I do have some art projects planned for this year in addition to the 3 Studios Quilt Challenge, so for the past few months, off and on I've been practicing my free motion quilting. Doing it well on a non-stitch regulated domestic machine is not easy and does require practice for it to be nice enough to actually claim that you did it and show it to others.
To free motion quilt, the machine's feed dogs are drop and the piece is then stitched using a special quilting or darning foot. Your hands move the fabric in the desired pattern and the stitch size is determined by machine speed and hand speed. Consistency in stitch length and tension are of great importance to having the overall piece look nice from a technical stand point.
I've been practicing a few different things, mostly feathers and background fillers, hence all the samples you see in this post.
While this may seem repetitive, it does serve a purpose. There truly is something to be said for muscle and brain memory when it comes to these patterns. The more you do them, the more automatic they become and then you can start to fine tune all the little things that take the quilting from good enough to excellent.
I think that "practice makes perfect" is true with a lot of the techniques in sewing - including fitting. (I need to remember that when I'm working on my umpteenth revision of my trousers!) I have a student currently working on a project that involves bound buttonholes, and she's now working on close to her twentieth bound buttonhole. She's getting better at it, too, the last set I saw was meticulously lined up and perfect. Welt pockets are another example, as is putting in any kind of zipper. The more you do, the better you get. Sure there will be plenty of duds along the way, and we all have off days where it's best just to walk away from the machine, but in the end a little practice doesn't hurt.Parting Shot: Caught Again. Pix and Wellie are almost cozy. They're actually sharing the blanket and she's not hissing at him. He's certainly man of the house, but Pix does get R-E-S-P-E-C-T from him.
17 comments:
Those samples are gorgeous!!!
That's a technique that I'd love to be able to do.
I have to remember that practice DOES make perfect. In the past, if I didn't do something well, I'd just get frustrated and give up, especially, since I have so many years of experience behind me. Seeing that even YOU have to practice sometimes, encourages me to keep on trying. Thanks!
Really pretty! I watched a woman at the LB Quilt Show work one of those big quilting machines freehand. She said the same thing about muscle memory--the more she does the easier it gets. Interesting!
Lynda in LV
WOW! Beautiful work! And thank you for the reminder that practice - and a lot of it! - makes perfect... It's easy to get down on yourself when something you try doesn't work out the way you pictured it...
Beautiful stitching, Summerset.
There is something rather zen about free motion stitching that is so enjoyable. It shows in your work.
Nice quilting.
I like to check Diane Gaudynski's website for inspiration. She does some beautiful work!
Wow. I'm really impressed. My first attempt at free motion quilting was . . . less than impressive. Thus, it was my only attempt. Your samples are fabulous evidence that practice makes perfect! These are gorgeous.
De-lurking to say, Are you kidding me!? you free motion quilted those? Your samples are GORGEOUS, especially the feathers.
Your free motion quilting is breathtaking.
Beautiful. You must have been practising a LOT!
I think you've made it to "excellent". Wow. Female cats take thier time excepting new cats. Wellie is a cutie.
That is NOT easy to do and as always your work has colored me impressed. I love watching your sewing adventures Summerset. Thanks for sharing! I wanna sew like you :)
Your quilting looks fantastic! As usual, your work is an inspiration!
Your quilting is beautiful. It looks difficult to me.
The quilting looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
I know how hard this is to do too and yours really beautiful. You are so right about practice. Lots of practice!
AWESOME!!!
I never tried quilting,but this looks like "high end quilting" to me. Fabulous.
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