New Fabric Obsession...

Like any quilter I have an obsession with fabric - a serious addiction!

And I have some lines of fabric that I just adore- anything Sweetwater for example!

This week thought I have discovered a new obsession - Field Study by Anna Maria Horner.

I suspect I am a few months behind loads of quilters, but it is better to get there in the end right?

This line is simply gorgeous!

It started last Monday evening at my quilting class at Prema Arts Centre. The lovely Abby has a fabulous selection of fabrics and included was some gorgeous fabric from Field Study. I knew I had to have some!

After a quick look through my favourite shops I found that M is for Make has a lovely selection of fabrics:

I know there are some other fabrics in there.... what can I say?

Anyway, I love Field Study so much that I ended up going back to M is for Make for some more!

Now I have the gorgeous butterflies and all of the poppies - I love the poppies!

They are simply gorgeous!

Now they are tucked safely into my secret stash whilst I work out how I want to use them....

WIP: An FDD Bag

This week is stumbling along.... after a weekend of working and Scouting duties, followed by teaching everywhere and Cubs Scouts my head is kinda too tired to think!

A nap would be lovely, but I have parent workshop at school, parents evening and then a 3 hour class tonight...

So this week my Work in Progress is a small, but important one.

I am making a bag for a friend who had a voucher for funky diva designs but we lost track of time, so it is a lovely oilcloth bag that I am fitting into the time between planning and teaching!

It needs to be finished by the end of the week so I need to pick up the pace, but time is so short!

All my planning is done for tonight's class, just the car to pack - which takes 20 minutes alone!

Yes, I am feeling a bit stressed out today!

Fingers crossed things will calm down after Friday when the Easter hols start...

Linking up with Work in Progress Wednesday on Freshly Pieced:

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FMQ Feet

So far we have talked about threads and needles for FMQ.

Today we are going to look at sewing feet you need for Free Motion Quilting.

Free Motion Quilting is a is like doodling with a pencil, but you are using you sewing machine!

You need the machine to allow you to move the fabric in all directions - not just forwards and backwards as you would usually use the sewing machine.

There are two elements that you need to enable the machine to do this:

• Drop or cover the feed dogs

• Darning or free motion foot

Feed Dogs

The feed dogs on a sewing machine grip the fabric and pull it through the machine whilst you are stitching, but they only pull it in one direction. To effectively FMQ you need to be able to move in all directions.

If your machine has a drop dogs function you can drop the feed dogs away and this will allow you to move in different directions whilst you quilt. This is a really effective way of FMQ, but you do need to make sure you check the tension on a scrap before you begin.

A sewing machine works best with the feed dogs up, so sometimes it will struggle with feed dogs down, so it is always worth trying them up if the tension seems off - sometimes this fixes the problem.

Covering the dogs, if you are able, is the best way to FMQ that I have found. The machine functions much better with the feed dogs engaged even if they are not touching the fabric.

Darning or free motion foot

Just with the feed dogs you need a foot that means you can move the fabric around easily in the machine. The foot needs to float over the fabric, but be low enough that the machine is engaged to sew.

There are two feet that you can use.

A traditional darning foot will allow you stitch and float at the same time - sounds funny I know!

The foot will allow you to move the fabric around and doodle!

The only draw back I have found is that it jumps up and down, which is really distracting when you are stitching. Plus you need to keep an eye on the tension whilst you are stitching.

If you can, then a free motion foot for you machine is a better investment. I love the Janome kit. It comes with 3 different attachments for the foot and you can lower and lift the foot mechanism, but it doesn't jump around. There is less stress about the tension as I work.

Out of the 3 attachments I prefer the closed loop to work with, the thread snags less and it is much smoother stitching, but that is just my preference!

I hope this helps on you FMQ adventure!

See you next week with a chat about designs!

Having fun!

Tomorrow I am running a day workshop for families.

It is for mums and daughters. An Easter sewing day together!

I have 5 families coming, including a group of granny, mum and daughter who is 7. So the bug question is:

How do you organise a day that will capture the imagination and interest of 3 generations of one wonderful family?

To me it kinda goes back to pushing people gently outside their comfort zone, whilst making them laugh!

When you make people smile and laugh you can help them overcome their anxieties and they can create something they never thought was possible. this is why my classes always start with a few words to make people smile, relax and mostly laugh at my inability to stop stroking fabric!

Works everytime. I can then guide them through ideas that might have seemed way too crazy 10 minutes ago.

So tomorrow, the idea is to explore fabric, have a go at patchwork and appliqué and have fun!

We are going to use Bondaweb, scraps and a blank canvas of Klona Cotton to create panels that can be turned into cushion covers, wall hangings or any other item you can think of.

And yes the 7 yo will be machine quilting, as I have found children embrace the chance to play with a sewing machine when they are given a chance. And they create amazing things!

It's all about having fun and creating, without getting hung up on the piece ring perfect - how you get there is just as important as the destination.....

Giving it another go....

A few weeks ago it was support your local quilt shop day/week - I would always go for the week long option personally!

I blogged about my local quilt shop, Country Threads, and told you just how much I love it!

But I have been carrying a secret around with me.... Country Threads is not my local shop..

I know, I have been very naughty but I do have a really good reason I promise...

Just after a the whole support your local quilt shop event I was surfing my bloggers that I love and came across this blog post by Rossie. Basically Rossie questioned the origin of support your local shop on Instagram and was subjected to a load of plain silly comments from quilters.

To me she raised and interesting point: Why support local?

Local to me is a shop only 20 minutes from the house that I visited once when we moved into the area 5 years ago. My opinion of it was that it dark, randomly laid out and it was kinda unfriendly. The quilts on display were all uninspiring and the fabrics really random...

So I will honestly say I wasn't in a hurry to go back.

The piece by Rossie struck a cord and I agree that supporting local is tough if walking into the shop makes the quilter in you weep! It also made me think that I should give the shop another go - after all it is only 20 minutes away from the house...

Today was the day I visited again. I needed some Bondaweb for a family workshop on Saturday and it seemed like a good excuse to go visit again.

It was still full of random things in a random places, totally uninspiring quilts on display and fabrics that were in colour/line/don't know order. The fabrics we all kinda dull... a few nice pieces, but nothing heart poundingly exciting.

It was a really uncomfortable experience. I managed to get some grey blender that I love, but nothing exciting. And I had to search to find those lovely fabrics.

It is the type of quilt shop that is supported by quilters of a certain age, who are full of traditional talent and look suspiciously at quilters who are below the age of 50. It has been there for yonks and has a loyal local following. I know you know a shop like it.

But the big shame is that it is a complete turn off for younger quilters because it is so uninspiring. It is so confined by a traditional outlook that it has forgotten that quilting is fun for all ages. It has become a shop that only works for it's loyal supporters, and therefore alienates a whole community of quilters who love to buy fabric!

I can safely say I will not be returning, I will be off to Bath and Country Threads when I need some fabric therapy!

WIP: Cushions

This week has been a long one already!

2 days of a mini monster home which followed midi monster being home Thursday and Friday, has meant my ability to work and my sanity has taken a back seat!

So today I am cracking on with a couple of projects and disappearing for some peace, and a nice lunch...

The Work in Progress this week are 2 cushion covers - I know, I have a new obsession to cover the house in cushions!

First, this is block 4 for the Bi-monthly block club:

I raided my Liberty stash and added some more Juggling Summer Ovals - I love that fabric!

It is now finished, but I need a cushion backing, which I have decided must be Liberty too so complete the look! So finished photos soon - I promise!

The other cushion on the table is the embroidery I started a couple of weekends ago:

It will be going onto my bed along with the Umbrella cushion I showed you on Monday.

Both patterns are from the fabulous Aneela Hoey so I will be edging it with her fabric again - just because I love the cushion on my bed at the moment!

So that is today... oh and I had confirmation I have been nominated as Tutor of the Year for Adult Education Gloucestershire...

I think I need lunch out to celebrate!

Linking up with:

 

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!