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From Top to Bottom - U's, L's, Tessellated F's, H's
and Mixing and Matching |
Leah Day is back from a much deserved time away from creating Quilt Along assignments to provide her groupies with the next challenge. When she left off Zippling was the topic. The distinguishing feature of Zippling is its sharp angles and straight lines. This week the focus was on the building blocks to create a Circuit Board quilting. Like Zippling, a Circuit Board uses straight lines. However, the angle is no longer acute, instead all angles are right angles.
Leah had us start with the most basic shape of a circuit board - a squared U. Next we tried tessellated F's, an H and L combo, before ultimately attempting to design our own circuit board.
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Detail Showing a Mix of Straight Lines, Solid Right Angles
and Some Beginner's Learning Gaffs |
I find it easiest to mark my fabric with horizontal chalk lines in order to guide my scale when I am first learning a pattern like this one. It is like practicing script on lined paper versus blank paper. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I only got lost once while executing the various letter designs. (Naturally, that is the spot my husband focused in on when in photographed the close up of my practice.) For a first pass I managed to keep predominately straight lines and right angles. I found it helped to stop at the angle versus in the middle of a line. This made it easier to create the right angle. If I continued to run the machine as I executed a right a angle I would invariably soften the angle with a slight curve.
It is helpful to have many free motions patterns that I am comfortable with and can turn to, so that no matter what quilt I design, I have the perfect quilting pattern to accompany it. Would I use Circuit Board again? Probably not, at least until I am fluent enough with it to avoid channeling and the appearance of rows.
So interesting! Haven't had a chance to get back to the challenge....still a bit 'stuck' in the "micro" step and lovin' it!!! Yours looks great!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I agree that there is something very compelling about micro stippling, especially when done in contrast to an open area. It gives the feel of trapunto without the extra work of layering and trimming.
DeleteI kind of like the texture the practice "letters" gives in an overall sort of way. Great quilting as always.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the term groupies, it does fit us! :)
I was most partial to the tessellated F's. Then I have always been a sucker for tessellations ever since I saw my first Escher.
DeleteI forget who first pointed me in Leah's direction, but have been following along with Leah ever since she started her project of creating 365 different quilting motifs. Genius!
I'm impressed by how straight your lines are - great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I found if I took the pattern one straight line at a time and had my hands positioned like parenthesis around the quilting foot I could aim North, East, South or West and stay straight.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice with having the rose thread with the fabric - makes the stitching really stand out. Great job!
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to use contrasting thread occasionally. Not only does it photograph better for the blog, but it is easier for my more mature eyes to see what has and hasn't been quilted.
DeleteI drew reference lines on my fabric in the exact same way! I think if you do that every so often, even with the actual design(which I did), it helps you stay on track. I get so focused on what I am doing in the moment, i don't see anything around it, so it really helps me keep the design from getting out of control. Great job on yours;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Danielle, a few reference lines are invaluable to keep one on track.
DeleteIt's looking really sharp at the edges, well done. I saw the reference lines also in the tutorial by Leah, I might give it a go next time.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend using reference lines when doing a practice piece until the you can maintain the same scale comfortably.
ReplyDeleteGwyned, I love looking at your work. i did not do this one, but I will do the next one. Stuff got in the way.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
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