Quilting Extravaganza Suggestions

When I first mentioned the possibility of a quilting extravaganza several people posted their suggestions in the QDU forum so I have collected and posted these below.

Jacy Wong wrote 

The only thing to do is practice, both totally free and along a pre-drawn pattern (use a blue wash-out pencil or something of the sort). Gloves with rubber studs on the fingers and palms are a help. Jacqy Wong

Rosemary from Marrar wrote

I like this young lady's techniques and tips.  I've watched a number of her U Tube videos and my kids bought me one of her DVDs for Christmas last year.  It's great to watch it in the sewing room while I practise her tips.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=leah+day

Susan Korrel suggested 

I found this blog, which looks like it might have good patterns and advice.

http://afewscraps.blogspot.com.au/p/free-motion-quilting.html

Helen Ducker suggests

I have been following Leah Day since the beginning of her 365 day challenge to invent a new FMQ pattern each day. Of course life got in the way and it took her more than one year to do it, but she did it  - and more - far more.

All her patterns and how to videos are available for free on her website. But I wanted to be able to print them out, so I have been collecting them on a series of Word.docs. As I use them, I draw them out many times first until my hand know what it is supposed to do  ... then I go to scrap sandwiches and have a go with the machine.   They are hardly ever right first time, but as I practice the pattern seems to develop my own personal quirks and suddenly it feels right (even if it looks nothing like hers)

This year I bought her book of patterns - and I LOVE it - but you don't have to.

Christine Cameli from

http://afewscraps.blogspot.com.au/p/free-motion-quilting.html

is doing what I did when I was beginning FMQ - develop a series of "Things on Strings" that are simple to remember AND to quilt. For complete beginners, her patterns might be more friendly than some of Leah's.    Why ? Leah's patterns seem to have lots of spots where you need to go over the same line twice. This is great for learning how to develop absolute control, but its Very demoralising if you are just starting.

How did I learn ? I learned because I had a Desperate Need to draw winter trees with thread. [I'm an art quilter and we have these urges/needs to do strange things from time to time]  Winter trees have no leaves - so focus is on the trunk, branches and twigs.   I raged around going backwards and forwards on the trunks, layers and layers of thread and no one could see if the stitches were even or crossed - easy. Then branches I did the same but slower  and when I felt ready I slipped in some twigs - up and back - tricky.    Having raged with the trees I then had to put on a false back and quilt the background .....hmmmmmmmm     so I took a poem about silence and wrote the poem in thread the same colour as the background.   

Discovered the poem is a good lurk, as people always want to read the words which takes attention from the deficits in the tree quilting !!!

Have added a photograph of one of my trees on snow - though strangely not one with the writing - to our photos.    Aim was to get effect of shadows on the snow    - numerous attempts but was never quite happy with the effect.  BUT it did teach me not to be scared of using my bouncy free motion foot.

Hugz Helen from Hobart

PS The only way to really master it is to practise - 5-10 minutes a day will do it... and don't care too much about what it looks like  - the cat or dog will still sit on it and be happy.

FMQE Target

Well today is one day that I can fulfill all of the required steps for the FMQE.... listing my target for the next two/four weeks. Hopefully I can manage a fortnightly post. 

After reading all of the hints that were given through the QDU forum I have decided that I can manage ten minutes a day. I will set my target at seven days a week but will be happy with five. I started this quilt a few years ago and will work on it.

As I am in the process of making a wedding quilt for PJ and Khanam which will need a lot of ditch stitching I am going to practise free motion ditch stitching for these two weeks.

Anyone else want to join up simply click the click to enter button on the right to add your blog addy.

BOM 26 - Consternation

Consternation or concern..will I use it or discard it? When making this block and several others I didn't realise that the triangular middle would mean that the block would sit better on point. However in Raconteur the individual blocks are actually sitting flat. when I at first realised this I had already made about ten or so blocks as so had to decide replace them or leave them...... I was feeling lazy at the time and so they remained.

FMQE Group Photo Album

Rosemary has set up an album in the QDU website for anyone not having their own blog. Anyone can add their photos to the album as they complete their free motion quilting targets.

Click here to go directly to the FMQE photo album.

Oh just thought you need to be a member of QDU to access the photos and to post. If you're not yet a member you may participate through here but you will miss the chatter etc which comes through the yahoo group. A simple solution is to join QDU. I think this link will take you to the sign on page. If not then google yahoo groups and QuiltersDownUnder, all one word with no spaces, capitals are optional. It may take a day or two before you are approved as it is now the Xmas break so don't think you are being ignored.

FMQE

So what does FMQE stand for?
One of the online forums to which I belong is QDU, which is short for Quilters Down Under. This is a Aussie based quilting group on Yahoo. A few days ago talk came up about free motion quilting, so there you have the FMQ bit.

Well a few of us decided we couldn't continue ignoring FMQ in the hope that
1.  it would disappear, or
2. we would win lotto and so be able to afford  a long armer to complete all of our quilts or
3. even more unlikely than that lotto win was the possibility that one morning we would wake up and miraculously we'd be fantastic free motion quilters....definitely in everyone's dreams!

So in the hope of increasing the likelihood of option number three we have decided to join a FMQE, or a Free Motion Quilting Extravaganza. So how does it work.

There are a few things you  need to do .... do as few or as many of these as you wish.... It is totally your journey..... it's just a few of us want to tag along.

1. on the 1st and/or 15th of each month you decide what you want to do to help option 3 eventuate. It is only a target for what you wish to accomplish in the next two weeks or month.

2. Write a post on your blog saying what your target is. Set it up so it appears on the 1st and/or 15th of the month. If you don't have a blog you can always write your target in the comments or email them to me and I will post them here for you... hopefully also with some photos of your fantastic work.

3. Post a photo of what you have made of your previous targets in the post

4. In your blog post tell us what source you used so if people want to follow it up they can. If it was on the web plz provide a link to it.

5. Give any hints you've worked out to make it easy for the next person.

6. Add a link to your post in the widget box on my blog so others can quickly find your post. I will clear out old links a day or two before the next posting day. This gives people a central location for checking all of the FMQE. You can add the linky list to your blog by clicking on the blog hop link and copying the code.

7. Enjoy yourself...remember to improve you need to do a bit regularly .... Remember when you first started writing. You had to keep practising and thinking about it. Now it's automatic.

How easy is it to write your name......using your non-dominant hand ....... upside down......and back to front? I can manage the first three of those tasks without thinking but the last is not so easy.... I need to practise.

Hexagons Finished... Straight Begins

Well I know that the final border still needs attaching but thought you might like to see how Little Sister is going. 

This blue hexagon is the final hexagonal borders next one is where I straighten it out and make it into a rectangle. Hope that is easier in real life than on the computer. 

Funny some things the computer does quicker but it can't show me the real life colour version. 

I'm finding it interesting just how much I'm learning as I join the bits and pieces. Did you realise that it is easier to have diagonal joins rather than long straight joins? Neither did I til the third time round ... yes sometimes I am a slower learner. Mind you working out what goes where for the floaters is easier to do if I am planning on having straight joins. I suppose you can't have everything.

Mary sometimes good and other times?

OK so now you can see why I thought the previous pale blue border was OK. It makes a superb buffer between the two brown layers don't you agree. Well success and now to move along to the next blue border. Everyone likes success.

Mary Progressing

Well I have had a few busy days and am now totally fed up with making new borders. Well in truth it's not the making new borders that is the pain. It's the removing the original border which took several days to attach. It takes about three days to then sew on the new border. This is my third attempt at the brown border. It's a good thing that I like the individual flowers :-)

Anyway here is Mary with the second last hexagonal border., only one more to go and then it's onto the straight borders.

Mary Undecided?

Well it looks like Mary is one flighty lady with yet another change of outfit. Although this one looks quite drab in the digital world in real life it looks good. It was time for a success

Moving Along Again

So what has Mary Prince been doing lately? Not a lot as you can see. 

I finished the centre and then redid the first blue border changing the pale blue floaters for dark maroon and olive green. Although before attaching the blue border to the new middle I felt they were great floaters I'm no longer so sure of that. 

I wish I had remained with the scrappy look. This colour coordinated isn't as easy as it looks.