Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Spring Tulips in 3D on Free Motion Mavericks

Hi and welcome! I have a very Spring-like finish this week. My 3D Spring Tulips 🌷is finished! This was my April One Monthly Goal (OMG) and the piece is due to be dropped off on April 30^th for the Fibre Fling Show this weekend. No pressure 😁!

Spring Tulips is finished!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I was inspired to do this piece, but it sure is cool and I learned so much! It was all about playing and trying things out to see what worked. I love the problem solving aspect of these types of projects.

Let me quickly take you through the process of making Spring Tulips 🌷.

Background and Vase

I made a couple of sketches from tulips I had bought. It was mostly to get a perspective of tulips in front and behind, as opposed to little soldiers in a row.

Drawing tulips in a vase for perspective

I made the tulips, first trying out templates but quickly just winging it (as usual). Once the tulips, stems and leaves were affixed to my background fabric, I cut out a paper shape of the potential vase. This helped guide the making of a translucent vase using Sulky Solvy water soluble stabilizer.

Vase outline in paper

To make the vase, I used a layer of thicker Solvy topped with hand-dyed pink silk organza. On this, I added thread, snippets of cotton, organza, etc. I covered this with a layer of very light Solvy and free motion quilted it (FMQ). The thread choice is very important here since it's what really shows up.

Layers of silk organza and snippets stitched over Sulky Solvy

On of the side
pieces

FMQ over such a large piece worked well, but I did figure out that on smaller pieces, the regular sewing foot was better.

To make the vase wide enough to contain tulips, I ended up stitching 2 pieces to attach to the sides of the vase. I sure used up a lot of thread on this project!

Once I washed off the glue from the Solvy, I sewed on the sides and then attached the vase to the background. I didn't sew down the bottom of the vase until almost the end since frankly I had not idea how I would do it!

Here is the vase with the background tulips after they were FMQ.

Attached vase, FMQ background tulips and
playing around to make tulips.

FMQ the Background and Making the Tulips

It took me a couple of attempts to figure out how to make the free standing tulips. I found some tutorials on YouTube but didn't want just quilted tulips, You can read more about this in my last post (see Related links below).

Getting organized to make the 3D tulips with petals, stems and leaves

I finally remembered to take a couple of process pictures while making my final tulip. Three of the tulips have hand-dyed cotton as a background while the other two are stitched on the silk organza.

Making the tulips on layers of Solvy, fabric, snippets and thread

After stitching them, I separated each petal and removed the glue from the Solvy in warm water and hung them to dry.

Drying petals for the last three tulips

Yesterday I put all of the tulips together by hand-stitching. There was a lot of pricking by the needle to make these but there is no blood on the tulips - promise!😁

While I was doing all that, I faced the background and then FMQ it. I was also wondering how to finish the bottom of the vase since I didn't want it to be floating in the background. I was inspired to attach the bottom of a doily under the vase.

FMQ the background and
adding a doily for the vase to sit on.

This is when I added an extra leaf to the background to hide some white space without adding extra tulips.

Adding an extra leaf to the background

Here is the final piece. It's so cool that the tulips can be re-arranged! 😎

Spring Tulips 🌷

What I learned

This piece was an incredible amount of work. I wanted to create a 3D piece and I did it!
I love being able to blend different techniques in a piece, from stitching on the Solvy, to appliquéing tulips in the background to making a vase with tulips in it!
I prefer not using an embroidery hoop when working with the Solvy. It's fine FMQ on a larger piece but it's very difficult on smaller pieces. When the stitching isn't as obvious, using a regular sewing foot worked much better.
I only FMQ the background after the vase was attached. In hindsight, it would have been a little easier doing it before! I just didn't know what to expect and it turned out fine.
Making each tulip was the most time consuming part. I got pretty good at pulling the stems and the leaves inside out. I stuffed the stems with small strips of batting (about ¼" wide). It was great to use up those scraps since I generally throw them out.
I used different methods to make the centre of the tulip. At first I added batting to it but ended up doing the last three without the batting. I'm not sure which technique was better.
Making these tulips showed me that there are many ways of making them and the final result is all good.
BTW, I just realised that there is only 30 days in April, so it's already the end of the month. Yikes!

The Out of the Box's Fibre Fling Show is on this weekend. If you're in the Ottawa area, please come and say hi! I'll be at the membership table for the two days. 😊 Spring Tulips and Home to Feed will be there too!

My 2 pieces at Fibre Fling 2024

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 480 of Free Motion Mavericks! My post is early because I just figured out that it's the last day of April and I need to show you my One Monthly Goal!

Last week we had a wonderful linking party! Thanks to everyone who linked up 😍. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Vicki of Vicki's Crafts and Quilting shared her gorgeous butterflies runner. Look at that lovely

FMQ and the ruler work in her background and borders.

FMQ and ruler work by Vicki on her Butterflies runner

What a great Spring Butterflies runner by Vicki

Gail of Quilting Gail has been busy adding hanging sleeves for her guild's quilt show this weekend. She also managed to create a cute baby quilt using Dr. Seuss fabric. She used black thread to help highlight the blocks.

Gail's Dr. Seuss baby quilt

Finally, Chris of Chrisknitssews made this lovely Flying Geese quilt. I love her ghost Flying Geese that she ended up FMQ within them to ensure that the quilt had an even consistency. It's really great!

A close up of the FMQ on Chris' Flying Geese quilt

Chris' Flying Geese quilt

It's now your turn!

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Cathedral Window Hot Pads at Free Motion Mavericks

Hi and welcome to week 479 of Free Motion Mavericks! Last week I made a crowd of hot pads 😁. I always thought that Cathedral Windows were very difficult. I watched the video, and it looked easy. Then I made a crowd of them and it turns out that they're not so easy! 😉

Cathedral Window Hot Pads & a Layer Cake

Many years ago, I got a great deal on a Layer Cake (10" squares from a collection of fabrics), in this case, Figures by Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic and Moda. When I needed 10" squares to make Cathedral Window Hot Pads, I found my package of Layer Cake and started the production.

My first crowd of Cathedral Window hot pads

I made the first one for myself, since I was sure that it would turn out wonky...and it did, but not terrible. I got an air fryer for Christmas and I wanted to have a hot pad that would stay nearby. Don't they look good together 😀

My first hot pad - made to hang out with the air fryer

I'm afraid that I didn't take any process pictures but if you want to learn how to male these, I highly recommend a tutorial by Shabby Fabrics (see link below). The thing about Cathedral Windows is that it's all about how those windows look in the centre and in the corners. Here's an image from the video on how they should look. You can see that the centre and the corners of the Cathedral Windows are well defined and relatively pointy.

Look at those corners -
that's what they should look like!

Unfortunately, mine didn't all look like this. Some came out really good while others sort of continued into space 😁. I'm sure that my non-quilting friends won't mind but if I'm going to make these, I may as well figure out how to make them well.

Here are close-ups of the three that I made for a friend. Aren't these fabric amazing?

A white background with blue accents and yellow Cathedral Windows

I love this blue and yellow combination

There are so many lovely blues in this one

This is what they look like from the back

You may have noticed that the top blue hot pad on the right is double stitched around the Cathedral Windows. I was trying different variations of making these, and for this one, I managed to forget to stitch down the Cathedral Windows before adding the backing and turning it over (like a pillow case). It didn't make that much of a difference, except for the double stitched line.

Cathedral Window Hot Pads gift

What I learned

In theory, making Cathedral Windows is not difficult.
When I first watched the Shabby Fabric tutorial, the instructor said to be very careful with the centre of your Cathedral Windows. So I put all of my attention on the centre but sort of forgot the corners. Generally my centres do look good.
I'm still trying to figure out how to get some lovely bottom corners in my Cathedral Windows. When I figure it out, I'll let you know! 😊
Many people would like some of these hot pads, so when I make my next crowd, I'll be extra careful with my corners and take lots of pictures and notes so that I can get them consistently right.
I used my walking for making the hot pads. Now that I've gone back to piecing the Mystery Quilt with my ¼" foot, I've noticed that my accuracy is much better. I'll have to take that into consideration the next time I make these hot pads.

Free Motion Mavericks

Thanks to everyone who linked up their projects! Here are those projects that involved FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kat from Scrapbox Quilts finished a lovely 3 yard quilt named Charlie as part of the 2024 3YD Quilt Series with Material Girlfriends. She quilted it with flowers in the centre of the blocks, using "Every Leaf " templates by Amanda Murphy. I'm sure that the child who will receive it will love it!

A lovely 3 Yard Quilt by Kat

Some lovely FMQ as seen from the back.

It's now your turn 😍

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Mystery Quilt so far on Free Motion Mavericks

Hi and welcome to week 478 of Free Motion Mavericks. I'm trying to catch up in my 2 Colour Mystery Quilt with Joanne of Canuck Quilter Designs. I keep trying to get caught up, but then every Thursday we get another clue....😉

2 Colour Mystery Quilt

Today we'll be getting the Week 8 clue. Here is what I've done so far.

Week 1 was about cutting the fabric. Since that's my least favourite part of quilt making, I only cut what I have to, as I need them. So I actually started cutting Week 2, when I knew what I needed!

Week 1 - cutting for week 2

Week 2 blocks

I had quite the challenge putting the Week 2 blocks together but I did it! 😊

Week 3 was making a whole bunch of half-square triangles. That went better.

Week 3, large and small half-square triangles

In Week 4, I sewed some of the half-square triangles together. That's when things start getting a little bit wonky, but generally not too bad.

Week 4, making a block with some of the half-square triangles

Weeks 2 to 4 with a couple of Week 5 pieces

In Week 5, I used some of those extra half-square triangles to make these blocks. I also chain pieced some of these. It sewed up really well.

Chain piecing the flip and stitch pieces

Week 5 blocks

Week 5 blocks in the other colour

For Week 6, I've cut up most of my fabric and started putting them together. I have 2 blocks of each colour done - only 22 more to go!

Week 6 in first colour

Week 6 in second colour

These are my cut pieces for Week 6.
I haven't counted them yet 😃, I just kept cutting!

What I learned

I wasn't doing too badly until I started sewing the different parts together. That's when things tend to get pretty wonky!
I trimmed up what I could of my Week 4 half-square triangles, but only a couple were too large. Most of them of OK or at least an ⅛" too small. That means that things are going to get wonky quickly!
I'll be trimming the Week 5 and 6 blocks - I know that the Week 6 blocks are pretty wonky, so I'm going to be more careful when I make the 22 others (of each colour). Hopefully I'll figure it out before I'm done!
As you saw, I used chain piecing as much as I could. I hope that the accuracy is OK.
In Week 7, we start putting the different blocks together. It looks very cool 😎
I think that my best bet is to use a very scant ¼" to stitch things together.

If you haven't read it yet, for the first time ever I participated in the First Quarter Check-in with Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl. I'm glad I did because I've been all over the place, so it was good to look at what I've done so far. Thanks Yvonne!

Free Motion Mavericks

We've had a busy week! Thanks to everyone who linked up. Let's see what our quilters were up to!

Kat from Scrapbox Quilts linked up her very cute Dino Dinosaur quilt. She used a number of FMQ designs, from diamond crosshatch, stars, stippling to following the elements making up the dinosaurs blocks. If you want to see more, check out the picture of the back of the quilt on her blog post.

Kat's very cute Dino Dinosaur quilt

I saw this wonderful quilt on Frédérique's linking party and asked the author to link up 😊. It's a two-sided quilt made by the blogger of "des tulipes et des coeurs" (tulips and hearts). To read her post, you can use Google Translate which is located in the table of contents at the top right corner of the blog.

She made this quilt for 18 month old Romy. She FMQ from the back of the quilt, after stitching-in-the-ditch the bands of colour and the name. Check out the post to see close-ups of the different FMQ designs that she used - it's worth it!

The back of Romy's quilt by blogger "des tulipes et des coeurs"


The front of Romy's quilt - mostly Kaffe Fasset fabrics

Frédérique of Quilting Patchwork Appliqué finished her Jardin de corail (Coral Garden) quilt. It was made as part of a QAL and required 16 animals in the piece! She mostly quilted around each tropical fish that can be found in a lagoon. It really is wonderful. It was finished using the facing method so that it looks like they are in the lagoon, as opposed to an aquarium.

Frédérique's Jardin de corail (Coral Garden) quilt

Frédérique also made 2 stained glass mini quilts. Although she didn't quilt them, I want to share with you her poinsettia mini because it was attached to the backing and batting by using sequins and beads in the centre. How cool is that!