March 18, 2014

Free Motion Fun!

I have been trying out some new free motion designs on my And Sew On quilt, which is almost finished.

Just look at those swirls! They actually look the way they're supposed to look! When I finished stitching them I stood looking at them for a good long while, feeling amazed that they worked. When I told my husband that he said, "I think most people would have tested it out on a practice piece first." Hmmm...maybe so. But, thanks to the many spirals on my Scrappy Log Cabin quilt, I knew I could make the basic shape and I had spent time drawing these swirls on paper, so then I just grabbed the quilt and jumped in. And it worked! Mind you, the stitch length varies from teeny-tiny to rather large, but I figure I'll get better with that in time.
 I stitched these cute little flowers in all the cornerstones.
And I did these feathers all around the border, with a little stippling to make them really pop. Then I stood looking at the quilt and grinning. I am so excited about how this quilt is looking.

I'm especially pleased that there are no ripples in the borders. I've always just pinned like crazy around the outside of the border, done all my quilting in the center and then moved out to the border. And I always ended up with ripples and places where there were puckers or other problems. Then, while watching one of the Angela Walters' Crafsty classes on free motion quilting, I noticed she had stitched about 1/8" from the edge of the border all the way around.
See the line of stitches just at the edge?
So I tried it. After I stitched in the ditch around all my blocks I stitched just inside the edge of the border too. I think that's why this quilt is so ripple/pucker free all the way around. I will certainly be doing that again on all my quilts.

This quilt just needs binding and a sleeve for hanging and it will be ready for its big reveal. I can't wait to share it with you when I host TGIFF on the 28th. Do you think I should maybe figure out how to work the linky sometime soon?

Have you heard about the Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge? Head on over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to learn more.


Confessions Of A Fabric Addict
In the meantime, I link to these places.

14 comments:

  1. Gorgeous quilting, Leanne!!! You're doing great! And thanks for the shout out for Hands2Help - I'm so glad you're joining us this year!!

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  2. Looks fabulous! I will have to try stitching near the edge...looks like it worked perfectly.

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  3. Your quilting looks wonderful!!!!

    BTW, Im offering a giveaway on my blog/facebook if you would like to enter. http://learningcurvecrafts.blogspot.com/2014/03/facebook-giveaway.html

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  4. Fabulous quilting Leanne! Looking forward to the big reveal :-)

    Hosting a link party is easy the software does most of the work for you!

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  5. Great quilting Leanne. From a free-motion-baby like myself, i'm super impressed and just a wee bit jealous......note to self.....must practice my FMQ more! Thanks for sharing......

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  6. You should be justifiably proud with that quilting. It looks pretty darn good from where I am sitting Leanne.

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  7. Awesome quilting! I do the same thing, doodle doodle doodle on paper and then jump right into the quilt LOL

    Can't wait to see the entire quilt - what you have shown looks spectacular!

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  8. Love the quilting! The swirls and feathers look fabulous!

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  9. such attention to detail!
    Leeanna Paylor
    lapaylor.blogspot.com

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  10. It looks stunning!!! The swirls are perfect for the teacup!! Beautiful work :)

    -Soma

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  11. Great job with your free motion quilting. Was this on a long arm?

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  12. Looks great, love the swirls and the little flower.

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  13. Wow your quilting is great, I tend to just stipple for fear of messing it up.

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  14. Your quilting looks so good. I also like doing a basting stitch around the edge of the quilt top. Not only does it help with the puckering, but it also helps keep the backing from flipping backwards and getting caught in the stitches. :)

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