Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Free Motion Quilt Challenge - February

I'm skidding in under the wire on this one.  Nothing like procrastinating until the last hours of the final day of the month, but I was determined not to miss the linkup at SewCalGal (like I did last month).

I did practice drawing the free-motion feathers earlier, both last Tuesday and this Tuesday afternoon.  That is a day I typically spend a lot of time on the phone (on hold) with insurance companies.  Doodling ensues.

Except I had only skimmed the instructional post so I basically practiced them all wrong last week (no wonder it wasn't really working).  Before going to work this Tuesday, I actually read the post word for word, and man, what a difference that made!  Go figure, huh?

So this evening, I slapped a quilt sandwich together, but unfortunately chose a couple of fabrics that don't really help to show the quilting.  I think you can still get the gist from the pictures though.  I armed myself with a cup of decaf, a "Beethoven for Relaxation" CD, my "bi-fogeys," and quilting (aka football receiver) gloves.  I used the Sulky thread that was already on my machine, with a cotton thread in the bobbin. 

What I had trouble with most was the echo quilting.  Not sure why.  It helped to remember to look at the area I was heading to and not directly at what was under the needle.  It reminded me of the day I got behind the wheel of a car for the first time and Mom directed me to get on the highway, where she noticed I was looking at the road right in front of the car.  "You have to look down the road at where you're going."  Really?  Oh, okay, I get it.

Sure, my stitch length is all over the map and my lines are wobbly, but really, for a first crack ever at feathers, I didn't think it went all that bad.  I was expecting more of a train wreck, really.  


I'm a little disappointed that didn't happen (kidding).  It must be Beethoven's fault.

11 comments:

Tammy said...

Your first attempt at fmq echo feathers is fantastic. Bravo Well Done and Happy Leap day!

piecemealquilts said...

Wow, I would never have guessed those were your first feathers! Great job.

thea said...

Excellent free motion quilting. ver nice.

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

Bravo! I would not know that was your first try!

I love Beethoven piano sonatas:)

MomWaldsPlace said...

Way to go! You know what they say, "If you're not learning, you're dead."

Sara said...

"Bi-fogeys" ROFL!!!

I like your feathers...I come out with varying stitch lengths too when doing FMQ period. Practice,practice and MORE practice as they always say;)

Elizabeth said...

You did a beautiful job! Really, I'm blown away! Nicely done.

Glad you got in on the linky this month!

xo -E

Suzanne said...

Your feathers and echos are fantastic. Lovely quilting.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

I think your work is beautiful! I finally sat down and read the tutorial word for word too.....it made a big difference to me too! I'm still on paper but will graduate to fabric soon!

Michelle said...

You know we all see our own mistakes, and if I look closely I can see what you mean, but really, it looks fantastic. I've not tried echo feathers. Really like the look. :-)

Kay Lynne said...

Your feathers are looking great! I have a sketch pad that I doodle in to.