Free Motion Friday - Double

So sorry I missed last Friday's block post, I bit of technical trouble. I wasn't feeling well and I just couldn't get my machine to cooperate. Sometimes it's best just to walk away and try again another day. When I came back to it, it was working smoothly. Can sewing machines feel our energy?

Sew today I will post two blocks to get you going. Please link up if you want to show off some of your work. I know I would love to see your FMQ.

My first block is very organic and whimsical. I started with the center, stitching two curved lines from end to end and echoing each of them. Then I filled in between the two lines with Leah Day's Spiral Matrix (click here for her video). I think Spiral Matrix is one of my favorite designs. It really doesn't have to be perfect to look great. Personally, I like when it's not perfect, proves I'm not a computer guided robot. Continuing on, within the orange block I just stitched straight lined back and forth. I think the straight lines give your eyes a place to rest and lets the cool Spiral Matrix pop. Around the outside, I just stitched wavy lines that randomly intersect. This is a great example that if your fabric is printed/busy, it doesn't really matter what you quilt because your can't hardly see it.

 I really love how you can see the stitching on the back. Fleece is so much fun to quilt.

This is the next block I decided to quilt. Remember, this project is about trying out some new fillers and putting them together to see how they look. Have fun with this.

Again, I started with stitching some random wiggly lines and echoed them. I filled them in with Pointy Paisley (another Leah Day filler). On the outside of this shape, my lines are now at a 45 degree angle. On the printed boarder, I just did back and forth lines. On the outer most stripe, I stitched a foundation line of back and forth triangles, I didn't mark them. I finished it off with straight back and forth lines to fill in the top half of the triangles.

Let your imaginations run wild, just stitch something. The take away from this week is: If it isn't working, you're tired or don't feel well, walk away and come back another day. Enjoy your quilting.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Rules: Share your FMQ, be nice to one another.

Free Motion Friday Quilt-a-Long

It time to show you the second quilted block and have you link up and show what you were able to accomplish  this week. Remember, you can follow my blocks or create your own.

 I wanted to mix it up, so I just did some wiggly lines and filled it in with some paisley, click here to see Leah Day's video on how to do paisley.

Don't  worry about perfection, it will be lovely no matter what. In the border of the block I did various sized circles and on the other stripes just followed the wiggles. The most important  thing is to have fun.

Here is my quilt. 

This is the block from last week.

You can link up here. RULES: Go visit the link ups, play nice, leave kind comments, show your Free motion quilting. If you don't have a blog to link up, feel free to post a picture of you quilting on Color Me Quilty's Facebook page.







Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Free Motion Friday - The Start of a New Quilt

Okay, so it has taken some time to get this quilt-a-long started. I have all of the blocks pieced and backed, ready to quilt. Remember: you can choose to follow this quilt OR design your own quilt. It can be an alternate grid like this OR a more traditional layout. The most important part is quilting.

This quilt was created with various sized pieces of solid fabric and a number of different strips from a Alison Glass jelly roll (2 1/2" wide by the width of the fabric)

Here are the blocks. Some will need to be trimmed, but since this is a quilt-as-you-go project, I saw no reason to do that now.

The blue outline shows the three columns of how the blocks will be assembled

I started quilting this small block as a warm-up to larger, more complicated FMQ blocks.

The FMQ on this block: started with stitching in the ditch, then a square spiral to the center of each colored block, echo lines (free-hand) on the white pieces between each spiral. On the outer strips, random jagged "teeth". I used Aurifil 50wt white thread in both the top and the bottom.

This will get you started on the first column, if you choose to follow this pattern.

Next week you can link up your work on next week's blog post or post it on ColorMeQuilty's Facebook page.

The very best part of doing a project together is the community spirit and learning. Remember Angela Walters saying - "A finished quilt is ALWAYS better than a perfect quilt."

Feel free to ask AND answer and questions in the comments here or on the Facebook page.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Free Motion Friday

On Monday I asked who wanted to join in with a free motion, quilt as you go, quilt a long. I had several friends who thought that would be fun. I'm at a conference for work (have to do something to afford my fabric addiction), but I wanted to give you some information on gathering your fabric and supplies.

I've started creating some crazy colored blocks in various sizes, solid interior surrounded with some fun jelly roll strip. I really love an alternate grid set up, but feel free to make all your blocks the same size, if you prefer. 

I'm planning on using plain old fleece for the batting and backing, but feel free to use separate acting and backing.

I'm really looking forward to sharing and learning from across the quilty community.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Design Wall: Free Motion Quilt-As-You-Go Project

Over the past few years, several blogs have offer free-motion Fridays. I miss the practice and the camaraderie. So my question is, would anyone else like to join up to quilt?





The idea came to me when I spied a Alison Glass jelly roll. I just fell in love with the colors.

I already had a ton of solids and some mini charms I picked up at QuiltCon. I just cut them into various sizes. Yesterday I spent the day surrounding them with the jelly roll stripes.

I don't have them all done yet and the layout hasn't been finalized. But look at all that lovely open space to quilt. I thought that the alternate grid and various sizes would give us a chance to experiment with some different fills and motifs.

If anyone else would like to play along, you can create your own layout or I can give you the dimensions of my blocks. I could have a link-up on Fridays with a block a week and we can share our questions with each other and hopefully our solutions. If you don't have a blog, you can post your picture on Flickr or even my Facebook page.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you and linking up with  Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Express Your Love Goddess Quilting

Who would have thought that you could stitch "Hobbit Holes" (Leah Day's design this week) on a Goddess quilt, but I think they work great.

I also took a stab at quilting the actual goddess on the quilt.

Quilting on this quilt (Spoonflower panel designed by Leah Day) has really taught me so much more that just free motion quilting designs. It's opened me up to trying different and unexpected things from what "convention" says they should be. It really has allowed me to express my love.

Of course today I'm linking up with Leah Day at the Free Motion Quilting Project for the FMP Link-Up!

 Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Paisley and Swirls

I have to say, I LOVE FMQ Friday. Leah Day has given me so much more courage to work through and issues, she's made me a confident quilter. So this week, I've been quilting away on my Red Window quilt and I think it's coming along nicely.

 I finished the red section Wednesday and moved on to quilting both of the sides - swirls and paisely

 I'm doing different size swirls. I like that they are really sort of 3D.

 I still have a bit left to quilt.

 The back is dark brown fleece and the quilting really shows up on it. I think this quilt will be very snuggily.

 The paisley side is going a bit slower. I really love paisley, almost all of my quilts have it somewhere on them.

 Still a bit more to stitch on this side.

My quilting is going sooooo much better, since I now have my machine threaded properly. Funny how that is.

Today I'm linking up with Leah for FMQ Project Link Up.

 Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Fresh Sewing Day December and Small Blog Meet!

Welcome to Color Me Quilty for December's Fresh Sewing Day. If your visiting from Lily's Quilts, please leave me a comment, I would love to get to know you. If your not visiting from Lily's Quilts, I'd still really love to hear from you!!!!  ;)

November was a productive month, lots and lots of Christmas stockings (17 to be exact). I've also worked on many small Christmas presents from potholders to pillows to dog mats. I think this is pretty good considering my main sewing machine was in the shop for over 2 weeks this month. I have participated each in Free Motion Friday at Fluffy Sheep Quilting and Try New Things (TNT) Thursday at Happy Quilting. (Today's new thing is making the picture mosaic) And although my blog is still a small blog, it has doubled in the number of followers this month. (I'm at 43 and I would love to pass 50 this month.)

So, I'm linking up with Lily's Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet. I am also linking with Melissa at Happy Quilting. Thanks for visiting, feel free to look around and stay a while!

Color Me Quilty!


Pat

WIP Wednesday # 7: Motoring Along

If I were ever in a race, I would be the tortoise, not the hare. I did get a few finishes and work on a few more, but I'm moving slowly.

My step-daughter has two little terrier/chihuahua crosses and she does a lot of obedience training classes with them. She wanted some training mats for them, so I have the first one ready for binding.

I had fun FMQing a few flowers.

All ready for binding

 I also started and finished 2 sets of wonky potholders.

 I finished the last 2 Christmas stocking (for my husband and me). Shown here hanging on the mantel with our Corgi's stocking (which was completed before ours). I gave away 14 stockings to family members on Thanksgiving. I made 17 Christmas stockings this month! Phew, glad that's done!

I finished up this table runner, just in time to use it for Thanksgiving.







Sew all in all, a fairly productive week. Now that I have my good machine back from being repaired, I can finish up some quilting.

So the stats for the week:

In-process: (5)
Hip to be Square FMQ sampler (still at 14 out of 30 blocks quilted)
Cubic Rhythm ( still 1/4 quilted)
Purple heart wall hanging (nope)
Expanding Possibilities quilt (nope)
Turtle pillow - (need to quilt and assemble).

New projects in the cue to start: (3)
FLMQG solids challenge crib quilt (Not started)
New Wave quilt (not started)
Friend's baby quilt - fabric picked out!

Projects completed this week: (9)
2 sets of wonky potholders started and completed.
Table runner
Last 2 Christmas stocking completed
Free-Motion practice samples - Superstar- linked up at Fluffy Sheep Quilting this was the last week :(  Machine quilting class at Quilters Corner.

I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

Color Me Quilty!


Pat

Free Motion Friday: Superstar!

Okay, sew I'm having a bit of a slow start today. But I can't miss the last Free Motion Friday hosted by the fabulous Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting! I have loved every week trying a new design and pushing me outside my comfort zone! This week is Superstar.

Leah Day's Superstar

My Front

My Back

 I have enjoyed "meeting" so many new friends and feel better that I know I can still visit through their blogs.

I also know that I'm hooked on FMQ! I found a cool monthly FMQ challenge for 2012 at Sew Cal Gal blog. Leah Day is even one of the experts. I hope some of you will join in the fun.



Color Me Quilty!

Pat