Saturday, April 14, 2018

Free Motion Challenge Quilt Along update

I've got a lot of projects on the go, but they're not really at a stage to include in a post yet. So here's one update:

Free Motion Challenge Quilt Along with Angela Walters

I've really enjoyed the weekly videos that Angela produces, even if I haven't watched them or practiced them in order. Since I'm behind anyway, I've decided to start with the ones I like.

From Week 7 I did both the Swirl and the Feather Meanders

Swirl FMQ pattern

Feather Meanders FMQ pattern

Feather Meanders from the back 

As I got near the end of the Feather Meanders, I could feel myself getting into a grove. That's why I'm quilting my friend's batik quilt with Feather Meanders. I love it!

Week 8 was Clam shells.

Angela just drew the horizontal lines to make the different rows even but I drew in the first row of clam shells to make sure that they would be relatively even. As you can see, I tried a few variations based on both Angela's tutorial and her eye candy.

Clam shells and a few variations

From Week 6, I practiced the Serpentine. That was tough, even if I practiced a lot with pen on paper. I've always had problems with "S" curves. I seem to have a flair for curls more than "S" curves!

"S" curves or serpentine
What I learned
  • I thought that it would be a great idea to work on sandwiched blocks instead of a whole quilt. In theory it sounds great, but it gets really difficult when you FMQ near the edge of the block.
  • I liked the swirls a lot. If they were a little longer and elongated, they would be perfect for a windy sky.
  • I really liked the idea of clam shells within clam shells (the top right).  
  • My cathedral windows didn't really come out well because the original clam shells were more long than wide. I think that it's best if it's worked within a square, like a grid.  
  • My "S" curves or Serpentine stitch may not be individually great, but when there's a whole wack of them, it's not quite as bad. I think that as long as you don't make something really wildly off, it will probably end up blending in. I don't think that I'll be making rows of Serpentine again but I do like them in smaller areas within a quilt.
  • If you want to practice your FMQ, this is a great way to do it. However, when FMQ on real quilts with fabric that isn't a solid, and using thread that blends, FMQ is very forgiving - thank goodness. 😊 
Related links
Linking parties


13 comments:

  1. Hi Andree,
    I have been sort of following along with this challenge. I would love to have lots of time to spend on practicing these tips. Angela sure makes it look easy, doesn't she?! I think you did a great job - your swirls and feathers look as good as hers! ~smile~ Roseanne

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    1. Thanks Roseanne. When it comes to quilting, I always find time to do FMQ. That's my favourite part!!!! Unfortunately I can't do it as often as I want because I have to be on the ball when FMQ - and sometimes I'm too tired. Isn't life great! If that's all I have to complain about, I think that I'm doing well :-)

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  2. Your designs look great. I think you made a good point. Individually, an element may not be 'perfect' but when there's a lot of them, and in a large quilt, those imperfections won't be noticed. Great job!

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    1. Thanks Beth. I think that quilting them around swirly contour lines might also be better than these straight lines that accentuate those little imperfections :-)

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  3. Somehow I missed this quilt-along; looks like fun!

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    1. Hi Claire, you'll have to check out Angela's site since she's going to do another one.

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  4. Isn't that annoying to run out of thread?! Nice pattern you quilted. Angela Walters is full of good ideas.
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    Gclub

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    1. Hi! It really is annoying, especially since I have to order the thread. Oh well, I'll just have to work on something else for a while!

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  5. Those look really good - much better than what I could do on a sit down machine.

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    1. Thanks Susan - all it takes is practice :-) It's great when it starts to pay off.

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  6. Hello Andrée,

    Really great samples. The clam shell variations are especially pretty.

    Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!

    Love, Muv

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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. :-)