Sunday, February 5, 2012

Machine Quilting with Leah Day - Week 5


What an assignment this has proven to be. It was the most challenging for several reasons. The primary challenge was how time consuming it was to piece the "top" in order to have the appropriate design elements to do the free motion quilting. From a technical quilting stand point it was the very first time I enhanced a quilted design element with stippling.


The project was to continue to practice our stippling, but this time within a star block. The advantage of planning vertical and horizontal rows of stippling really became clear.

The star block on the left was what has become termed Goldlocks sized stippling, not too large or too small, but just right. I practiced my larger stippling on the block on the right. The middle block was the challenge block. I selected a Hari Walner design, the tricycle and quilted it. Next I started stippling in a counter clockwise direction. The key, I soon discovered was to do tiny, even micro stippling. I was THRILLED with the effect. I felt like a master quilter.







It seems I always learn something new with each lesson. This time it was how to bury threads when beginning and ending my stitching using a self threading needle. Leah where were you when I started free motion quilting 15 years ago? Now the back of my quilt looks almost as good as the front because there are no stubbles from multiple stitches where I stop and start. Thank you, Leah!


10 comments:

  1. Thank you, Pat and daniho03. I am certainly not a newbie at FMQ, still there is always room for growth and I feel this particular assignment allowed me to feel the growth.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the bicycle :) The back looks like it could be the front :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your stippling looks great, and I adore the tricycle design.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, Mike and MC. I stumbled across Hari Walner at a quilt festival years ago and was blown away by her designs. I purchased a collection for children's quilts and another more decorative for large open blocks. They were too advanced for me at the time. Then I transitioned from quilter to artist and my piecing took over. It has been a treat to return to showcasing the stitching and discovering that those 15 years of practice have paid off. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Excellent Gwyned! I love the little quilt you've created for this quilt along as it will be perfect to play with more stippling in the sashing and borders.

    Where was I 15 years ago? It's really hard to believe, but I was actually in 7th grade! I had a bit of a laugh when I did the math on that because I definitely wasn't teaching free motion quilting back then!

    Your work is looking great and you're so right - you really will learn a bit more every time you play with it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Of course when I asked you where you were 15 years ago, Leah, it was tongue in check. It is clear that you are significantly younger than I.

    I zipped/stippled my way right through the sashing and border. I'll share that experience next week.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love it - the stars inside the wheels are fun!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hari Walner is a genius when it comes to one line drawings. I'm so glad I discovered her designs years ago and can share them with the rest of you.

    ReplyDelete