Free Motion Machine Quilting - Attempt #1

The fear was real.  I created a little practice sandwich, used a fabric pen to create sections on the practice fabric, dropped the feed dogs for the first time on my machine, installed the free motion foot that came with it, and was ready to start my first attempt at free-motion machine quilting.

Of course, I didn't leap in blindly.  Thanks to YouTube, I was able to raise my confidence that this practice piece would be what I needed to get started with free-motion machine quilting.  Sure, I would need several rounds of practice, but I could get started with this first sampler I was about to create.

Now, my stitches varied widely in length, and some of my trial patterns were more successful than others.  I shared the sampler with my quilt support group on Skype and they were so encouraging with my first attempt.  Here it is below.  What do you think of it?

Once begun is partway done!  Getting started and learning that being creative is about getting messy and trying new things is the best thing to do.

One Monthly Goal - May 2020

It's May, and it has come none too soon.  I just recently stumbled across the Elm Street Quilts Blog and their One Monthly Goal challenge.  Let it never be said I'm not up for a good challenge!

This month's challenge is a big one psychologically for me - free motion machine quilting!  In this case, I want to quilt a Guild Block of the Month project using free motion machine quilting.  I have done hand quilting and stitch-in-the-ditch machine quilting, and even one shot at long arm quilting, but this is actually a first for me.  Here's a picture of the quilt - sandwiched, pinned, and ready for the fear to subside and the quilting to begin.

If you want to follow along or join in yourself, check out Elm Street Quilts - May 2020 One Month Goal

Free Motion Fears

For a while now, I've been toying with the idea of a long arm quilting machine with a frame as a dream acquisition and the answer to a challenge I currently have. I lack a big floor or table space to be able to sandwich quilt tops.  I've done some lap quilts on my domestic sewing machine, but always stitch in the ditch using a walking foot.

And then, I became inspired by the wonderful group of quilters I meet up with regularly.  They were able to do some amazing quilting on both domestic sewing machines and with mid to long arm machines that were sit-down.  How do I know I would use a large machine if I have not tried to make the most of my own machine?

So this weekend, I plan on taking a break from "Frolic" to try an experiment on free-motion machine quilting on my domestic machine this weekend.  Stay tuned for how it turns out.

In the meantime, I have now completed several of the main "Frolic" blocks.  Here's a picture to check out my progress.

When a quarter inch is NOT a quarter inch

Scant quarter, true quarter, actual quarter?

Any seasoned quilter knows these variations and will explain why a real relationship with your sewing machine (or hand stitching methods) is something that develops with practice.

Not too long ago, I attended a class for a pattern that has a lot of bias piecing (more on that in a future post).  To start the class of "intermediate" quilters, our instructor brought die cut 2" squares and gave everyone 4 of them.  "OK", she said, "make me a 4 patch with true quarter inch seams".  "Pffft", or some variation thereof, was heard around the room.

I strongly encourage you to try this periodically.  Not one person in that room was able to do it on the first try.  Now, in our defense, many of us had been working on scant quarter seams that some patterns call for and let's just assume that the autopilot kicked in.  I don't mind admitting it took me 3 tries to get it right.  Talk about a way to be made humble!

On the off chance you are not sure what I mean, here's a definition for you below:

True Quarter:  Where the seam line is exactly 1/4" from the edge of the fabric

Actual Quarter:  Take that True quarter seam and ACTUALLY measure it!

Scant Quarter:  If you sew the equivalent of one thread width closer to the edge of the fabric compared to a true quarter seam.

At the end of the day, the real trick is to measure and trim your blocks at each step along the way.  Those 1/8" differences can add up substantially over a whole quilt, especially if the quilt is composed of a multitude of pieces.

Happy Quilting!

I get by with a little help from my friends

COVID-19 has changed the way a lot of us are functioning these days.

Although I have less time to quilt than some, as I'm considered an essential worker by my employer, I still am quilting more than in the past.  The self-isolation has also meant there is less opportunity to get together with my quilting friends, or does it?

As I continue to work away on a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt project, my quilting friends have created a Skype group and this group assembles almost daily to chat, to share, to support, and to just be there for each other.  We go online for hours at a time, sometimes with lots to chat about, and sometimes just using quiet companionship.

While I continue to miss out on my local quilt guild gatherings, these virtual gatherings are a source of inspiration and comfort in these uncertain times.  I'm blessed to have an amazing husband home with me, but my quilting friends understand the frustration and drive for matching corners and points in a way my wonderful partner hasn't experienced.

I hope you are finding creative and safe ways to share and stay in contact with your quilting friends too.

COVID-19 and the impact on quilting

First and foremost, if you are reading this I hope you and yours are healthy and doing your part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.  With many people staying at home, the amount of quilting projects being completed by many people is staggering and inspiring.

For some of us, myself included, as an essential worker who is now pulling unprecedented levels of overtime, quilting is something we do in stolen minutes.  Even those stolen minutes do add up.

Currently, I'm working on a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt - the 2019-2020 "Frolic".   Each of the main blocks is 64 individual pieces!  There's a good reason I've included the seam ripper in the picture below!  This is testing my skills in precision cutting and piecing.

The temptation now, is Bonnie having generously created a new mystery just to help the quilting community stay sane during this stay-at-home phase called "Unity".  Oh, the temptation to join in.  If you want to learn more, click this link and head on over to see that Bonnie has planned:  Unity-quilt-along

So I plan on quilting and blogging more, especially as I expect we will one day look back on this time and wonder what we did to stay healthy, stay connected, and stay sane.

Happy New Year and New Decade

I'm looking out my window at the snow coming down and having re-aquired my love of quilting, thanks mostly to my husband and my best friend.  They have both encouraged me to spend time on my quilting and the progress I am making has re-ignited my love of this creative outlet.

So I will keep this short for now, as I have to go away from my computer and over to my sewing machine to keep working on my passion.  Stay tuned, as updates on my efforts will come soon enough.