Unwind
Time to unwind, as if I haven’t been unwinding for months now. It seems I end each week thinking next week I will start my next magnum opus. I toss a few ideas around in my mind, might even do some internet research or look through images I’ve saved over the years labeled potential quilts. That is as far as I get. So be it. My why is to enjoy my time in the studio. For now I am content to work at a slower pace on work I enjoy, even if that work doesn’t stretch or challenge me.
Secret Mission
Free motion quilting is something I find very refreshing and relaxing. I think of it as doodling on fabric. The Secret Mission quilt is providing me with plenty of free motion quilting or unwinding time. I played with a bunch of design ideas, along with thread choices before committing to a thread and handful of designs for the lightest fabric used in Secret Mission. In the photo below the patch on the left side of the image is a scrap of fabric from the quilt. I actually used three different threads. Unfortunately, the photo doesn’t really distinguish them. Ironically, the thread I was certain wouldn’t work is the one I went with.
I love the zen flow achieved while free motion quilting simple, all over, motifs. Several of the designs I chose for the lightest fabric in Secret Mission incorporate a loop de loop pattern for traveling. I sneak in various elements such as leaves and simple flowers as a nod to the other elements of the quilt. The final design is an open heart design, since the theme of the quilt is love.
Keeping It Reel
This reel shows my hands at work as I free motion quilt the open hearted motif in the image above. I still haven’t mastered setting up the tripod to show the needle and stitches. Baby steps. You can view the reel on both Instagram and Facebook.
A Teaching Moment
Is this more unwinding or am I procrastinating? Does it really matter? I’ve decided to join the Butterfly Sanctuary BOM (Block of the Month). I simply couldn’t resist. I LOVE butterflies. They appear in many of my artworks. Naturally, I am doing my own thing. There are kits you can purchase that include all the fabric and thread recommended for the quilt. You can also choose to do it as a felt appliqué and embroidery project or paper piece the blocks. I am doing the later. I’m not buying a kit. Instead I will use the fabric and thread I have on hand.
The first block arrived in my inbox on Wednesday. Along with the block was a list of fabric requirements for the quilt. There are 12 of them. No doubt I will use more than 12. So, how do I make sure I come up with a cohesive palette? Simple :). I choose a fabric with a palette I love. Then I will select fabrics for each of the blocks that work with this fabric. It is actually fairly similar, but more vibrant than the fabrics on offer for Butterfly Sanctuary. Clearly I am feeling a need for happy, bold color in my life.
SEDOSO
The big news about SEDOSO’s recovery this week is he is able to drive himself to his medical appointments. He also did some weeding in our extensive garden.
Question of the Week
When you choose a pattern do you follow it to the letter or veer off in your own direction? Provide an example or two if you are willing.
I’m linking up to the following posts:
I use patterns for a variety of textile crafts — knitting, quilting, cross-stitch and (sometimes) rug-hooking. I’ve not been able to “see” in fabric for some time, so have set aside art quilts in favour of using my stash for gift quilts and charity quilts. As a scrap quilter, while I try to ‘manage’ colours, I’m not inclined to make a quilt based on colours in the pattern. In knitting, I vary little from most intricate patterns (cables, lace, texture) but do feel free to use a different yarn weight or colour etc. In cross-stitch, I stick to the patterns (samplers), but in rug-hooking? I rarely use a pattern, and have been designing my own for almost 2 years now. Hooking took me back to landscapes, for which I am very thankful!
What a wonderful journey of patterns and creativity you have been following. Fascinating to me that rug hooking is where you feel freest to do your own thing.
I rarely use a commercial pattern but I am doing The Quilt Show BOM, Game On this year. I’m using my own hand dyes and not following their colour placements. As we are moving into month 5, I’m realizing I may have to dye more fabric to accommodate the borders as they get larger and larger circling the center 36″ish block.
SEDOSO sure is a man on a mission of recovery.
Bet you Quilt Show BOM is stunning made with hand dyes. Seems I am not only one who substitutes my own aesthetic for pattern recommended fabrics. Funny, how the larger the border the more fabric is required. 🙂
Yes, SEDOSO is on a machine to get better. Thank goodness!
Hooray for SEDOSO to be driving to medical appointments. He must feel like he has been given the keys to the kingdom! I like your choice of free motion quilting designs for your special project. Sometimes I follow the pattern. . .but, often, I make little changes. . .often because my interpretation of the directions was not as the writer had intended! I also often use my own color way as I’m always trying to use up scraps and stash!
I think having me as a chauffeur for the past few weeks has been an incentive for SEDOSO to get back behind the wheel.
It’s hard to write clear, easy to follow directions. Just one reason to have a friend or two or more test drive your pattern. Still, not understanding can lead to some interesting changes. Like you, if I can use scraps, I will do that first.
I only followed a pattern on my first quilt and even then I was thinking of changing it but was not brave enough or just wanted to be done! I generally start with a plan in my head and then a plan on paper and then change it as I go since things don’t look the way I expect. I’ve also started just making some blocks and then seeing where that takes me. I may start with an inspiration quilt and change it to make it my own.
I’m so impressed you started changing the pattern after your first quilt.
Your quilting is lovely on the Secret Mission quilt, Gwyned! I like that open heart design. It will be fun to see your blocks for the Butterfly BOM, too – the inspiration fabric is gorgeous! That is great news that the SEDOSO can drive himself again. I bet you’re both enjoying that! I stopped buying kits years ago, and would much rather pull from scraps and stash to make my quilts. Sometimes I curate a bundle for a specific pattern, like for a QAL, but for my RSC quilts, I choose based on the color of the month. I’ve been enjoying sewing this way for quite a few years now!
You are so complimentary, Diann, thank you. I “stole” the open hearted design from Leah Day. She is a great resource for FMQ motifs, especially for backgrounds.
Once you break away from kits and patterns do you ever truly go back? Clearly, you and I are both happy working our way through scraps and doing our own thing.
It’s good to be able to sew at a slow and easy pace, and your FMQ is lovely. I love those little open hearts. Great news about your husband, he’s making great progress! I love the way you choose your fabric palette, it’s a very inspiring tip. Butterfly Sanctuary is going to be beautiful. I don’t follow the patterns exactly as written, because they are always bigger than I want them to be. So I usually scale them down. Thank you for sharing and linking up.
One of the negatives of Butterfly Sanctuary is that the blocks are trapezoids versus squares, rectangles or parallelograms. Combine that with some already tiny pieces, I felt I couldn’t scale down and have things match. Although, like you, I would probably have done so. It is going to be a very large quilt. The background will provide lots of room for embellishment and quilting. I have you to thank for getting me into this mess/inspiring me to tackle a BOM. You point me towards so many fabulous ones.
Thank you for compliments, as always.
So glad to hear of SEDOSO’s progress! I enjoyed watching your free motion video. I have yet to try it on my own machine. Soon. I like the open hearts you are stitching.
One of the things I love about the Bernina 990 is I can create a stitch and save it in Favorites. I actually have my FMQ stitch saved there. With the Bernina a stitch not includes the length and width of the stitch, so 0 and 0 for FMQ, but it includes which foot I use, the foot pressure, stitch tension and the fact that feed dog is down.Set once and I’m done. 🙂 If I were a beginner this would be overwhelming, but since I’ve been quilting for 40 years it is a joy. Before purchasing the 990 last summer, I ran it through its paces, including seeing how well it handled FMQ. Obviously, it passed.
I’m glad you enjoyed watching me FMQ and like the open hearts. Why not give both a whirl on your machine. Try it on something inconsequential. Then let me know how it goes.
Hi Gwyned, I love seeing your pre-project sandwich. I now have some premade sandwiches handy for practicing on. I always draw but this is a wise addition 🙂 I love how your secret mission is coming along. Thanks for linking up to I Quilted This!
Always good to have pre-project sandwich. I tend use white or natural muslin for my test pieces. First, it is inexpensive. Second, I can see what I am doing, so long as the thread isn’t white. Sometimes I will use a reject block. Helps when I am determining which color thread to use. Happy to hear you find this useful, too.