Free motion quilting

A Few Moments to spare...so Practise time for FMQ

This is the front - the piece is about 8"x8"

I used no pins, no marks and doubled the white satin front and back.

This is the back.

I was watching some videos yesterday and wanted to try this method out - 

the blog I went to was really interesting and I spent quite a lot of time there...

...and there are loads of tutorials on youTube too that I watched.... that were from this site.

The web address is here

Now I am off to do some cooking - Know what I would rather be doing.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge Bonus #4

Bonus # 4 Free Motion Quilting 2012.

Have just finished this one.  I was playing with it last night and trying to get a design of my own up...

but that dreadful thing called time crept up on me.

This December Tutorial is from Terri Lucas, .. and can be found here ...Teri was also our Tutor for the October Challenge.

The page I downloaded from the tutorial.... finished.

I did actually buy the Kaleidoscope Kreater 3

but chose to do the page thatTeri had for us to download...AFTER I had played most of the evening getting a couple of my own to sort of work :)  More of them later.

Not sure what will happen if I wash this... I am imagining that maybe the color will wash out.  I actually found I had some fabric backed for the inkjet printer... or maybe I should have ironed it to set the color....

This is the back - showing my very bad tension.,  I used silk thread on top and aurifil in the bobbin.

I am using my 440 QE at the moment - and I do tend to have problems with the tensions. 

I am hoping my Nessie (Bernina 820) comes back home to me soon later today.

One of my designs ready to sew.... running out of time.

And another drawn on the fabric only.. Not sure about this one.

That's it for now.

I really MUST stop and tidy up the work room again..

I am having trouble finding things!!

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

All FMQ pieces for the whole 12 Months Challenge

As a lot of you may know,  SewCalGal has been hosting expert Free Motion Quilter's for the last 12 months.

Its been a wonderful experience and has helped in so many ways!  

THANK YOU SewCalGal for this fantastic year you have made possible, and to the wonderful friends we  have made here.

January Our first Challenge was from Francis Moore.

Francis has a great video up for us to see how she worked on her leaf shapes.

There is also some wonderful advice to be found on her blog here. I particularly loved the one about chocolate being on hand :)

 

My January piece can be found here

Thank you Francis

February brought us to Dianne Gaudynski Her page of the tutorials she gave can be found here on SewCalGal's Blog.I have long been a fan of Diane's and it was so special to have her give so much of her wonderful teachings.

I have all her books and have always followed her blog - which is also so informative. 

Her blog can be found  here

Here is one of my February pieces, on my blog they can be found here  ..  and here

Thank you so very much Diane.. so special!

You can find here what inspired me during Dianes tutorisl too.

March Tutorial came to us by Ann Fahl.
Her tutorialrecap can be found here

Thank you so much to Ann.
My tutorial piece can be found here


APRIL tutorial was by Don Linn

 
His Tutorial recap can be found here

My post for this excersise can be found at this web page


May Tutorial in our Challenge was with Leah Day
Such a tallented young lady.

Leah's recap tutorial can be found on SewCalGal's web page
 My Tutorial piece can be found here


JUNE Tutorial was by Cindy Needham - WOW did I have fun!

This post can be found here

here, here
and here too
 So very inspirational! Thank you so much Cindy!!

JULY Tutorial found us with Angela Waters and we were off and running with tiles.

My sample can be found here

AUGUST Tutorial we were so fortunate to have Wendy Shepherd teaching us how to sew Jesters hats.
This tested the concentration, and her tutorial re-cap on SewCalGal's blog, can be found here

The page with  sample can be found  on  this web page.

SEPTEMBER  we had Paula Reid teaching us to learn how to "Fluff and Stuff"by using a stencil that Paula provided us with..

Here is my sample for this month, which can be found on my blog
here

OCTOBER  We had Teri Lucas teaching us a multitude of background designs and this was really fun.
Here is the recap of her lessons, found on SewCalGals blog

My sample for this month are here
I even made a video of how I make my snail shells.

OK - the year is almost gone...how time flies when we are having fun.

NOVEMBER we had Sarah Vedeler teaching us how to do spirals ...and this was not as easy as it sounds

My sample was stitched on Satin, and is here on my blog
Not my strongest exercise to do.

DECEMBER and there we all were with Patsy Thompson. WOW
This one I loved too, and it found me experimenting with some threads..

I have lots more photos on my blog

So there are all the pieces I have done and the pages to find them...that I have done throughout this year.

In between some of these - I have manages to get 2 Bonus Tutorials done.

#2 Bonus Tutorial was with  Susuan Brubaker Knapp 

 Here I must admit to only just finishing this last night.  It was really interesting ...and time flies when we have fun..  I really need to get some more done for this one...but time has slipped away from me!

A little more of this one can be found Here

#3 Bonus Tutorial was with Diane Loomis.

I had never done this before and it is always something I hoped to do.

This is my completed piece... the rest of which, with more detail, can be found on  my blog here

 I could do it.


Well that is my journey this year.

What a journey this has been, and how much I have learnt.  I have found all the tutorials to be very informative and helpful.  I have kept with the 'faith' and Practised Practised Practised..
I have managed to incorporate some of most things in my work and will continue to look back and see how to improve.  I do like the more traditional type of quilting, and there was such a lot here that is so worth while.

A HUGE thank you to all the teachers ... I have learned so much.
AND especially for SewCalGal for hosting this wonderful Challenge and for letting us enjoy the knowledge of so many wonderfully experienced teachers!
They have all shared with us so generously.

It has also been a learning curve for me getting all these pages linked up - something I have never understood before.  
I apologize if this post is way too long, but its the only way

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012 Bonus #2

Bonus Tutorial, #2 by Susan Brubaker Knapp

I have just completed this bonus tutorial,

A big thank you to Susan - whose Tutorial can be found here 

on SewCalGals Blog.

I have never done any of this before..and though I didn't fill it all in - I thought this was enough

It did take a long time, but was fun to work out

I had just washed it... and tried out Janet's border for this one - didn't work too well but it's done now.

This is the original photo

This is what I did in Photoshop with the photo..

This is what I traced on the fabric.

I really had fun again.

Thank you to SewCalGal :)

Now I think that's all for me for now...I am waiting to see if there is one more tutorial.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge December 2012

Free Motion Quilt Challenge December 2012

Goodness - the last Challenge... very sad, Oh but how much we have all learnt :) thanks to SewCalGal's hosting it.

This months Challenge Tutorial came from Patsy Thompson - and what a great one it is.

Borders - Always a challenge!

I have yet to complete this as I have lots of fillers to do - I had decided to let it stay as it is, but just cant do that...so it will have to wait a bit.

I tried several threads...my big Bernina 820 got zapped in a storm we had a few days ago - and its gone away for a holiday :)  so I am so happy that I have the 440QE here - and it has been sewing like a dream...and only a few problems with the tension..

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

I REALLY enjoyed doing this one.  I couldn't use the rulers like Patsy and couldn't cope with my practice piece doing the imageing of the feathers... and must admit to drawing the feathers on a small piece of tracing paper and using the pounce pad.  

I never keep to the lines exactly, and try to improve on the design as I go.

I truly love to quilt.

Thank you for a very valuable lesson Patsy.

Thank you SewCalGal for this really wonderful year of the Challenge.  

How great that we all have another new group of quilting friends around the world
and have added so much to our knowledge of FMQ.

Free Motion Quilting Challenge 2012 December

December Challenge is here...our last one.  Last but not least.

This month we have Patsy Thompson.  Patsy's challenge tuition Piece for the Month of December can be found can be found here on SewCalGal's blog.
Thank you to Sewcalgal and to Patsy for her really interesting tutorial.

Here is how I have planned it

All ready to start tomorrow 

I will think on the colours tomorrow...too tired now.

I have made a practise piece which you can see at the back of the photo.

Andrea made this very decadent Chocolate cake...
It was SOOO yummy - with real chocolate icing and in 3 layers... and of course we had it with cream too.
She has been off sick most of the week with a badly infected throat...  and a really terrible cough.

The cake was delicious and we have yet to eat some more tomorrow.
Andrea got the recipe from the internet.

I'll be sewing late morning tomorrow I hope.

Patchwork of the crosses

Patchwork of the crosses

I am putting these here so you can see the whole collection of blocks on my Webshots page.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ellaamy101/ 

They can also be found in my album Joan's Photos at the Yahoo Inklingo group, where there are lots of beautiful pictures of all the inklingo groups work

This is when I had completed 3 rows

I am now up to the 6th row- Just :)

This is all sewn by hand using the Inklingo method - SO easy!

Quilt a Month

My July Quilt a month 2012! 

Yes - finally finished this...and have not go to the others as yet...not sure if I can as yet.

It is only small, just right for me at present... all I had to do was hand sew the binding.

Feeing good to have another finish

This was the June Quilt a month...

Which I think I have put up previously.

This was how I worked out the borders.

I did think of doing feathers on the squares, but thought it was better just plain.

See you again soon.

Free Motion Quilt Challenge 2012

I have completed the Bonus challenge by 

Diane Loomis and I have had lots of fun doing this.
Thank you Diane for you great tutorial for this Bonus project
and also again - to SewCalGal
 for putting this Challenge together for us all.

The inspiration for this piece has come from Cindy Needham - whose books I have collected and am now taking a class online with her.  Wonderful to be able to do this.
Cindy has also been one of our Tutors in the Free Motion Qilt Challenge 2012 and her section on SewCalGal's blog can be found here

 I have used a wool for the trapunto, and a wool batting and A cotton backing I think I should have used a cotton batting for the whole  as the Diane Shiko section was a bit puffy... did think of doing something in the middle of each one...but left it for a reminder to myself.

I used a 2.75 tension on my 820 machine, YLI 100 silk thread on the top and Aurifil in the bobbin.  I used a Top-line 80 needle and had no trouble with all these.

And took lots of  pictures.....    

I also used a washable thread for the trapunto - and that did give me grief.  I need to try the Superior one I think.if I do any more.

 My trademark ladybug hiding a small rust stain

I used a pale avacado silk for the trapunto sections and a soft pinky-brown for the rest - White thread on the back

 That's it - all finished.

Great to actually have something completed!

Thank you again to SewCalGal for holding the Challenge - and to Diane Loomis for the tutorial.  I have always wondered about how to do Trapunto.