Friday, June 30, 2017

Progress

Yikes! June is almost finished - just a few hours left!

Dahlia flower (although I see tulips!)
This is a quick post to prove that progress has been made! My June OMG (One Monthly Goal) was "to do some free motion quilting on my Neutral Lap Quilt - Take 5 Loves Coffee Milk", and I did!

I sandwiched it on the weekend, did some stitching-in-the-ditch around each block and then decided on a few stencils to use.

This quilted block is made from a large dahlia stencil but I'll be adding a little something later so that it fills out the edges of the whole inside block.
Lotus Flowers








This quilted block is from a lotus flower stencil. This was great since it does take up most of the inside block. I just added a leaf on both sides of the middle strip to complete it.











Fanciful Heart Pattern

This third block has a fanciful heart motif. I'll be adding a little something extra so that it takes up the whole space of the inner block.

I now have 13 more blocks to quilt! I'll be using these stencil patterns again as well as one more that I haven't tried out yet.

I also found a great series of Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) sample blocks at ipatchandquilt. I have been practicing Esther's Fantasy block which is part of her FMQ samples - part 13 - orange peel variations. Have a look (see Related Links below) - she is doing some amazing quilting!



Practicing the Stem Stitch

I've been adding to the stem stitch sampler which I started on my trip to Quilt Canada last week. I'm calling it Étude in Stem Stitching.
Étude in Stem Stitching - to date!

Details of Étude in Stem Stitching
I had a great time coming up with different FMQ designs to draw and then stem stitch. I did use a few detached chain and lazy daisy stitches.

The colours aren't always very visible on this background. I'm not sure what I'll do with this after I've finished the embroidery. I think I would like to add beads and maybe even add some paint (that would be very brave of me!)















More details of Étude in Stem Stitching



Isn't is amazing how a photo lets your really "see" your piece? One of the National Juried Show winners at Quilt Canada said that she takes pictures at every step to review how her quilt is coming along. I really want to use this technique.

I'm mentioning this because as I look at the flower here, I see that I should be adding a few more petals in the lower right side to even it out.




Come back tomorrow for Canada Day - Celebrate - Fêtons 150! 

What I learned

  • As I just mentioned, I want to take more photos of my pieces, especially those that I am designing, to get another perspective of the work. This is one lesson I really hope I will remember.
  • It would seem that I don't really do quick posts! I always have something to say about quilting. Thanks for humouring me. :-)


Related Links
Post of the Stem Stitch project
Posts for Neutral Lap Quilt - Take 5 Loves Coffee Milk

Linking Parties: I am linking this post to OMG June Finish Link-up, as well as many others. Please check them out to see what is happening.  Midweek Makers, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off the Wall Friday, Free Motion Mavericks, Finished or Not Friday, Slow Sunday Stitching, MOP Monday,




12 comments:

  1. I've never used stencils before. Your quilting is lovely. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.

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    1. Thanks Patty. I find that using stencils gives me a little more accuracy but also helps me practice (sort of) following lines.

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  2. Good suggestion to take photos during the process of creating.

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    1. Thanks Gwyned - I really hope that I'll remember to do this.

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  3. Beau quilting machine et j'aime le point de tige. Par contre c'est difficile de prendre des photos des fois on est emportées par le travail et on oublie :(((

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    1. Merci Marianne. C'est vrai - c'est facile d'oublier de prendre des photos. Il faudrait peut-être se rapeller de prendre des photos lorsqu'on ne sait pas comment continuer.

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  4. Thank you so much for sharing so many details and so many thoughtful tips! It's always interesting to read your process and the lessons you learn alogn the way!!

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    1. Thanks Alida! I can't help it - it's the teacher and student in me :-) Actually since I've been writing my blog I find that I am much more aware of both the process and the lessons learned. It's true that reflection is just as important in learning as doing.

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  5. Very pretty stem stitching - thank you for sharing on Midweek Makers!

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  6. Thank you for sharing such useful details and tips. This would help us a lot while quilting work.

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  7. Thanks! I'm glad you found it useful.

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Hi! I would love to hear from you and I will try to answer you. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a message. :-)