Showing posts with label workshop. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Floral Update and a Finished Piece on Free Motion Mavericks

Hello and welcome! I hope that my Canadian readers had a good Thanksgiving. I know that it's about more than good food and being with friends and family but I'm thankful that the food was good 😋! I am also very thankful to everyone who reads or even just looks at the pictures each week. It means a lot to me. You have my gratitude.

Floral Fusion Update

As you may know, I've been making my Floral Fusion blocks and following along with Denise at The Quiltery. Once I figured out who was getting this lovely quilt, I was able to sew the pieces together in a wall hanging.

Floral Fusion quilt top done!

I had done about half of the smaller blocks and all of the larger blocks. When I put the blocks together on my board, I was just missing one extra block to make a wall hanging. Once it was done, it was a matter of looking at the different options for the blocks. Here's some of my thinking.

First attempt: I found that the very dark leaves in the top two flowers on the right were too strong.

First attempt

Second attempt: I moved a couple of the larger flowers around. I thought that the top right flower wasn't visually strong enough.

Second attempt

Third attempt: again I moved some of the larger flowers around. The balance was better but I wanted to bolder flowers in the centre column.

Third attempt

Final choice: I exchanged the large flowers at the top so that the more dominant flower was in the centre.

Final placement of Floral Fusion wall hanging

Once this was figured out, I started sewing the columns together. I'm not sure if it was my tension but my machine kept eating the beginning of each section that I was sewing. I used my walking foot, so that might be it, but anyway, I wasn't in the mood to fiddle around with my machine or the foot. I did what most quilters would do in this situation. I sewed a leader block before starting to stitch the Floral Fusion blocks. This was the first time that I had done this.

Using a leader block to stop or ignore the
bunching up at the edge of a seam

For those who are not familiar with this, here's what happened. Sometimes when you start sewing at the very edge of the fabric, the thread bunches right up. It's like the machine wants to eat the fabric. It happens mostly if there is a seam near the edge but in this case, it was just two pieces of fabric. This is VERY frustrating. Some quilters will start their sewing with an extra block to stitch (the leader). I assume that they either start about ⅛" from the edge of the leader or they just live with the bunching up. Either way, if you place the piece that you want to sew right at the end of the leader block, the machine won't eat this new block.

Strips of 2½" wide fabric

I used scraps from Floral Fusion to make leader blocks. I cut strips of 2½" wide fabric and then sewed them before every seam. Many quilters will do this and after a while, they will have enough leaders to make a quilt.

Paisley Collage

I finished up the piece that I started during the Nature's Narrative Workshop with Alice Vander Vennen. I had pulled it apart after the workshop because I liked the elements but not the design. This final design is better but I'm not sure that I like it.

Paisley Collage finished

My piece before pulling it apart

What I learned

I'm really happy with my Floral Fusion wall hanging. It was so much fun to make. Thanks so much Denise for a lovely sew along. It looks like this might be one of the first times that a sew or quilt along doesn't end up as a UFO!
I love playing on the design wall to see how the blocks can be placed. I adjusted the blocks but really, any of those placements would have been fine.
After our last guild meeting, I took a small quilt home from our Community Projects to quilt. I'll use this as an excuse to quilt both of these. Then the guild will have another charity quilt and my daughter will have her new wall hanging. 😊Bonus - apparently I won't have to bind the charity quilt!!!
I've decided to use the pillowcase technique to finish the Floral Fusion quilt. In theory it should be the same as a small piece. I'll find out and let you know!
I'm glad that my workshop piece is finished. One of the things that I don't like about it is the frame. I know that framed art looks more like "art" but it's not my favourite, especially a cheap IKEA frame.
I have an idea for re-purposing one of my previous piece. If I can get it done during the weekend, I'll share it with you. It would be a great way to re-finish a piece that I liked but didn't love. I'm hoping that it will all work, without too much fussing. We'll see. 😉

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 503 of Free Motion Mavericks! Thanks for linking up. It was a productive week but not necessarily in the FMQ department, so I'm going to feature the quilt finish as well as some very amazing purses - not quilted but gorgeous!

Kat from Scrapbox Quilts used her walking foot to quilt her gorgeous Star of Wonder topper. She tried to do Free Motion Quilting but it just didn't want to! Don't you hate that? Anyway she got it all done with her walking foot. It's going to look lovely on a table!

Kat's Star of Wonder topper

Island Batik had their What's in Your Bag Challenge and both Gail and Preeti did an outstanding job on their bags. I'm always so impressed because I know that bags are fiddly and they did a great job!

Here are Gail's small and large Payday bags.

Gail's small and large Payday bags

Next we have Preeti's small and large Snapshot bags.

Preeti's small and large Snapshot bags

It's now your turn!

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

#2024 Quilting Q2 and Q3 Check-In

Hi and welcome. I missed the second quarter (Q2) check-in but since I found writing up a first quarter (Q1) check-in post so useful, I'm going to put both Q2 and Q3 here. I hope that you'll indulge me - it is a long post.

Second Quarter Check-in

April, May and June

Although I worked on a few larger projects, most of my finishes in the second quarter were smaller pieces.

Spring Tulips was an ambitious 3D art piece. The background was quilted while the vase and tulips in the vase were created with Solvy water soluble stabilizer. You can find all of the details in this post.

Spring Tulips, a 3D art piece

I also made a number of Cathedral windows hot pads using a layer cake package and a wonderful tutorial. These made great gifts.

Cathedral windows hot pads

As usual, I participated in the Table Scraps Challenge. This is a cute yellow cuddle quilt. I was able to practice my FMQ and quilting with rulers. I finally figured out how to properly use my universal darning foot. More practice is required but it was a lot of fun.

Yellow cuddle quilt

In May, I participated in a workshop taught by Alice Vander Vennen. I really like the mini that I made during the Nature Narrative workshop. I'm still working through the design of my larger piece.

Mini made during the Nature Narrative workshop

In June, I learned Kawandi style quilting from Jen Strauser during Making Zen. I finished it during our Alaskan cruise. It was a great stitching project for the trip.

Kawandi style quilting

From March to April I started the 2 Colour Mystery Quilt hosted by Joanne of Canuck Quilter design. It consisted of only two colours and worked my accuracy challenged brain. I sewed six of the twelve blocks, which is in week 7 but didn't post on it. This is now a WIP, unless it becomes a UFO. 😁

Half of the blocks sewn together -
at least all of the fabrics and blocks are in one place!

See the Parade of Quilts on
Canuck Quilter's site

Third Quarter Check-in

July, August and September

The end of June was an incredibly busy time as I tried to finish up my pieces for the Impermanence - Éphémère Outdoor Fibre Art Exhibit at the Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill. We set up the exhibition in early July with a vernissage on July 5th.

For the first time ever, I used my blog as a way of keeping track of what I still needed to do to get the 5 pieces ready. In fact, there were 5 pieces, but two of these consisted of 5 and 4 art pieces. I'm not going to repeat everything in this post. If you're interested, I created a page "My pieces in the Impermanence - Éphémère Outdoor Fibre Art Exhibit". It has lots of details and links to the original posts.

The outdoor exhibit was very well received and there is a possibility of participating again next summer.

Three seasonal garden fence art pieces

In the Sky, an Outdoor Hanging Sculpture

A series of Prayer Flags

I am very happy to say that all of these outdoor pieces are now in my yard.

In the Sky is now hanging in my poplar

The series of Prayer Flags

Raining Pink Petals and Essence of Leaves

Squirrel! is the only one that was changed by being
outdoors. Someone (probably a squirrel) stole the nut
that the squirrel was getting ready to eat😂

At the end of September I learned to make twine with fabric strips. This is my latest yard art piece.

Yard Art piece made with twined fabric

In mid-July I mosquito proofed my swing. I am so happy with it and spent many hours, mostly in the evening, enjoying the back yard without being eaten alive!

Mosquito proofed swing

After the intense productivity of June, it was wonderful just playing around and making small projects. This is my second finished Kawandi style quilt. It was bigger than the first piece and I would love to make an even larger one eventually.

Second Kawandi style quilt

After quilting the yellow cuddle quilt using rulers, I decided to make a scrappy blue butterfly table topper. I quilted it using FMQ and rulers. Practice does make it easier!

Scrappy blue butterfly table topper

During our Alaska cruise, I started on a mini landscape quilt based on one of the pictures that I took. Enjoying Alaska was finished after re-doing the gray mountains using FMQ instead of embroidery. Textile art can be so forgiving. Don't like a section? Just cover it up!

Enjoying Alaska mini landscape quilt

Another project that is a WIP is my Tibetan appliqué piece. I absolutely love it but have been distracted by pretty much everything! I only wrote one post on this project but got quite a bit further on it. I need to add another border, stitch on some cording and then decide how to finish it. I will probably quilt it but I'm quite nervous about it. I'll have to feel very Zen before tackling it!

Tibetan appliqué piece in progress (WIP)

I had a few playdates with my friend Connie to create journals. With her encouragement I did some eco printing on paper. This was the first one that I stitched on.

Embroidering on eco printed paper

I continued to make scrappy pieces for the 2024 Table Scraps Challenge. This is my orange scraps piece. I started using orphan blocks and adding to them. I also used the pillowcase method to finish these off. It's so much easier than binding small pieces.

Orange scraps piece made around an orphan block

This is a second scrappy mat that I made using an orphan block. I used it to practice my FMQ.

Second scrappy mat

For International dog day I made this lovely scrappy mat for Poppy's water dish. It has doggy prints as well as fabric picturing her friends (birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc.) 😀

International dog day scrappy mat for Poppy's water dish

Finally these are the last scrappy mug rugs that I finished for my son's niece to play with. I only used scraps, most of which I had just gotten at our quilt guild meeting.

Scrappy Play mug rugs

As part of the pre courses for the 2024 Sketchbook Revival, I made a journal for hubby to use at work as well as one for me. This was a new technique by a new-to-me teacher.


Lay-flat Notebook with French Link Stitches

5 hole pamphlet stitch journal

I treated myself to a course, Joyful Embroidery with Fleur Woods through Fibre Arts Take Two. To get ready, I made a Joyful Journal for my notes.

My Joyful Journal

As if these projects weren't enough to keep me busy, I started the Floral Fusion Sew Along presented by fellow blogger Denise of The Quiltery. I am presently a couple of weeks behind but should be able to get caught up on the weekend (my famous last words!)

Floral Fusion blocks so far

I have a couple of ongoing embroidery projects but the one that I've stitched on the most in the last quarter is the Almost Daily Stitching project of 2024. I love trying out new embroidery stitches, thread and designs. It's coming along nicely and is still a stress-free project done whenever I feel like it.

Almost Daily Stitching project

Well, it looks like I've had a very productive second and third quarter this year. Thanks so much to Quilting Jetgirl for hosting this great event. Again, I'm so glad that I've taken the time to do this.

Linking parties

I'll be linking this post to many fun linking parties, particularly the #2024QuiltingQ3CheckIn. Sew & Tell, Midweek Makers, Put your foot down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off The Wall Friday, Beauties Pageant, TGIFF, Patchwork & Quilts,

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 501 of Free Motion Mavericks! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kat of Scrapbox Quilts used an all over design to quilt up her Sulky Village quilt, started in 2004! She quilted wavy lines using Superior Bottom Line thread, perfect for such a busy top.

Sulky Village quilt by Kat

Details of the Sulky Village quilt

Vivian, the Bronx Quilter custom quilted her lovely "Apple Crisp" quilt. She wasn't sure how to quilt it but then went literal - using an apple core template as a ruler to quilt the inside of her blocks and borders. She used her clam shell ruler to stitch the sides of her triple four patch blocks.

Vivian's "Apple Crisp" quilt stitched with rulers

Apple Core template used as a ruler in the
centre of the blocks and the borders

It's now your turn 😉

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Nature's Narrative Workshop and Free Motion Mavericks

Hi and welcome 😊. It's been an incredibly busy week filled with heat, gardening, learning and art. Except for the heat, it was great! I want to share with you some of my learning and art - through a wonderful speaker at Out of the Box (OOTB) Fibre Artists and a workshop the next day.

Alice Vander Vennen

Alice Vander Vennen is a "Canadian artist working in mixed media assemblage, primarily with textile, copper, and found objects, capturing stories of loss and hope; courage and strength." (from her website - see Related Links below).

Her work is both organic and structural, made up of found objects, natural elements and almost always copper! She is also an incredibly lovely and generous person who always had something positive to say about her students' work!

Alice Vander Vennen - guest speaker
(please ignore the glare on her frame!)

In the workshop, our first exercise was to create a piece on card stock that could be affixed to a greeting card. We were encouraged to bring a bit of found objects or things that had meaning to us, and we're encouraged to chose fabric, as well as leaves, copper pieces and wire from Alice's stash.

My first exercise at the debrief

The image above was my piece at our first debrief. I later changed some of my piece by adding a bit of layering and stitching down the green fabric in bunches. I love the lace butterfly at the top. The copper works well with the fabric layered around the leaf. At home, I added the embroidery and the beads strung from a copper wire.

My first exercise, finished that evening

After an hour and a half, we had a debriefing with Alice. All of our pieces, finished or in progress, were placed on a black felt on the floor while we sat around them. Alice went through each piece, highlighting what was good about them. She talked about composition, colour, etc. It was fascinating and educational to hear how she saw each piece.

At our first debriefing, our first exercise, finished or in progress

The second exercise focused on composition and we had to use the shadow box frame (which she provided from Ikea). We could use the piece from our first exercise, or we could create another. We could also keep the piece within the mat of the frame, or make it larger and place it over the mat.

I had picked up a piece of fabric with a lovely blue paisley flower from Alice's stash. I wanted that to be the focus. There was also a great hand-made stitched piece that I added. The background and the beautiful pink fabric comes from three scarves.

The beginning of the second exercise

Playing with the second exercise

The scarves were very slippery so I used the back of a canvas fabric to stitch everything on. I'm still struggling with the composition. During the workshop, Alice shared with us her methods for gluing stones and other things onto her pieces. I couldn't leave the workshop without trying it out 😊

Stones and broken pottery glued onto fabric under a layer of canvas

Trying out white borders around the piece

We had a second debrief at the end of the day. Some participants had finished their pieces while others were finishing up, or struggling like me. It was really great to see such different and lovely work. Here are a few of them. I'm afraid that I don't know the name of the artists who made each piece. I'll add them as I find out

Alice during our
second debriefing

Memorable objects in a
lovely composition

Dazzling jewelry in
and out of the frame

Fabric strips layered
with glittering circles

A knitted copper piece among
folds of fabric

A great landscape composition
by Kathy

Natural objects in a lovely
composition by Katherine

A glowing simple composition
and layered card by Caroline

What I learned

I think that the debriefings were some of the best parts of the workshop. It was fascinating and educational to hear how Alice saw each piece.
She talked about colour and composition in a way that wasn't intimidating and this sparked all kinds of ideas in my mind. It was after the first debriefing and looking at participants' work that I figured out what to do with my small piece.
It was great to see Alice put a piece together for our first exercise and then cut it up for the second!
I couldn't cut up my composition since the stitches wouldn't have stayed in place. Besides, I really wanted to do something with the blue paisley flower.
I'm really not happy with the piece, but I will let it simmer in a safe place and hopefully get back to it before our next OOTB meeting in June, where we will share our work.
Alice offers various workshops in Ontario and elsewhere. If you're in that area, you may want to check these out!
You may also want to check out more of her work, as seen on her website.

Tips for going to workshops

If you're supposed to bring fabric but don't know what you'll be doing with it, it's better to bring less than too much - too much choice can overwhelm the creativity process.
You can always trade scraps of fabric and things with other participants.
Remember to bring extra lighting if you need it!
Bring fabric scissors and another pair of scissors for paper and other things.
A cushion on a hard chair can make a huge difference.
If weather permits, take a few short breaks outside to clear your mind.
You can scrounge for found objects anywhere - including the parking lot!
Too much food and drinks is better than not enough 😋 since you can always take the extra home!

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 483 of Free Motion Mavericks! It was a very productive week! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Janine of Rainbow Hare made a harmonious piece for the Endeavourers. Here is the Elephant in the Room with lovely machine and hand quilting 😊!

The Elephant in the Room by Janine of Rainbow Hare

Frédérique of Quilting Patchwork Appliqué made a lovely baby quilt, Reine des prés/Queen of the Meadows, for the local hospital. The background is a disappearing 9-parch with lovely hints of colour. The bee in the centre with the quilting really looks great 😍

Reine des prés/Queen of the Meadows, by Frédérique

Angie of A Quilting Reader's Garden was quilting this lovely quilt when she had a mishap! She's now OK and her quilt if finished👍!

Angie's finished quilt.

Gail of Quilting Gail has been busy making her Christmas tree skirt for the Island Batik Paper Pieced Celebrations Blog Hop. Daphne was impressed when she got to chill in the sun 😎