Thursday, January 24, 2013

Stippling


 I've managed to learn some free motion quilting. And I've gotten good enough that I've allowed myself to quilt one major project that I see every day. But Stippling is not something I do well. Mostly I've avoided it like the plague, but there are times when Stippling is what is needed, so the time has come to actually do some.

The Blue Quilt now has a name of its own. I'm calling it Bloom. And that fits because it is what I am trying to do with my life. I am trying to bloom where I am.

I am hoping you can see the texture in the area where the Stippling is, but in the two smaller photos you can see the actual Stippling. And it is pretty awful. But one thing I have learned is that the only way to go from awful to not too bad is practice and I'm not going to get that on practice sandwiches.

I started the Stippling where the single words are. I'll do more in the space where the phrase is. Not sure what I will do next. Leah Day is teaching patterns that will work in long, somewhat narrow, areas. And I know that I will want to do some of those. But I've made a beginning. And that is something I was worried I wouldn't do. My pattern is to let UFOs sit, and sit, and sit and then suddenly feel ready to move on them again. Looks like it is Bloom's turn.

Take care all.

17 comments:

  1. Thank you for visiting my blog and your lovely comment.
    Marjolein

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  2. Thank you for visiting my blog. I don't know if you realize you're a no reply blogger. I just mention it in case it was an unintended side effect of switching to the google + profile. Your bloom quilt is really beautiful. I love the colours and textures. This really inspires me to learn to fmq.

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    1. I've made several attempts to fix the "no reply blogger status" Not sure if I've succeeded or not.

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  3. Stippling is something that I need to practice too! A friend in my guild recommended using layer cake squares for practice - just the right size and already pre-cut!

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  4. You did a beautiful job on your stippling. Nice touch.

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  5. Hi Stella! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I send the cards through the postoffice, never had any problems. Sometimes people pin them on the wall, like a miniature textile art piece. One solution is to go to the post office, have them stamp the card, then go home and sew the card in a transparent plastique and bring the card back to the post office, so you are safe!

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  6. Stella your stippling looks great, your quilt will be a stunner when it is finished.

    Afraid you are still a no-reply blogger :(

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  7. Your stippling looks wonderful! Sorry Stella, you are still a no-reply.

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  8. Stella, Your stippling looks great. Like anything else, the more you practice, the better your work will be.

    Here's an interesting idea when writing words with free motion quilting. I like to make reversible quilts (I teach this online at www.quiltuniversity.com). You can't use a traditional label on a reversible quilt. As I did free motion quilting on two baby quilts for my new granddaughters, I stitched Nana (me) and the year onto the quilt.

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  9. oh how cute! I love it

    lucy x
    http://blog.crazyforpurple.com

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  10. Just as each journey begins with a single step, so each stippling pattern begins with a single stitch. Stippling will get more intuitive and smooth the more you do it. You've already made a great start.

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  11. Your stippling is looking good. You have a lot of nice wiggles and curves! One thing that helped me was every so often to wiggle out into an open area instead of following the obvious "line" to finish that "row" or area of stippling. In other words, abruptly stipple a few curves 90 degrees from where you think you should go next--don't be TOO orderly about how you fill. Then, wiggle back and fill from a different direction. This adds satisfying complexity to the pattern, and the only think you are changing is the order you're filling the area. I hope that made sense and is helpful.

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    1. That is a great hint. I did some of it when I did the stippling in the phrase area. But not exactly the way you are suggesting. I'll try it on purpose the next time I've got this kind of pattern to deal with. I think it will help.

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  12. I was totally intimidated by everything FREE MOTION, all it takes is practice and determination, your stippling looks really good. Its always fun trying new things.

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  13. I liked Karen's hints above. I've never stipples. It seemingly confuses me

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  14. Hi. Im Tammy. Good to see your work. You do nice work. It makes me wont to go sew.

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