

Finished

Mom’s quilt is finally done!!!  Now on to other things.

-Wendy

Still FMQing

I’m still working on Mom’s quilt.  I’ve finished all the feathers inside the wreaths. 

Now I’m working on the setting triangles.  I’ve fallen in love with this quilt.  I see one in my future.

What are you working on?

-Wendy

FMQing

I’ve been working on Mom’s quilt.  FINALLY got all the center wreaths done.  Now I’ll be adding little flowers in between them.  You get a better picture from the back.  This quilt is going slow because of a million different reasons like my wrist, my machine, my time, my job, trying out new techniques on something else that I’ll want to use on this quilt …  .  You name it, I’ll use it as a reason.  Also, I just don’t want to rush this.  I want to take my time and do a lovely job.  I want my Mom to have something to keep forever.

                                                                                           

-Wendy

Still FMQing

This is my most recent FMQ project.  I have to say that making the design around the Coffee cup was a blast! Is anyone else still FMQing?
 

I’m on vacation right now, so I’ll be playing and catching up and learning how to repair my machine.  Tomorrow, Mom and I are making Hurricane quilts together.  It’s a lot like a Round Robin, but different.  It’s simple:  You’re given an object to sew, like pinwheels or squares.  Then you sew like a hurricane to get those made and added to your quilt in an hour.  At the end of the hour, you’re given another object to make and add to your quilt for an hour.  People tend to use big blocks for small quilts when making these.  They also tend to use up spare parts (extra unused blocks or partial blocks)… which would be the point here.  You can start with a center block or not.  You can medallion or make whatever your little heart desires.  It’s ALL good.  Quilting comes later.
Anyone else want to play?
-Wendy

Days 12, 13, 14 and for the next few weeks

I’ve been working on the feather wreaths for my mother’s quilt.  Nothing exciting.  Here’s a picture of one in process.  I used the red piece as a warmup.  I don’t have any plan for it, so I probably won’t continue with it and will start a different one soon.  Or maybe I’ll just keep fooling around with this one until it’s a mass of backgrounds. 

             

Anyway, I’m done with my Challenge:  14 days of FMQ.  I’ve really become more confident over the past two weeks.  It shows in my stitching.  Not only are my feathers more plump and fuller, but the stitches are more even.  I wonder how it will look after I finish this quilt.

 

-Wendy

Days 9, 10 & 11

Three days and I finished off this lovely little piece.  I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.  Maybe, put it with the other salmony/orange and make a placemat.  Dunno.

 

The challenge for me with this piece was making the “filler” even.  You can definitely see some parts are more white than others.  And some of the feathers are definitely non-conforming.  But still, it was fun!  I’m not sure what’s on the machine for tonight.  Gotta go see!

-Wendy

Days 7 and 8

The FMQ Challenge is going great.  Lots of fun and we all see TONS of improvements!  My weekdays are hectic and I don’t get much chance to sew, but because the Challenge is to sew every day, here’s my days 7 and 8. 

 

This is the weekend, however, and I' have more time to quilt.  This piece will become just a warmup piece.  When the week begins again, I’ll find another small piece to work on every day.

-Wendy

Sixth Day

Yesterday, I began the 6.5" little salmon colored square.  I didn't get too far, due to time and sleep constraints, but it was loads of fun.  It's all done freehand (except I have axis lines to keep me kinda on course).  There's only one corner filled in right now and I have lots more to do outside this, too.  You can see I can't make a square to save my life!  I also have a few "floppy" feathers where I lost track of where I was.  But, oh, I LIKE it!

Tonight - more of the same!

-Wendy

Day 5

Everyone’s progress looks awesome!  It’s very encouraging.  Daily practice, daily exercise.  That’s what it takes!

 

Today, day 5 for me, I finished my little warm-up sample piece.  This measures 6.5 inches.  It’ll be used as a panel in some kind of quilt along with the other salmon colored piece that I’ll be working on as warm-up next.  Not a stressful day, but exhausting so I just left it at a little FMQ.  Following the lines was a bit tougher for me tonight, but it was relaxing.  There IS method to my madness.  This big quilt I’m doing has those feather wreaths and I need to decently follow the circle I drew.  Not an easy task for someone who could never draw along a line before.  Sewing along a line is easier, I think.  Anyway, here’s the piece finished, front and back.

 

     

 

-Wendy

Day 4 for Me

What a hectic day my Mondays are!  By the time I got home, quilting was the last thing I wanted to do.  But, within seconds of hearing the hum of the machine and feeling the fabric of my little sample warm-up piece move under my fingers I started to relax.  I didn’t do much, it was all the time I had for it, but I left it wishing for lots more time and feeling much happier with the world.  

Here’s hoping your day turns out well, too.

Day Three Progress

Well, I finished all the stars today.  Next, I switch thread and start on the Feather Wreaths.    Here’s how the back of the quilt looks now.   There’s 20 stars, though you can’t see them all in this pic. 

 

-Wendy

Second Day

I did a few more stars yesterday after I posted, bringing my total yesterday to 5.  That makes 9 done and 11 to go.  Today, I’ve done 2 stars already and hope to do 4 more before this evening’s hockey game between Montreal (Applause, applause) and Boston (Booooo!).  I would have had more done today, but I forgot about a midday game.  I’m not huge into hockey, but my DH is, so I am, too.  He’s into my quilting because I am, so it pays off whenever I want to stop at a quilt shop.   Anyway, here’s pics of some of the stars backs and a couple fronts (next to their backs).  

This next set is how I make my wholecloth designs.  Remember, I don’t like to mark, so I just make the 4 axis lines and punt from there.  This is a very small piece, measuring 6.5 inches across. 

I’ll switch to it as my warm up and show the progression over the next few days.

-Wendy

Gettin' Goin’

Here's the first star finished, front and back.  The small gap in the middle would be where the name would go, if there had been one.

This piece is just a warm-up piece.  I'm sewing along the lines to help me better sew in the ditch around the stars.  I don't know if it's helping or not, but it's fun.

My Project

This is the project I'll be working on for The FMQ Challenge.  My mother sent me this to quilt ... some time ago.  I had to make it bigger first though.  And add borders.  And finish (and begin) about a dozen other quilts/quiltlets.  Finally, the sandwich is made, the machine is loaded, and I'm ready to begin.  Even though The FMQ Challenge doesn't begin officially until Friday, I'm starting this now (because I actually have the day off - yay me!).  I have other projects to work on, should I somehow manage to finish this before the Challenge ends.

I'll be putting feather wreaths in the big white alternate squares and swirls and feather things in the star, with posies between the points.  For the borders, I'll do the innermost with a chain of posies, the next with swirls, and the last with feathers.  Whew, I'm tired already!  Is it done yet?