The Elusive FMQ

One of the suggested prompts for The 2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge that I'm participating in is "Skills I Wish I Had." And as you scroll through my post, you might be inclined to think, 'So what's the problem?' But it's not that easy.

A skill I wish I had - the one I want to talk about today - is free-motion quilting. If you know my work even a little, you know I lean to walking-foot quilting, and that means that the quilting of the projects below being done free-motion was hard-won.

It was in 2011 that I completed a project with free-motion quilting for the very first time. It was on a small quilt, and it wasn't the first time I'd tried. But it was the first time I didn't resort to removing all my stitches and giving up. It was monumental for me. "I [felt] like [I'd] had a life-changing experience," were my words at the time.

Another success was in 2013, when I tried the same circular motif on Chinese Checkers. This one was actually a halfway positive experience, inconsistent stitch-length aside. I got in the groove and it actually felt ok.

In 2015, with Mod Mood, I was fresh off a FMQ class, where I'd discovered this one design that I felt good about executing. This may be the largest quilt I successfully free-motioned, and I still am proud of it.

And then in 2017, with Spikey, I tried the Radio Static motif, which on this small piece was relatively successful.

So see, there are some successes, few and far between as they've been. But for each of these, imagine a dozen where I've gotten started, and then reconsidered almost immediately, removing stitches and resorting back to the familiar. Yes, I know practice and more practice is key, but even that is arduous work (read: I hate it) and inevitably I feel out of control, and give up. Maybe it's a mental block I'll eventually overcome, but at this point it remains an enigma.

So what about you? Can you relate? Is there a skill you've dabbled with - or even been too timid to try - that you'd like to feel comfortable with? Do tell.

just take it one stitch at a time

In the spirit of the challenge, this one isn't even going to get a binding. The instructor for June's Mighty Lucky Quilting Club challenge, Angela "quilting is my therapy" Walters, suggested since 'practice is key,' that's exactly what we should do.

The topic, Say Something with Free-Motion Quilting, wasn't really something I thought I'd use on my quilts, but then, I decided it certainly wouldn't hurt to at least do the challenge, because you never know. I cheated just a little by combining the two assignments into one 17" piece. But I did try both cursive and block letters, so there's that. And, I used up some scraps making my quilt sandwich, so there you go.

 

I felt like I did pretty good connecting my cursive letters and backtracking on the t's and dotting those i's and that j. But the movement between the block letters was much trickier, and I'm not too keen on what I did. But it's practice, right?!

Live and learn. Or at least try. 

You can see all my Mighty Lucky Quilting Club challenges here.

Mod Mood

The making of Mod Mood has been an interesting excursion, beginning with some twist of fate when I was asked to join Bee Sewcial at the beginning of the year. I wasn't looking to be in another bee, but this bee was so different. It was all about using solid fabric. It was all about improv. It was all about derived inspiration. And it sounded challenging in a new way that quite honestly, I just couldn't resist. As the months went by, we were given the most interesting inspiration cues - a Chihuly glass exhibit, poster blocks, transparency, curved shapes, a song(!). Along the way, I indeed was challenged, both by the prompts themselves, as well as the techniques (or lack of?) needed to actually create quilt blocks.

So when it came time for my month, there was alot to consider. I finally settled on the theme of "Bee Sewcial Goes Mid-Century", providing my bee-mates with a pin board which included mid-century modern shapes and patterns as well as my chosen palette. I asked for blocks that borrowed elements from typical mid-century modern graphics and boy did they deliver! Block size was left to their discretion, asking only that they equal the equivalent of 2 - 12 1/2" blocks, which led to a wide variety of sizes and the need for a unique block layout.

When it came time to put the quilt top together, it was a tad tricky, so I came up with a solution that worked for me, adding some order to the random-sized blocks yet preserving the improv feel and look. I made an 18"x22" frame of painters tape on my design wall, then pieced together a few blocks to fill the space, using other solids as filler as needed. And so it continued.

Backing is the very fitting mustard martini from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern collection. When it came time for quilting, I didn't think twice, as a few weeks before I'd happened upon an organic zig zag stitch when doodling in a free-motion class with Christina Camelli, and I knew it would perfectly suit this quilt. As the final finishing touch, I did a faced or knife-edged binding, using a tutorial by Anita/Bloomin' Workshop

To put it mildly, the entire process of bringing this quilt to fruition has provided alot of satisfaction. There is so much I love about it, from the opportunity to create with such gifted women to the challenges of piecing the components into a whole and free-motion quilting a quilt this size, to seeing it hang in our family room. It's totally put me in a mod mood.

Quilt stats:

Finished size: 62"x65"

Fabric: variety of solids

Thread: Aurifil 50wt - #2600 (light gray)

Collaboration: blocks were made by the amazing women of BeeSewcial

Quilted by: myself, freemotion

Binding: faced, using this tutorial

Category: Modern Quilts

Previous entries in the Blogger's Quilt Festival:

Room Temp, 5/29/15 ~ Keychain, 5/19/15

Red Hots, 10/27/14 ~ Unlocked, 5/16/14

Crazy Rainbow, 10/25/13 ~ Absolutely Mod Pop, 5/19/13 ~ HST Love, 5/17/13

The Stars of Summer, 10/26/12 ~ Hopscotch, 5/19/12

Mango Revisited, 10/28/11 ~ Supernova, 5/13/11

Feel free to create alongside Bee Sewcial by using the hashtag #inspiredbybeesewcial on Instagram. 
This quilt was on my 2015 Q4 Finish-A-Long list. Linking up with the Bloggers Quilt Festival, Finish It Up Friday, and Fabric Tuesday.

The Execution

It's been about 10 days since I shared my Now What? plea, right after I put all my Bee Sewcial Mid-Century Modern blocks up on the design wall. After a few helpful considerations from others, I plunged in, beginning with a very basic concept: I made a frame of blue painter's tape on the design wall.

I first heard about this suggestion in a class with Katie/Sew Katie Did. Basically my bee blocks were overwhelming me with all their varied sizes and shapes (exactly what I'd asked for by the way!), and by making this 18"x22" frame, I was able to fill the space and piece the blocks together in a more organized fashion, at least in a way that wasn't quite so random. Here's where I started with the first block.

Then I filled in with solids, echoing that micro line going through the block of diamonds. I was pretty thrilled how that worked out, though all the blocks didn't lend itself to that. But you will find filler solids trimmed with a contrasting 1/8" throughout the quilt.

So I went on to do 8 more blocks this size, each comprised of 2 or more smaller blocks. I would have been happy with that BUT. I still had a handful of blocks from my bee-mates left! I briefly considered making a 2-sided quilt, but went with option B, which was making 3 more block sections, each of these 9"x22". I didn't want the layout to be any more structured that it already would be, so I added the narrower blocks in thusly:

Can you see it?

So the finished top is 62"x66" and I've started quilting! I came up with a crazy free-motion stitch when I took a class with Christina Cameli a few months ago, and I knew instantly I wanted to use it on this quilt. It felt like something I could manage yet was a bit unique, so I'm going for it. Now....what shall I call it?

Anyway, I've really just begun, and wouldn't you know it, but my machine began acting up, so quilting is on hold for a while. But this crazy thing is put together and I know where I'm headed, and I'm more than happy with that!

Revisiting Free-Motion

What I already knew was reinforced at the Free-Motion Quilting Workshop I attended with the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild yesterday. Whew. It really takes focus and oodles of practice. Our teacher was Christina Cameli/A Few Scraps. Christina has authored two books on the subject First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting and Step by Step Free-Motion Quilting, and you can find her on instagram as @afewscraps.

If you know me at all, you'll know that free-motion quilting isn't in my routine quilting repertoire. In fact, I looked back, and it's been 18 months since I free-motioned a quilt. But when the opportunity presented itself to refresh my skills with a gifted quilter, I took it.

Throughout the day, Christina demonstrated a variety of techniques and gave us lots of tips. Then we had plenty of practice time. Obviously more of that will be the key to my success in actually using free-motion on a quilt!

For the sake of full disclosure, here's a glance at my practice pieces. Some stitches look hopeful, and others not so much. 

Don't expect an immediate transformation in my quilting, but I'd like to incorporate some free-motion into my repertoire at least. It's nice to have options, right? We'll see where I go with it . . .


A Finish

The fabric for this runner was chosen by my mom when our family was in Minnesota last spring. We had looked several times for red and black fabrics to make a runner for her good friend. So when we saw some we really liked, we grabbed it!

The pattern is Hollywood Boulevard by Atkinson's Designs. (For the record, I've made several patterns by Atkinson's, and they've always gone together great!)

I gave mom her choice of quilting designs, and she suggested a swirly meander. Ok, that's great but. I'd only done that once before. Even so, I think it turned out pretty good.

Table runners are a fun finish, and this one was no exception. Yay.

In the Lull

Here, again, is the palette I chose for the Dead Simple Quilt-Along with Lily's Quilts.

When it all began, I was under the impression that the qa project was to be done in solids. Not sure how I got that, but that was my plan. And somewhere along the way I took Lynne's great idea to ask Peg and Becca from Sew Fresh Fabrics if they would make me up a custom bundle of prints to go along with my palette. (What a great service!)

I had in mind, at the time, to make a mini version of my layout in prints on the back of the big solid quilt. I still love that idea, but in the lull of the Dead Simple Quilt along, I veered off.

The idea came to me to make a mini quilt. Actually, three. One in solids, as originally planned.

I finally tried organic straight line quilting and love how it looks. The binding was inspired by a quilt in Malka Dubrawsky's book, Fresh Quilting (remember this post?). Obviously, it took a little extra work, but so worth it!

Then came another mini - still in my palette - but done in the prints.

This baby got my very first free-motion quilting.

Lastly, what choice did I have but to do a third mini done with a solid/print combo.

I tried a different free-motion pattern on this one.

And so my vision of a large solid quilt turned into . . . an autumn trio.

Each quilt is 16X21".

Linking up with finish it up Friday, Celebrate Color, {Sew} Modern Monday, and of course, the Dead Simple Quiltalong.


REV. Just 'met' Elizabeth of Pieceful Life and am linking up with her little quilt monday.

At Long Last

Last night, I did something I've been wanting to do, but have been scared to do, for quite a long time. I even took a class. I made a little quilt with every intention of doing it, but didn't see it through.

I.free.motion.quilted.

Yes, yes, I did. And I am soooo excited and pleased with my project, and honestly, more than a little proud of myself. Stippling it was not, but it definitely was free motion quilting.

I started out slow, first trying organic straight line, with the walking foot. So far, so good.

Not even considering another try at stippling {yet}, I tried several patterns on my sample quilt, and decided I was most comfortable with the bubbles. So I just went for it! Yeah, I went crazy out of control a few times, but I just stuck with it. Perfect? No way. But for my first try, I'm fine with it.

Feeling somewhat confident, I decided to try some loops. Not too bad either.

So anyway, I feel like I've had a life-changing experience. Totally inconsequential in the big scheme of things, but to me, today, pretty major. Cool.