Saturday, January 19, 2013

Free Motion Quilting Today

I'm back on free motion quilting today. I decided to try putting words on a blue art quilt that I had started several months ago. Before Christmas I thought I'd put some crochet doilies on it. But after Christmas that didn't seem to be what I wanted to do. I'd spray based the top because I knew it needed to be quilted before the doilies when on.


When Leah Day started her new teaching project in January I knew I wanted to do at least some of what she was teaching, but I didn't want to do her quilt. So this week I drew two words and a phrase on sections of the blue art quilt top.

I chose to use script letters, and I don't think I sewed over them as often as she did on hers. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it certainly will take care of my fear of my stitches showing, if nothing else.

The phrase Bloom Where You Are spoke to me. It is what I am trying to do with my life. I also use two words in another section of the piece: Joy and Peace.

I'm going to be breaking down another barrier with this piece. I'm going to stipple around the letters. I have avoided stippling like the plague, but there are places where nothing else will do.

I've been auditioning some quilting ideas for another project. But you can see the word Joy and two kinds of quilting around it on this paper too. I liked how the stippling, even my miserable version of it, looked much better than the echoing.

I've ordered some blue thread and I will be waiting for it before I start that part of the quilting.
 
Meanwhile I'm auditioning quilting designs for the table scarf. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use Leah Day's Sunflower on the group of four square in square blocks. One sunflower to each group of blocks. The "problem" is the larger square in square block. I still have not figured out what to do with that.

Progress continues on the hexagon project. Turns out I can baste the hexagon papers while I am watching TV. I've cut out a bunch of additional ones.

I'm going to be doing some kind of color study or value study with these. I'm not totally sure what. I think I'm going to need more very light colored hexagons for this project. But mostly I'm just making them. I keep thinking about how to organize the kind of thing I want to do with them, but mostly, I'm just making them.









11 comments:

  1. Stella I love your hexie project...that you are just jumping in and starting, and enjoying the process, and seeing what emerges...that's a great life lesson! Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!

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  2. Great FMQ project, can't wait to see what you do with it!

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  3. I love you little blue art quilt. I love the decorative stitches and the FMQ is great!

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  4. I love your hexie project without the plan! With some of all colors you could 'paint and picture' or just do shades of colors.... lots of options. Your FMQ is wonderful and your writing is superb.

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  5. Well I can't wait until I'm good enough at fmq to quilt readable words like that.

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  6. I just started basting hexagons this week. I'm planning them as a take-along project, and hope to do each square in a different color.

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  7. Wow lots of great thinks on the works today. I too have been working on Hexagons.

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  8. THIS WAS A HEART FELT QUILT WASENT IT? YOU DO GREAT WORK.

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  9. Hi Stella, I popped over from Alz spouse support.
    Love your projects, the table scarf is lovely, and hexies are my favourites to do.
    I'm still working on my FMQ skills, lots of practice.
    Julia ♥

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  10. Hi Stella! I love your quilting in words - that's not easy to do but you've done a lovely job!

    And thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such a lovely comment. I wanted to reply but couldn't' because you are a no-reply blogger. I realize you may have your blog set up that way on purpose, but I thought I'd let you know just in case you were not aware of it. You can change that in your Blogger profile settings if you want.

    Have a great day!

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  11. Hi, Stella- good for you for practicing stippling on paper... the more you do it, the easier it gets. I did several practice squares on the machine before I set to a project I wanted it for. I really like your words and I think the red squares quilt will look great with sunflower printed in it!

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