FAL Q2 Scrappy Arrows

Awhile ago I started  a quilt using scrap triangles from the Tula Pink Quilt.

The quilt made it onto the FAL Q1 list, but I didn't manage to complete it! It then went onto FAL Q2 list... and it is finished!

It is made up of scrappy triangles sewn straight onto a white background. The seams are open to able to fray!

It did start out rectangular, but when I had finished quilting I realised that backing did not match up anymore!

So I took a rotary cutter and started cutting the edges into free hand curves!

 I have never bound a curvy quilt, so it I set off adding the binding quite nervously.... how was it going to work?

Turns out it worked a treat!

I quilted the quilt with pebbles, snail shells, swirls and feathers!

It was great fun and adding loads of texture to the quilt.

I love the back just as much as the front!!

So the last finished of FAL Q2 was a fun exploration into more curves and FMQ textures!

FAL Q2 - City Curves

A couple of weeks ago finished the FAL Q2 Trip Around the World. It is now in it's new home in the boy's school library/den!

This is the week of sharing our FAL Q2 Projects and on my list to finish was Maxi's City Curves quilt. I have shared lots of photos of this quilt in progress, but this is the first set of photos of the finished quilt.

It is a curvy city scape of buildings, windows and brightly coloured sky!

Each part of the quilt is quilted differently, making it feel different in different parts. There are all sorts of designs, each testing out my FMQ skills and building my experience. It has resulted in a quilt that is both visually, but physically exciting to explore!

The back is a mix of fabrics, which Maxi loves!

It has a lovely weight to it, which makes it lovely to cuddle under. I love seeing Maxi sleeping under it every night!

It is the quilt I am most proud of and love seeing it being used!

Trying out new FMQ designs

I am working my way through quilting Maxi's curvy quilt.

A couple of weeks ago I shared my plans for the solid colour sky sections, using swirls and pebbles.

In each of the other parts of the quilt I have been experimenting with other FMQ designs:

This is triangles in a paisley shape, they are within a window surrounded by ovals floating over the fabric:

I love the contrast in design in each shape.

In another block I used messy spirals that meander over the space.

With this quilted interconnected triangular spirals, the texture is lovely!

In this orange window I quilted wavy lines close together:

These are surrounded by arches that reflect the arches of the London city scape on the fabric.

This window has a meandering design with tight swirls. It was great fun to quilt:

Some close, parallel lines..

I love these interlinking square swirls. The look like the building print they are on.

Together the combine to make a gorgeous block!

The quilt is coming together so well. I love the different textures and designs.

I am about 1/2 way through and I would like to get it finished for his birthday on Tuesday so there are going to be quite a few late nights ahead this weekend!

Linking up with FMQ Friday.

Quilting the curves!

On Boxing Day 2012 I experimented with curves and made a more grown up quilt for my near 11 year old eldest monster. He had chosen fabrics with city scape's and we turned them into curvy buildings.

Please excuse the bad photo!

It was great fun and challenge that I had not tried before - plenty of starch was used!

It has been basted using some basting spray - my thoughts on that tomorrow - and sitting on my 'please quilt me pile' for a couple of months. He is now getting upset that work design/paperwork and my Swoon quilt have taken precedence over his lovely new quilt. So it was put onto my FAL Q2 list and I have decided to not leave to the last minute!

I had outlined one of the curvy towers and started to FMQ swirls and pebbles in co-ordinating thread, but I had not really thought beyond that block....

Today I have a little spare time between prep for a class tomorrow and housework so I have outlined the next curvy block with some Aurifil in a pale grey (2615) which goes well with the white and grey blocks.

I am thinking of only quilting details into the windows, but not sure!

The pieces above each curvy building block are going to be quilting with swirls and pebbles in co-ordinating thread, which means I have had to order some neon orange - I hope it matches!

I will be honest, beyond that I am not sure.... it is going to be an adventure!

What are working on? I would love to see!

Linking up with Free Motion Quilting Friday over at Free Motion Project.

FMQ Threads

We talked about needles for machine quilting last week!

Today we are going to talk about threads.

Thread is a really important part of the machine quilting process. The machine is going to put the thread through 3 layers of fabric and moving the quilt around to free motion quilt is going to put the thread under strain.

Getting the right thread is really important. It needs to be strong, but not to thick so as to drag through the machine. The usual suspects such as Gutermann are going to snag and snap really quickly so they are not suitable for machine quilting.

Lots of my early attempts into FMQ resulted in tears because I didn't change my thread!

I have found that 2 options that I love to use. First there is the 100% cotton thread, Aurifil.

Aurifil is a wonderful 100% cotton thread that can be used for sewing, applique, hand sewing and machine quilting. It comes in 3 weights. I like using the 50 wt as it moves through the layers really smoothly and I love the effect quilting with this thread has on my quilts.

The big bonus is that the thread some in a gazillion colours! I mean loads and loads! I would love a huge Aurifil truck to turn up at my house and deliver all of the colours...

The only slight down side is the lint that builds up in the sewing machine bobbin section because it is 100% cotton. You just need to remember to collect the lint out of the machine periodically.

The best place I have found to buy the threads is Quilt Direct. They have a huge range of shades and shade cards too. Combine that with fast delivery and you onto a winner. M is for Make and The Village Haberdashery also stock a few colours too.

The other thread I love using is So Fine by Superior Threads. This is a polyester thread, but is a strong polyester thread.

It has a lovely feel and quilts differently from the Aurifil above. The thread sinks into the quilt less so has a different effect on the quilt.

This thread only leaves a little lint the machine and moves through the layers in a fabulous way. I have really enjoyed using the threads on a few quilts in the last 6 months.

The best place to buy it is at Barnyarns, who have a lovely range of shades and are fast with delivery.

With both threads make sure you practice on a scrap quilt first. Check your tension on the machine before you start quilting your beautiful quilt!

See you next week for a chat about machine feet!

FMQ: Needles

Free Motion Quilting is such fun, but only if it works!

To get machine quilting smoothly there are a few things to make sure you have.

The first step is the right needles.

Sewing machine needles are all different and have different uses - jean needles for jeans, leather needles for leather... get the idea?

So don't start FMQ without getting the right needles.

But which ones do you need?

I love using 2 different ones: Quilting Needles and Titanium Topstitch Needles.

Quilting Needles from The Eclectic Maker

Quilting needles have a slim, tapered point and thicker shaft for going through multiple layers so are perfect for going through a quilt. These needles work through the layers smoothly and I keep the tension on my machine at 4-4.5.

They don't last long though, maybe 8 hours before they need replacing - you will know because your machine will skip stitches. 8 hours fly by once you start FMQ on a quilt, believe me!

Titanium Needles from Simply Solids

The Titanium Needles are super strong and last longer than the quilting needles. They are perfect for FMQ because they larger eye and deeper groove so they slip through the 3 layers.

I do find I need to loosen off the tension a little bit when I use these needles so make sure you need to test on a practice piece before you start work on your quilt.

The titanium needles are expensive in comparison to the quilting needles, but are worth it because they last much longer.

Hope this helps!

On Tuesday we will look at threads!

FMQ

Over the next few weeks I have 2 patchwork classes getting ready to have a go at Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) and to help with reducing my paperwork pile as well as to enable my lovely students to access the info I am going to be giving them I thought a series of blog posts would be a good idea!

So what is FMQ?

It is machine quilting with no rules - well that is how I like to think of it!!

It is a way to be to creative and finish your quilts by adding texture and design beyond patchwork - and there are no rules!

But there are some things that will make your FMQ go much more smoothly....

So the topics I am going to cover are:

• Needles

• Thread

• Feet

• Design

• Trouble Shooting

All of these things can affect your FMQ and result in frustration!

Each post will have some hints and tips as well as the best place to get supplies in the UK.

If you want to keep track of the posts, make sure you follow the blog and post any questions in the comments so I can help to answer your questions!

So tomorrow we will start our FMQ journey by looking at Threads!

Quilting a large quilt

Over the last few weeks I have been working on a quilt for a very dear friend. It has been a mammoth task as isn't finished yet!

It started as bundle of fat quarters from Tula Pink:

Which were matched with Kona cream and snowball shapes made:

Which grew to a design with squares:

 

 

Which came together quickly into a queen size quilt:

 



 



When it was completely finished I basted it on the living room floor with a little helps from a sleep walking friend!

 

 

For the last 5 weeks I have been quilting it whenever I can! I decided on a tight design of sun ray in the octagons and swirls in the cream - lots of work! I have been using So Fine thread from Superior as recommended by Angela Walters.

 

 

 

I thought I would share what I have learnt about quilting such a large quilt on a domestic machine:

• It is best to break the quilt down into sections and concentrate on that one section before moving on to the next. This means I quilt the octagon in Thistle and then put in all the swirls around it, before I quilt the next octagon.

• I adapted by free motion foot as suggested by Leah Day which has made quilting much easier - the foot no longer bounces around!

• The reel of So fine suggests using a top stitch needle size 80/12. I have personally found that some quilting needles of the same size work the best. I guess they are pretty similar, but my lovely Ellie the Elna didn't like the top stitch needle at all.

• When working on a section you have be conscious of the backing creasing, so I start a new section working out from the quilted area rather than working towards it!

 

 

 

Finally I learnt you need patience! This is not something that will happen overnight and I have grown very attached to this quilt. It will be hard to let it go!



FMQ on the edge..

Yesterday was a manic day - today isn't much better!

I taught in Cheltenham and it was my last session with a lovely group of people with mental health issues. Unfortunately 2 of the group couldn't come so it was a small quiet morning with only 2 learners. I will miss them...

I dashed back and started getting ready for a pampered ladies evening at the boys school. Loads of yummy stalls and beauty therapies for the mums. I took along the Janome's to show case what I do and let people overcome that initial 'I can't sew' feeling!

I had a fab corner in the hall with climbing bar - perfect for hanging quilts on! So with 2 sewing machine set up to go I settled down on a third to do some FMQ

I was living dangerously because I had taken the foot pedal off and I was using the start stop function to FMQ for the first time. I love on the edge right?

Luckily my adapted foot fits onto a Janome just fine, so I set off..

FMQ using the start stop button is an interesting experience...

First, you have to set the machine to the right speed - you can't slow down or go faster. It stays at a constant speed. Which was daunting at first, but not too bad once I had got used to it. It does take a bit of fiddling to get the speed right!

Then there is the whole issue of being too used to using a foot pedal to stop! I am slowly getting used to using the start/stop button, but my foot still taps the floor looking for the pedal! Once you remember you need to keep and eye on where you are going and press it in plenty of time, it is fine!

Overall I really enjoyed not using the foot pedal. My stitches are not great, but then who's are when they try something new out?

Plus it got me lots of interest as to why I was wearing dodgy white gloves, which let to interest in sewing classes, both one-to-one private classes and the patchwork class I will be running at Prema. So the evening was a success!

Plus the boys tried out the new nanny/babysitter and she survived! Will find out their feedback when they wake up!

Quilting is a passion

On Friday I had a private lesson with a lovely lady. She came initially because she lacked confidence in what she was doing and sewing was relatively new to her. But just 3 sessions has built her confidence to try things and she is making the most wonderful little girls clothing from Oliver and S patterns... I mean seriously gorgeous clothes!

Now she is slowly dipping her toe into patchwork and quilting - I will get her addicted!

We were talking about the work taken to complete a quilt using free motion quilting, about the time needed and patience... She took one look at the quilting and commented that the person it is for must be very special!

She is right, this quilt is for a very special person in my life:

This was taken just before the last 2 rows were added! It is a queen size quilt so it will grow with the person.

When it came to the quilting, I decided I wanted to add lost of texture to to the snowballs and the negative space. So sun bursts in the snowballs:

The negative spaces evolved into swirls, both small and large to fit the space:

The squares are staying quilt free.

It is a huge amount of work and I even set up Ellie the Elna in the kitchen so I can quilt when the boys are playing, even 10 minutes work on it helps...

I would hate to say how many hours of quilting have gone into it so far, and I am barely half way through it!

So the sentiment that I must love the recipient very much is true, but I am also pretty selfish - I am using the quilt to build my skills. I am getting to grips with using my domestic sewing machine for FMQ a huge quilt.

Plus  it is a joy every time I sit down to work on it. It is never a chore - I love patchwork and I love the quilting phase too!

Every time I quilt it I think about the years of service this quilt will give. I think about the adventures it will go on, the places it will see and the comfort it will give. I think how my quilts have bought me so much joy and comfort through the years and I am giving that gift to someone just starting on the journey of adult hood... that is a gift worth working on......