I love watching Craftsy classes about free motion quilting and, of course, all the videos I can find on Youtube as well. One of the things I learned is when you can't decide what to quilt, let the fabric tell you what to do. So for this first motif, that is exactly what I did! Here is the fabric without quilting.
I decided to just follow the squiggles and quilt on either side of them. I chose to use coral thread on the top and as I mentioned last time, the bobbin thread is always going to be periwinkle. So here is what it looks like afterwards. I'm a little shaky about staying on the line but mostly because I went too fast. If I had slowed down a bit I'd probably have been more accurate.
And here is the back . . .
I did the same thing with the next fabric. I followed the outlines on each circle, so basically, really large pebbles.
I thought about doing spokes on each of the circles like this with a little swirl in the center but didn't really like how it looked. My first try was messy so I didn't want to keep doing them. I continued on just doing the outside of the circles.
Back side . . .
Next up I wanted to try the motif taught by Angela Walters in her Craftsy Class called Borders and Backgrounds. This motif is called Wavy Wavy. Here is her sample from the video . . . very beginner friendly
One thing I learned from this fabric is that when the thread matches exactly, it is really hard to quilt with because it's very hard to see. I couldn't see where I had already quilted and had to resort to turning off the lights and trying to have some light shining from the side in order to see the places I had been. I think in the future, I will probably use a more neutral colored thread when there are multiple colors involved. I will also NOT use polyester batting like I did this time. I just doesn't seem to give the quilting as much texture and feels flat to me.
Another thing I am learning is to have a better plan for the path I am going to take. I had to do a lot of back tracking and when you don't follow the original path exactly, it doesn't look very good on the back. Either that, or stop and cut the thread more often.
I am looking forward to the rest of the fabrics because it will be much easier to see what I am doing and I am going to try some motif's that are perhaps a little more challenging.
I sewed another 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge block this week. The color is pink this month and I added a pink Migrating Geese block to my collection!
Here are all my Migrating Geese blocks that I have collected so far . . .
I think the pink one kind of sticks out a bit. It needs some red and red violet to blend it in better. We'll see what the future RSC colors turn out to be!
Great big THANK YOU'S to those of you who are have sent and are sending me fabrics with black backgrounds for an ongoing project I am working on. It will be fun to see what comes in my mailbox!
I am seeing so many fun Quilt Alongs lately that I can't make up my mind which ones I want to do. For now, I think I'll keep plugging away on my UFO's. Ashley's quilt is getting closer to a finish and I'm excited to actually have another finish.
What QAL's are you jumping on board with?
Linking to:
LOVE those Geese Migration blocks!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to quilt by following the design in the fabric! I especially like the curves you made with the very first fabric and also the giant pebbles. Whether to use contrasting thread or blending thread is always a big question for me, too. That's going to be a beautiful quilt!
ReplyDeleteHi Janice,
ReplyDeleteI love all your choices for quilting so far! I have had that issue right now with the thread matching the fabric too well and not being able to see where I've been. And, two different colors on top and in the bobbin but luckily my tension is okay so far. Phew! I found you on Bloglovin' so I won't miss another post. ~smile~ Roseanne
Your "follow the fabric" motifs really are working well! I gotta remember that technique. I only think to do it when it is a picture, like from a panel.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently doing Tish's Fire Burst QAL and My Carolina Home's Square Dance QAL, which are both mystery quilts. That's the only way I can stay at the same pace as everyone else, LOL! I'm also doing Sandra's Playtime Plus QAL, but have already raced ahead. I *want* to be at the right place, but can't resist stitching 'til I drop...
Great to see your geese blocks. I love them all together!
ReplyDeleteQuilting what the fabric wants is a great idea. It works really well on the blocks you showed us. The only real QAL I am working on right now is Year if Scrappy Triangles. We are getting Block 33 on Tuesday, so we’ll over half way. I am way behind on a Boho Beauty QAL that I think I’ll bring to the top of the heap again. There is a Zen Chic QAL starting in August that is really tempting me but that’s it. I am eager to read all comments here to see if anyone has any ideas that strike my fancy.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are already learning a bunch of things with this quilt, along with new designs.
ReplyDeleteIt will be gorgeous.
great idea to follow the design of the fabrics with those fabric it looks great.
ReplyDeleteI love all the texture you're creating with the fabric designs! It looks so cool on both sides and what fun you must be having!
ReplyDeleteI just love the blocks. Using color in blocks interrupted with the pattern of geese is so interesting! Love that!
ReplyDeleteYour quilting looks great. Kudos for trying different motifs.
ReplyDeleteYour pink block is wonderful! I want to do ALL the QALs! But time will not allow... I'm currently doing a Gypsy Wife QAL and that's enough to keep me on track. Plus the Minikins monthly challenge, which is kind of like a QAL.
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing great with the quilting! Following the fabric design is a good strategy. I used to think shapes like circles needed to be perfectly round without backstitching, but then I figured, Hey, that's like a comforter from Walmart, and I'm not a machine! Those little wobbles and an extra zip around to get where you need to be give it the hand made look we are really looking for. And we are always the biggest critic! You should be very proud of our stitching. It's looks solid to me.
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