Week in Review 2025 – 08/08

I know

I know I am making progress getting my work out into the community. It takes time and slow, steady commitment. Last year I was asked if I was interested in a solo exhibition at the Hingham Public Library.

Ciel de Noyer was one of my pieces exhibited at in my solo exhibition at Hingham Public Library.

I took a big gulp and said yes. The result is that I have been asked to speak at the Crosstown Quilt Guild in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Actually, they asked for a trunk show, something I prefer not to do, but agreed to a lecture titled from Quilter to Artist. Shhh… don’t tell a soul, but I hadn’t written the lecture. So, that is one of the things I have been working on this summer.

When I lecture, I like to have a hook. No, not something you might use in your needlework or hang a coat on, but a verbal hook. It came to me as I practiced and refined the lecture. The hook for this one would be “I knew I was an artist when…

First Snow measures 27″ H x 27″ W
Image of a black and white quilt with rainbow pieced ribbons randomly threaded around the piece and butterflies in the quilting, threading painting and as 3D sculpture.
Out of the Ashes measures 39″ H x 62″ W

… I realized I was working in a series.

Bernina 990 Progress

I know I am making progress with my Bernina 990 because I am able to do basic piecing with the same ease as if I was using my previous machine. That being said I have a looooooong way to go.

I have never had an embroidery machine of any kind. The Bernina 990 is amazing in what it can do. I still have much to learn about the basics before it can feel natural. The whole hooping and scanning of the hooped work is ungainly for me. I believe I have made progress in that department. At least I was able to figure out what I was doing wrong this week.

My latest Bernina 990 Experiment

When I am piecing a quilt my mind drifts to how I will quilt it. I like the quilting motif to reflect a theme or image being conveyed by the quilt. I’ve been thinking rainbows for the non heart blocks in Broken Hearted. I could free motion quilt rainbows, but the 990 includes that cool echoed rainbow motif that can be quilted as an Edge 2 Edge.

What’s got me excited about this sample is I stumbled over a button that allows me to duplicate the motif and lay it exactly over the motif being duplicated. The machine stitches out the motif and then reverses the stitches. This is how the arc on the left was done. Also, you can select where the start and stop of a motif is. So, when they are placed side by side, the way E2E quilting works, where the first motif ends, the second starts.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Last week Broken Hearted was laid out on the design wall. This week it is a pieced top.

Broken Hearted is a finished top.

Each one of the rainbow blocks measure 5″. My plan is to have the rainbow arcs measure 2.5″.

Question of the Week

Complete the statement, “I know I am making progress when…”

I’m linking up to the following posts:

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By Gwyned Trefethen

I am an artist who uses fabric, thread and miscellany to create designs gifted to me by my imagination.

20 comments

  1. all the quilts you show look great to me – I like the one with the hot air balloon the colors of the sky look so great

  2. Are you planning to share examples of your quilts that are made in a series? If I were in the audience for your talk, that’s what I would enjoy seeing! I’ve never had an embroidery machine and prefer to embroider by hand, but a machine that stitched designs that could be used as quilting sounds very handy. I know I’m making progress when I’m playing with layouts for quilt blocks I’ve been making, and one of the layouts “speaks” to me – “that’s the one!”

    1. Diann, I will be sharing one series, my Shifting Value series. I chose that one because it spans over 20 years. It was what launched my confidence to include artist as one aspect of who I am.

      I have never owned an embroidery machine either. Didn’t have any interest in doing so. Like you, if something required embroidery I would do it by hand. However, when I started exploring machines and saw how broad the capabilities were of the Bernina 990 I started to think of embroidery quite differently. E2E is a much easier on a longarm, but it is doable on the B990. I have been investigating the various designs that came as a benefit to purchasing the machine through OESD. Wow! Some are very free flowing and creative vs. mannered. Can’t wait to give them a try.

      I believe one aspect of being an artist is seeing the myriad of possibilities and having the confidence to say, “Yes! That’s it.” The one that speaks to you.

    1. You are so kind. I wish you could be in the audience. Perhaps, someday I will figure out how to film myself and add videos to my site. Not ready to tackle that learning curve anytime soon, though.

  5. when a work starts to look like it did in my head, or when I don’t want to stop for the day, I know I’m moving forward

  6. I know I am making progress when I feel satisfaction at what I’ve accomplished, even if small.
    I love the rainbows for your Broken Hearted-that will be great!

    1. The B 990 is like having a long arm, embroidery machine and sewing machine all in. That being said, it is a lot easier to do E2E on a longarm because of the frame. The B 990 is confined to a frame that can fit under the arm of the machine. The upside to the B 990 is takes less space than a longarm, can do embroidery and you can piece on it, too.

      Thank you, Nancy. I am having fun exploring what is on offer already on the machines and what else can be purchased if needed. The possibilities are endless.

  8. Many times I am planning for the quilting as I piece. Those arcs are a perfect choice for your rainbow quilt. Thanks for sharing in Sew & Tell.

    1. There is something about piecing that allows for the creative to come out, Melva. I thinking contemplating quilting motifs, especially to those of us who FMQ or are hired as to quilt others quilts, can’t help but think of “How would I quilt this.”

  9. Hi Gwyned, it would be very cool to add those embroidered rainbows as part of the quilting of your quilt. It really is the best way to learn! Thanks for linking up to FM Mavericks! Have fun with your new toy 🙂

    1. You are so right, Andrée. Nothing ventured? I am thinking the best way to use the machine to create E2E rainbows is in a hoop I don’t own. Isn’t that always the way?

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