October fmq - name and fillers

This month's quilting expert is Teri Lucas.  She provided a very interesting challenge, stitch your own name in the block then fill the block in using a variety of fillers and threads.  Teri suggested satin fabric.  However, I didn't have any satin readily available, so I did the practice sandwich on white cotton/linen fabric with cotton batting and a Schmetz 90/14 embroidery needle.

I quilted my daughter's name and did not mark the fabric.  Her name ended up being off centre and not straight.  So on my fmq sample quilt I marked my name with a Sewline ceramic pencil.

It was good fun trying different threads with each filler.

The blue pebbling is 100% polyester embroidery thread from Marathon threads in Winnipeg.

 I stuck in the top left corner of the red grid lines and ended up making what looks like a little roof.

The green heart-shaped leaves are 100% cotton quilting thread.

 My first attempt at sewing nautilus shells.

I love the neon orange thread, it makes those flowers look happy.

 

Fellow quilters, did you enjoy this challenge?  Would you quilt your name on your quilts?

Giveaway

I've got a giveaway going on over at my blog.  Click HERE to get the info.

September results for the SewCalGal 2012 FMQ Challenge

Here is my FMQ for SewCalGal's Free Motion Quilting Challenge. TheSeptember Tutorial was by Paula Reid and we stitched out a circular feather motif.

This was done with a 90/14 needle with gold Coats and Clark in the bobbin.

By the way, "Happy 200th Birthday Coats and Clark!"

This month, I got a new machine (remember my fiasco with tension issues last month?) called the Pfaff Creative Performance.  (See reviews here.)  With Coats and Clark thread, this machine can fmq like crazy without tension issues.  I'm SEW happy to be able to fmq sans headaches once more!  I look forward to using different types of threads and battings and sharing how they work here on RocknQuilts.

Of course, it looks like I'm beginning all over again - because I am - with a new machine, anyway!

I'm sure I will improve with time, however.

Here's my new purple beauty:

I used Don Linn's recommended method for pattern transfer this time:

(There is tulle in the blue embroidery hoop, but it's practically invisible!)

Here's the top with teal Coats and Clark over blue marking pen on muslin with a new batting I hadn't tried before called Hobbs Heirloom Premium Cotton 80/20, aligned fiber, lightly needle punched.  It can be quilted 1/4" to 3" apart.  It comes in 45" x 60", 90 x 108", 120" x 120" and 96" wide by the yard from Harriet and Carrie Hargrave.

I really enjoyed how easily everything moved under my needle with this batting.  I would use it again and recommend it to others.

Looking forward to reading and learning more about FMQ through theSewCalGal 2012 FMQ Challenge.  Thanks for all you do, SewCalGal!

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Jesters Hats

For the past twelve days I have been practicing the design called "Jesters Hats", August's tutorial by Wendy Sheppard  for the FreeMotion Challenge at SewCalGal. I found this very hard to re-create on paper let alone doing it in freemotion on fabric.  But I do persist, and 60 sheets of paper later I gave it a try on fabric.  I think I got it, finally!  At least to my satisfaction.  I see jesters hats, do you? 

SewCalGal 2012 FMQ Challenge Results for August - challenges galore!

1.  Study Wendy Sheppard's post on SewCalGal.  Check.  Read posts onSewCalGal's August FMQ post.  Check. Doodling for days...drawing ready.  Check.

2.  New quilt sandwich with a batting I haven't tried before.  Check.

3.  After 15 minutes of re-arranging, machine is completely ready to go.

New 90/14 top stitching needle, 30w Sulky in top, Aerofil in bobbin, feed dogs down, replaced embroidery bobbin case with free motion quilting bobbin case, lowered table, etc.

4.  I'm ready to rock like Jack Black in "School of Rock"!

5.  My machine is NOT!

Spend 10+ minutes checking over everything...I find the...

More adjustments.  Change bobbin cases back.  Adjust tension many times.  Try, try again and...

A little better, but thread breaks after six to eight inches of quilting.

Tension is still off.

I've used this same spool of 30w Sulky before with success.

???

Any suggestions?

Maybe I'm missing something completely??

I am thinking about using 30w Sulky in top and bobbin....what do you think?  

Would it be too thick for the bobbin or not?

By the way, I love the Jester's hats design that Ivory Spring demonstrated for this month's SewCalGal 2012 FMQ Challenge.  Thank you - I love the design!!  Apparently, it doesn't love me!  LOL!!!

August Challenge - Jesters' Hats

This month's teacher is Wendy Sheppard.  Her tutorial is on free motion quilting jesters' hats as a unique filler design.  I started doodling jester hats.  At first, it was really hard to fill the entire page without getting stuck in the middle somewhere.  In total I doodled 40 pages before stiching this design out.

I stitched out a practice piece to ensure the tension was good top and bottom.

I used Rainbow 100% polyester variegated serger thread in the needle and bobbin.

I found it easier to fill the space evenly by starting in the corner of the quilting space rather than the middle.

 

This is the back side.

 

 

 

Happy quilting all!

July challenge - Tiles

This month's teacher is Angela Walters, her well written tutorial is all about putting filler designs in tiles.  This technique adds lovely texture to a quilt.

I used my Pfaff Creative 2 with a Schmetz 80/12 universal needle and rainbow 100% polyester variegated thread.

The top side is 100% cotton sheet, batting is warm and natural 80% cotton and 20% polyester and the backing is 100% cotton pink flanelette.

The filler design is simple curves.  I used the same filler design in all the tiles and varied the shape of the tiles.

 I added some zig zags and a partial circle tile.

 

 

 

 This design is fun to quilt.

 

 

 

 

The back side looks really cool.

 

I have a bran new great nephew born July 1, 2012.  Perhaps I use this tile design on his quilt.