2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge Wrap Up

I took the pledge at the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge to complete 12 FMQ tutorials this year.

I've posted 11 month and 1 bonus. Now I need a wrap-up post for the year. If you click on the name of the month, you will get to the original post. And way at the bottom of this post, you'll see what I learned!

1. January  Frances Moore gave us a tutorial on quilting leaves. I was brand new at free-motion quilting and it really showed!

2. February  Diane Gaudynski had us quilt feathers. It is still hard to believe how much these actually looked like feathers!

3. March  Ann Fahl encouraged us to develop our own style. I thought stippling with loops would be good.

4. April  Don Linn, Mr. Quilt, showed us how to transfer quilt markings with a method I'd never seen!

5. May  Leah Day had us practice two foundation designs. The first is called Double Stippling. 

The second design is  Railroad Tracks, a variation of Double Stippling.

6. June  Cindy Needham had us quilt a curly line and then filled the spaces with quilting. 

7. July  Angela Walters had us quilt Tiles with our choice of the filler design.

8. August  Wendy Sheppard gave us a "simple but fun quilting motif" called Jester's Hat. I found it hard!

9. September Paula Reid had us quilt a beautiful feather design. 

10. Bonus Tutorial Susan Brubaker Knapp had us finding quilt motif designs in our environment.

11. October  Teri Lucas had us trying different motifs and different threads.

12. November Sarah Vedeler had us practice drawing spirals and also suggested practicing FMQ 15 minutes every day.

What I learned:

2012 was my year to learn free-motion quilting. I began my journey in January, not knowing how things would progress. I followed the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge, the Quilt As You Go Free Motion Quilting Quilt A Long with Quokka Quilts, and Leah Day's Free Motion Quilt Project.

When the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge began, I thought I was in way over my head! But I had signed up so I decided to just try. I learned to relax and to practice, practice, practice. I began with samples and finally decided in March to use my limited skills on real quilts. I still do sample pieces, but in July, I decided to make blocks to use in a quilt-as-you-go quilt. 

When I quilted feathers in February that looked like feathers, I was overjoyed! And I loved finding a way to transfer patterns to dark fabric. The Jester's Hats were very hard for me - I think I should have drawn more of them like I later did with the spirals. I find quilt ideas in my environment constantly but it had never occurred to me to look around for quilting motif ideas.

I tried different threads, different battings, and different ways of moving my quilts while quilting. I learned that I can achieve different effects by making some changes.

I learned to free-motion quilt and I learned that this is an on-going journey - there will always be more to learn and ways to improve. It has become part of my life!

Thanks SewCalGal!

FMQ Project - Matrix

This week our free motion quilting design was Matrix. In November, we are doing "quick and pretty designs" and this is the first. I didn't have a whole quilt to work on so I did another block for my quilt.

I found this design easy and fast! This would be neat on a whole quilt. Here is a photo that's a little closer.

Sorry about the shadows - I really shouldn't take pictures at night with overhead lights on.

Leah Day really does a nice job of showing each design and teaching about it. She follows up by answering questions. She has a new class on Craftsy if you are interested - it is called Free Motion Quilting a Sampler.

2012 FMQ Challenge - November

Sarah Vedeler is our November FMQ expert at the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge over at Insights from SewCalGal. You can read about Sarah and see some of her beautiful designs and work here.

When I read that we were going to be doing spirals, I didn't know if I should say "Oh yeah!" or "Oh no!". I seem to have lots of trouble with spirals but I'd like to be able to do them.

Well, Sarah gave us sheets to trace - very similar to the way my grandkids learn to write their letters. I know this is a good way to learn but I've never done it with spirals. I have now!

After all of the tracing, it was time to draw our own. So draw I did! The larger the spirals, the harder for me to draw - Sometimes, I think too much about what I'm doing!

Then it was time to sew. Instead of the fat quarter sandwiches that Sarah suggested, I used squares for my motif sampler quilt. I marked squares and began sewing.

A closer view - no where near perfect but at least you can tell they are spirals!

Here are some spirals I tried last January for a Quilt Along with Quokka Quilts.

I might be biased but I think I really am improving!

I have more sheets to trace and practice drawing spirals. It's an activity that I will continue doing - I really do want to improve more!

FMQ Project - Lost Data

This week at the Free Motion Quilting Project Quilt Along, we worked on another edge-to-edge design, Lost Data. No I didn't lose anything - that is the name!

Lost Data is Jagged Lines with Zippling in the open areas. Both Jagged Lines and Zippling have sharp points and straight lines.

Again, I split my square in half. I did Lost Data on the top.

On the bottom, I tried just stitching back and forth in the open area. Someone else had done this and I just wanted it in my samples so I remember.

I don't have an update on putting my quilted squares together - I've been working on too many other things!

FMQ project - Jagged Lines

This week at the Free Motion Quilting Project Quilt Along, we worked on another edge-to-edge design. This one is called Jagged Lines. 

This is similar to flowing lines but the lines are straight and the angles are sharp (or at least supposed to be!). Straight lines and sharp angles are harder for me but I persist! I split my 8" block in half so I could work on a 4" piece - more like a sashing. Here is a close-up.

I have started to put some of my learning pieces together. The key word here is "started"! I have many pieces, all made in 2012, from working with Leah Day and the Free Motion Quilting Project, the 2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge, and Quokka Quilts QAYGFMQQAL. 

The back is pinned and needs a little hand stitching. One of these days, I'll get back to it! It is always good to have WIPs!

Now I wish I had all of my learning/practice pieces but some of the early ones are on practice sandwiches which have been over used. 

FMQ Project - Trapped Paisley

This is Quilt Along #36 at the Free Motion Quilting Project Quilt-Along. We are doing another Edge to Edge design based on Flowing Lines. Trapped Paisley is Flowing Lines with Paisley in the open areas.

I haven't soaked my blue marking pen out yet - you can still see the lines for the 8" square.

I really like the interesting texture. Again I have quilted an 8" square for my motif sampler quilt.

Northern Lights

Have you ever seen the northern lights - the aurora borealis? I have seen them twice - not nearly enough! Once they were green and the other time red. I am fascinated by the lights and would love to see them in the far north.

I bought some material called Northern Lights in Alaska three years ago. I wasn't sure what I would do with it but I bought it twice at two different stores and didn't realize it until I was home! So it really did (and still does) intrigue me.

You can tell it has been folded...

A few weeks ago when we were in Alaska, Ray spotted a small quilt in a shop that reminded him of the northern lights. I agreed and bought the pattern which was a pattern for a Hunter Star. 

It was an interesting way to make the star pieces.

At my little retreat I pieced a small 15" quilt. I was trying to decide how to quilt it when Ray said "with stars". Of course! So I machine quilted the piece with stippling stars.

The whole quilt.

A close-up.

The back.

Wouldn't this pattern look great in a king-size bed quilt?!

FMQ Project - Goldilocks

This week at the Free Motion Quilting Project Quilt-A-Long, Leah Day has us doing Goldilocks. We are building on our work from last week, Flowing Lines. Goldilocks is Flowing Lines with stippling in the open areas.

Sorry about the raggedy edges!

I had this block and needed something around the border so I decided it would be a good place to use Goldilocks.

Because I used this 8" block, my stippling is micro-stippling. I'll try this again on a larger scale.

I didn't find this hard! In fact, it is quite easy to do. The micro stippling really does add a lot of interest!

2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge - October

The October Free Motion Quilting Challenge over at Insights from SewCalGal featured Teri Lucas as the expert of the month. Teri teaches free motion quilting.

This month we had to practice a number of things on paper for one design and then quilt it. Well, I practiced a number of times on paper and decided that maybe I would pass - this just wasn't a block I would use. But for some reason, I sat down at my machine yesterday and decided to try quilting it. I am really glad that I did! Not only did I see remarkable improvement in some parts of my quilting wow - the practice is starting to pay off!, I tried different threads with great success! I probably won't use this block but it was great to try it!

We had to write our name, echo around it making it interesting. I needed a grid and clam shells and more. Each motif gets its own thread. Notice the gold feathers. 

I'm glad I did the exercise and tried the different threads - I'd only used Isacord and Aurifil for quilting. This exercise has opened up a world of opportunity!

A Halloween Finish

I began this little 18" square quilt at Quilt Camp. 

It is done from a charm pack using 

the disappearing 4-patch that 

we were shown at camp.

 There are spiders, owls, candy corn 

- all things Halloween!

These little squares were going to be a border on the front but I didn't like it - it was too busy. 

The back is a good place for them.

FMQ project - Flowing Lines

Over at the Free Motion Quilting Project Quilt Along, we have left Pivoting Designs and moved on to Edge to Edge Designs. I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up lately too busy traveling - but I love Paisley, one of the Pivoting Designs and use it often! 

This week we are doing Flowing Lines. Leah Day always demonstrates with a video and it makes learning so much easier.

This design requires some echo stitching which no longer is difficult for me - I am making progress!

I did an 8" square that will go in my motif sample quilt. I really like this design - as Leah said, it works great in sashings and borders. It really does give the feeling of water flowing.

An Army Baby

We have 5 grandsons and 13 great-nephews, and 2 granddaughters and 6 great-nieces. Blue is my favorite color so I enjoy making baby boy quilts but it is always fun to sew PINK!

We are expecting a great-great-niece in November, the daughter of our great-nephew and his wife.

We found the fabric in West Des Moines and I designed this little quilt. It's about 45" X 45".

Ray picked out the main fabric with the butterflies and we found fabrics to coordinate. Then I just played with the fabrics/colors until this resulted.

Can you believe the theme for the baby's room is pink with butterflies!?! We really got lucky this time! Here is the back - a very soft flannel.

I just finished the machine quilting and put the binding on this week. The baby shower was a week ago but we weren't able to attend. So I'll put this in the mail soon - it's on its way to Fort Campbell.