April Giveaway Results

I have been beyond busy with piecing and quilting memorial quilts. This is no excuse I know - but honestly it is the only one I have!

In April I showed you how you can make over 100 different quilting designs just by using straight lines. For me it was a really useful exercise - it showed me that you can make so many different designs using one 'element' so to speak. If you are looking to push yourself and your free motion skills doing something like this can really show you how many options there are.

I've also made some similar samplers using just an arc, a loop and a hook. Each sampler showed me how far you could push a design just by using one shape. I hope to share them with you soon (when I have discovered the secret of sourcing more time magically!)

Anyway - enough of my wibbles and excuses. The lucky winner of the book from April - selected by the ever handy Random Number Selector - is Margaret. (Full disclosure Margaret is a member of my our guild the NYC Metro Mod Quilters - but I promise you no bribes were received!) Margaret is more than an amazingly and talented quilter and I know she will do something amazing with the information in this book.

One Line at a Time by Charlotte Warr Andersen is available on Amazon both new and second hand.

Karen McTavish

If I think of all the people I have met in the past year who have inspired me to try new things or who have shown me a new way of doing something or who have just cheered me on along my free motion journey - it really makes me feel a bit fuzzy. In the past year I met two people whom I think so highly of that I felt honored just to be in the same room as them. And the amazing people I have met through the wonderful guild I am a part of (NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild) I have met so many wonderful and super talented people who I deeply admire for their work and vision.

Back in August last year I met the really fun & charming Luke Haynes. And in February of this year I traveled to Wisconsin (in heaps of snow) to meet the amazing Karen McTavish. Karen is one of the reasons I got a longarm. I had seen a video of her McTavishing and her movements and designs were so fluid and gorgeous that I thought 'that is what I want to do'.
 
Wisconsin was really REALLY cold this February (-32F!).

T-shirt at the airport spoke the truth .....

The glowing wood stove was blissful!!

Meeting Karen was so strange. I was way more excited to meet this lady than if the young John Travolta arrived on my doorstep.

We went over McTavishing (I've been doing it all wrong!) We went over Victorian Feathers (I was doing that right) we talked about where I want to go with my quilting, competing (eek!), we watched TV together while she taught me how to trim trapunto and she fed me and opened up her home to me for two days while her son tried to imitate my English accent.

 

 

Karen has coined this injury sustained by trimming trapunto 'trapunto thumb'. 

 

I learnt her love of all things skulls. Her quilting on this piece is SO beautiful.

I was both in love with and terrified of this big boy - an English Mastif - the biggest dog I've ever met who was a total softy but had just a 'slightly' intimidating woof.

 We played with hundreds of stencils (i.e. I threw them everywhere ...)

 .... and Karen guided me through designing my first whole cloth.

 

It was seriously wonderful 2 days!


I feel blessed to be meeting so many wonderful people whose inspiration, work and kind words help me push myself just a little bit further with every project.

Karen has recently opened up her new quilting studio in Duluth where you can rent a longarm or take classes from her. If you can go and visit her do!

Teacher Appreciation Gift: Kids Art Quilt

I can't believe it is that time of the year again - my two smallest bunnies have finished their year at nursery school and it was time to think about teacher appreciation gifts again. (On a small Mummy note I am struggling with how fast these little people grow up and how I long to have more - oh dear husband of mine are you reading this???)

I have wanted to make a little art gallery quilt for a longtime now and this was the perfect opportunity. (I find giving gifts is a great way to try out a new idea!) Each child's parent in the class gave me their favorite piece of art work - we have had some really great/fun art work come home this year.

I scanned each piece of art work and enlarged them so they were all of a similar size. I printed the artwork onto a yard of fabric using Spoonflower. I added a simple 'frame' to each picture as well as the artists name.

  
I wanted the background fabric to look like wallpaper as though the art was hanging on a wall. I tried very hard to get the seam to match perfectly so you can't see the seam. Can you see the seam? (and yes I was quietly proud of this moment in my sewing history.)

Part of what I love most about these gifts is the labels. I took the class photo and made it into a label. I use printable paper and our home printer to make the labels - you heat set the ink with an iron (it does fade a little with washing) but it does the job well. 

I did some very simple quilting on the quilt. Double loop the loops on the background and a little bit of quilting on the art.  You can see the detail of the quilting much clearer from the back.

Another year has dashed past. Thank you to all the teachers out there that bring joy, laughter and learning to our little bunnies on a daily basis.

 

If you remember for the past two years we have made hand print pillows that were mighty cute too - you can check those out here Teacher Appreciation Hand Print Pillows (2014) & Teacher Appreciation Hand Print Pillows (2013).

I have another teacher appreciation quilt in the works - its a really great quilt so stay tuned I will be able to share that with you soon too. 

April Lesson (& Giveaway) 100+ Straight Line Quilting Designs

January Lesson: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting
January Roundup: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting - Roundup
February Lesson: Thread
February Lesson: Thread Roundup
March Lesson: Choosing Batting & Fabric for Free Motion Quilting

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I have never loved to practice at anything much (although I like to practice eating chocolate a lot!) When I discovered FMQ  I found I could spend hours practicing various designs. This post came about because I wanted to make a group of samplers - based on 5 classic shapes which are used over and over again in free motion quilting.

This is not a how too post - I hope that this post encourages you to explore how many designs you can come up with with using 'just straight lines'. "Just straight lines' is a phrase I heard over and over again in the January Lesson. This sampler shows that using 'just straight lines' can make a lot of different quilting patterns. Some are simple - others are more complex and time consuming - but you should never say 'just straight lines' again.

I started thinking I would aim for 40+ different designs but it soon seemed obvious it would be very easy to hit 100. Warning - this is a long post. Many of these patterns are self explanatory. Where another quilter has given a tutorial or published the design I have provided a link.

The sampler was an amazing exercise for me and I feel like I have discovered many more possible designs to use in future quilts. I quilted many of these designs on the sampler for the first time. I would love to hear if you discover any ideas you don't see here. I would also encourage anyone who wanted to expand their FMQ horizons to do a similar sampler for themselves.

March Lesson & Giveaway Results

I feel really bad to say that the majority of us seem to shop for fabric online. I'm a bad offender of this. I like the wide range of extra wide backing that is available online and not usually available in a quilt store. I also like the fact I can shop from home at anytime of the day and I don't have to drag the kids along with me!My favorite store is fabric.com for their free shipping, returns policy and lovely customer service.

However I was recently rather stuck with a memorial quilt and I did in fact go to my local specialist fabric store. The thing I found most valuable from my visit was the discussion and ideas given about my project. I felt a lot more confident & prepared to tackle it when I left.

Ruler Work

I understand that you can now use rulers with other machines - not just longarms. I believe Janome now has a ruler foot as well as rumors that Bernina will have a ruler foot soon?

I need help with ruler work - so I tracked down an Handiquilter ruler expert. Debby Brown. When I mean 'track down' - I harassed the poor lady until she gave in. Debby is a busy busy lady teaching all around the world and for Handiquilter and she does a lot of work with her local quilt shop the Quilt Basket in Pawling, NY.

March Lesson (& Giveaway): Choosing Fabric & Batting for Free Motion Quilting

January Lesson: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting
January Roundup: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting - Roundup
February Lesson: Thread
February Lesson: Thread Roundup

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Through my charity Quilting A Memory I get to work with all sorts of fabrics for families who have lost loved ones  I have quilted with everything from mens vests to woolen kilts to satin wedding dresses. So far the only fabric I have had to say no to was a thick toweling dressing gown. So it might not surprise many of you to learn that I am anything but a fabric snob. To me fabric is fabric and fabric can be made into quilts.

I know there is a whole thing over designer fabric versus the cheaper prints you can buy at JoAnn's. But I also know that fabric lines who have produced cheaper fabrics for JoAnn's now have quilt shops begging for the same material.

Again my mantra is - if you like it - use it.

My other mantra is - if you are practicing - don't spend the big bucks. Your neighbors 1 year old baby is not going to notice that the train print is from JoAnn's rather than a designer beauty. Keep it cheap - your whoopsies won't hurt as much. 

FABRIC
From a free motion point of view I can give you the following information with regards to fabric.

If you buy one thing this year ...

... it should be a couching foot.

Save your pennies or sell an arm or a leg. This thing is so much fun it should be outlawed!! (And yes this is a non smoker, non drinker, passionate free motion quilter talking - so I have a pretty low base to what 'fun' is!)

I went through my sketch book and tried pattern after pattern.

'What not to do' Quilt

Before I start ranting about this quilt I also want to say how much I have learnt from this quilt. Despite really struggling to finish it - but finish I did. I'm still not loving it - but I'm concentrating on the fact that it was a big learning experience for me.



This quilt had a bad start too. My machine lost its timing (which has happened one too many times - so off the machine went to Utah over Christmas to be fixed by the lovely Glen at Handiquilter headquarters.) I think taking a half finished quilt (that I did not baste at all) off the frame and then heap it on a bed for a few weeks before reloading it and continuing - is probably not entirely fair to the quilt.

The idea for this quilt came from a workshop with Amy Butler that I took at the Brooklyn Craft Company. It was lovely to meet Amy - a quiet and totally unassuming lady who spoke about color, travel and design in a quiet but very impassioned way. I had taken along with me to the workshop a bit of fabric that I had been given by my husbands grandmother a long time ago. I had been saving this fabric for a very special project. When Amy gave us a free bundle of squares as a little gift - I loved how the rich colors worked together. Now I wish that I had pushed the combination of these fabrics a little more.

February Lesson (& Giveaway): Thread

Don't forget to also check out January's Lesson: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting.  But now onto thread.

I'll talk a little about thread below - but I also want to state my opinion about making things - it is very important to make something you like in a way that you like to make it. I don't believe that there is a right or wrong way. Personally I feel that it is the enjoyment of creating something that is important. It is important to stay open to learn new things - be open to new ideas too - be open to change the way you do something - be open to allow your way of thinking to change as your creative journey continues.

When you start exploring the world of free motion quilting it is important to use a thread that you AND your machine like. Choose a color that makes you happy and that you think is pretty. I found that when I was starting the bright Coats & Clark multipurpose threads I found at JoAnn's worked really well (I hear a collective gasp of horror!) It really doesn't matter what the thread is - what you are practicing is to relax enough to enjoy the process (this was the hardest thing I found to do) and how to repeat the same movement over and over again - worrying about what sort of thread you are using is pretty low on the spectrum at the beginning of your FMQ journey.

As you advance and get better - when you feel more confident with your designs you can begin to think about thread a little bit more - some threads will aid or interfere with the free motion designs you are working with.

January Lesson: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting & Giveaway results

First for the results. Julie's comment from Better than I deserve! was selected by the ever faithful random number selector. 

Julie said: I like doing free motion but need more ideas and practice!!. 

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Congratulations Julie - I hope that this book helps you with ideas and pushes you to practice, practice, practice!!!!

I loved all your comments from the January Lesson & Giveaway post - I wanted to answer some of the comments/questions.

OVERWHELMED WITH SIZE OF QUILT?

nelliw said... Great suggestions, Rachael! I am petrified to FMQ. I tried when I first purchased my Bernina and didn't feel I was ready. My biggest problem is overcoming the fear of the "big expanse" that needs to be filled and the fear of making a mistake and not being able to fix it! I will definitely give it a go again this year as I am tired of straight line quilting! 

I quilted this quilt with an all over stipple on my domestic machine. I filled each block before moving to the next block. Starting in the middle and working out will ensure you get the most cumbersome bits done first.

Rachael suggests - If you get overwhelmed with the size of your quilt. Break down the quilting into blocks or sections. Quilt a block at a time and remember to step away when you have had enough. Don't feel like you have to quilt the whole quilt in one sitting. Start in the middle and work methodically out - try not to jump around as this can create folds & catches in your backing material.

Cloud 9 Cirrus Solids

I'm sure you have seen this advert for Cloud 9's range of Cirrus Solids. They are GORGEOUS colors and fabrics to touch. I was really taken with them when quilting this top - soft and vibrant.

Cloud 9 has a Block of the Month challenge going at the moment. Our guild (NYC Metro Modern Quilters) took on the challenge and made a beautiful quilt. I got to quilt it! Maria pieced the quilt and suggested the feather running up the middle. This is essentially a little bit of an quilters eye candy post ;-)

January Lesson (& Giveaway): Beginners Guide to Free-Motion Quilting

During 2015 I hope to push myself further along the free motion quilting path and also perhaps teach a few people some little things (I keep being asked - eeek!) Teaching sort of terrifies me - because I'm pretty shy and I often worry I'm not qualified enough to impart useful pieces of information. So to warm myself up to the idea I'll be putting a little lesson out once a month accompanied by a little giveaway.

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Years ago I took a lesson on free motion quilting way before I could do anything (even try anything) that resembled free motion quilting on a quilt. The lesson terrified me and I never did a drop of free motion quilting again for over a year. I then completed a very very small project (a small zippered pouch) that somehow gave me the confidence to do more quilting. It has been a long journey with many doubts and dips but over all there is only one thing that has helped me improve and that is the really boring word of 'practice'. I know I have said this over and over again.

And so to encourage someone to take the same leap as I did and push through those doubts I want to start a series of lessons and little giveaways in 2015 - that will be focused on giving you that extra little push to drop those feed dogs on your machine and get quilting.

My tips for beginning free motion quilting are:

2014 (Phew!)

2014 has gone by in an utter blur. I've worked too hard - not spent enough time (in my little mind at least) with my adorable children and I've had some big break throughs (in my little mind at least.)

So here is a little recap.

Charity Quilt for Quilt Con

This was a challenge set by the Modern Quilt Guild. There was a particular color palette set & a style of quilt set - to play with grid work. (I found the post on Grid work pretty interesting on its own.)

I always enjoy reading the information that comes through from the Modern Quilt Guild. So when this challenge was announced I pretty much expressed interest in quilting a quilt for the charity challenge immediately (I do wonder that I perhaps mentioned too many times that it was only the quilting I was interested in!)

Lovely group of very enthusiastic ladies all in the NE of America - from New York up to Maine. The quilt top is titled 'A Happy Little Mountain Range' - so I took the angles of the triangles and quilted each 'mountain' in a separate pattern. Here are some pictures of our finished quilt.



The Greek key stitch is actually really hard to do - in terms of traveling around and working out how big your square is going to be - going in and coming out again. Practice is still needed but I'm getting there.



It has been a whole year now since Freddie arrived. I have wholeheartedly fallen in love with the texture that quilting can create on top of a quilt. 

The little double pebble motif above was really easy and looked really cute. And I marked for the first time ever for the baptist fan (just dots) but it kept the motif much more regulated in terms of direction, position & size so I'll be marking again for that pattern in the future.

I've quilted a bias top before - but a bias back? I was quietly (but utterly) terrified. Much effort was taken in terms of keeping the tension on the backing constant & even with constant checking and adjusting with the frames bungee cords. 

If I ever tire of inspecting the back of something I've quilted I think it will mean that I've lost interest. For me I LOVE the backs (sometimes more than the front - but ssshhhh!)

And above the mountain tops? Of course - the serene and ever flowing McTavishing esq type thing I do.

If you are in QuiltCon this February and get to see this hanging in person please send me a photo - I have the most exciting engagement ever at that time (the sky over the mountains might give you a clue.) So I won't be in Texas - but I will be traveling!!!

Memory Quilt: Toddler Dresses

Just to recap these toddler dresses were given to me to make a pillow. I couldn't bear to just cut chunks out of the dresses without using up all the material given to me - so I suggested a quilt as well.

I have had this idea of having an actual dress sewn to the middle of a quilt - as if in a picture frame for a while now. This quilt is for a 4 year old girl - the youngest of all the sisters who have worn these dresses.

The back of the blue dress was so pretty with its buttons and wide bow -  I knew that was the dress to use.

I used some petals left over from the memory pillow to create her flowers. The ribbon on her flowers and in her hair are from the dresses. Her shoes are made from the grey wool dress.

I used the remaining pieces from the dresses to create a 'picture frame' around the dress.

 

Mini orange peel is a little bit of a favorite pattern for me at the moment.  You can take orange peel in some many different directions - it is a fabulous pattern to play with.

In the border there are lots of cute little details like lace, the stitched boats on the pink striped dress and the pleats and stitched flowers in the blue satin dress front.

Here is some up close detail of the quilting around the girl. 

Therapeutic Mctavishing for the sky.

She is standing on the shore looking out. There are a lot of pebbles and shells beneath her feet.

Some of the pebbles are very small. 

Hair has become a small obsession of mine to take further next year. The braid is actually another piece of brown fabric appliqued onto the hair shape and then I quilted on top of the layers in a lighter thread color to highlight the shape of the hairstyle. It turned out really well.

 
 It sits wonderfully on a queen bed.

I'm excited for the little girl to receive it. I'm planning it will get to her in time for Christmas. I really hope they enjoy using it.