It is late Sunday night - work tomorrow - and it was a very busy weekend, I did manage to get a few hours in my sewing room today. I have been practicing my freemotion quilting and even though I laundered this practice piece (wanted to get the chalk out of it) I think you can see the design pretty clearly in these pics. I used just regular old school chalk to mark this stencil design. This probably is not technically freemotion since I used a stencil, but I wanted to try it.
This is the front and the pic on top shows the front with the back flipped over. I serged the edges.
The stitch length is looking much better, more consistent I think with several weeks of practice. I am using Superior thread in both needle and bobbin, So Fine which I believe is 60 wt. I have already made a new quilt sandwich in pink fabric and will be trying marking out squares with chalk and see if I can freemotion a consistent design across the quilt sandwich. The batting on this piece is 80/20 cotton poly. The next one I am going to use wool batting.
I also finished piecing five more blocks in my pink and brown. That makes 12 blocks completed, but I am still struggling with the 1/4 inch seam allowance, I have tried several different set-ups, but either come up too small or too large. I am going to try to figure out what I am doing wrong next session. I think too I will change my presser foot so that I can adjust the needle. Does anyone else struggle with that "scant 1/4 inch?" OH YES, the big news is a new JoAnn Fabrics has opened at the mall. I made a trip today to use my 40 percent off coupon and check it out. I hope it makes a go of it as we have not had a regular fabric store in town for many years. Well, better sign off for now, I want to go check out what everyone else has been doing :) Bernie
looking good. Free Motion is on my list of TO DO for this year (I have a long arm so keep putting it off) I think it is all about practice and just doing it. keep up the good work. cw
ReplyDeleteThis does look good. I just purchased Harriet Hargrave's book on machine quilting. Like Cheryl free motion quilting is on my list to learn this summer. Lots of practice is required, but you look like you are moving along quite well. Hang in there! Robin
ReplyDeleteoH Cheryl, I did not know you had a longarm. That must be fun. What kind, how long have you had it? Please tell more. Do you enjoy it? I don't have the space for a longarm, but don't know if I really enjoy the quilting part yet. It seems to me that it is something you have to work with fairly consistently and I really don't finish that many quilt tops in a year. Bernie
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