Cracking the WIP!

Wow, Wednesday again! But at least I've been busy working on my WIP! Cracking it open and gettin' it done! Yup, finished up another project this week. My wonky/improv quilt that was part of Leah Day's homework, awhile back, is completed.

I'm surprised how soft this quilt is with this much FMQ!

I sure did learn a lot about quilting on my new machine. I even got back to work on my Expanding Possibilities quilt.

I will say that using the spool net over the thread really helped eliminate the loops I was getting. Just another tool in my tool belt.

I've also pulled out the Library quilt that has been waiting to be worked on.

I plan on doing this as a QAYG. I picked up some batting last night to get going on this. The best part is that I didn't start any new projects this week. I WILL whittle down this WIP list!!!

No questions for Leah this week. I just plan on taking her advise to "Shut up and go quilt!!!"

Stats for  WIP Wednesday!
In-process: (7)
Purple heart wall hanging ( needs borders, backing, quilting and binding)
Expanding Possibilities quilt (Continue to quilt)
Storybook quilt # 2 - All embroidery is done
Geneva Public Library quilt - join and quilt (maybe make a block or two to even it out)
Sew Cal Gal's April FMQ Challenge - Need to make into a pillow.
Sew Cal Gal's May FMQ Challenge - Need to make into a pillow
Sew Cal Gal June FMQ Challenge - Need to bind.

New projects: (0)
No new projects this week!

Finished (1)
Wonky/Improve QAL quilt -  (done)

I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday and The Free Motion Quilting Project for QAL Wednesday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Wonky/Improv Quilt is FINISHED!!!!

I should really call this quilt my "Learning Curve Quilt"! I learned so much from this quilt, especially the FMQ part. This was my first quilt quilted on my new Pfaff (Miss Frances). And although I struggled getting to know Miss Frances, she now is quilting wonderfully.

This quilt was so much fun because, by it's very wonky nature, it wasn't meant to be perfect! The quilting has some thread blobs, but all in all, it's soft and cuddly. It will make a wonderful quilt for the back of the sofa or down at the beach, it is meant to be used!

If you would like to read about the making of this quilt, click here and here and here  and here.

Today I'm linking up with A Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday and Plum and June for Let's Get Acquainted and Free Motion by the River for Linky Tuesday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

P.S. My sincerest apologies for not responding to all your lovely comments. I am very slack and sorry! I do read and love each and everyone, but I struggle to find the time to respond to all of them. I really love and appreciate each and everyone that visits and I do try to answer through email. (If you are a no-reply blogger, I have no way to respond to any of your questions or comments).

Jester's Hat - Sew Cal Gal's August FMQ Challenge

This month's Sew Cal Gal's FMQ Challenge tutorial was from Wendy Sheppard showing us her "Jester's Hat". I immediately loved the curly design and set out to add it to my repertoire of stitches.  I always draw a new motif before I try to stitch it. With this design I drew and drew and drew it - in a word, I struggled.

One of numerous attempts to draw Jester's Hat

Then something clicked, I realized that the second swirl of the first hat was the first swirl of the second hat. The hats flipped direction, but you could pivot on the swirl. Depending on how big you draw the second swirl, you can fill in spaces on the quilt.

Adding the little flare in the middle of the hat seemed to help me remember where I was in the design. I also really like the look of this version.

This motif was the last section of my wonky/improv quilt. Now to trim and bind and I'm done.

Thank you to Wendy Sheppard and Sew Cal Gal for the wonderful opportunity to learn fun new FMQ designs. I have completed all of the FMQ challenges to date.

July Challenge
June Challenge
May Challenge
April Challenge
March Challenge
February Challenge
January Challenge

Today I'm linking up with Sew Cal Gal for the August FMQ Challenge and with Happy Quilting for TNT Thursday.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Thread Gone Wild!

I'm getting a little closer to finishing my Wonky/Improv. quilt. Just one more area and a couple of partially completed areas to FMQ. Last night I finished up the sharp stipple section, then worked on McTavishing a little section.

Sharp stippling

  

McTavishing

More McTavishing

 If you're a regular reader, you know that I've been struggling with FMQ on my new machine. I did sort out a lot of the problems the other day (click here to read that post), which made a huge different. But I'm still having periodic problems. As a Quality Engineer (my day job), I'm trying to figure out the root cause, what is happening, when it happens, why is it happening.

Notice the loop before the thread guide. Sometimes this loop gets so big it catches on the (bobbin) thread guide (the little metal piece that is above the thread guide in the picture)

The thread seems to be very loose and loopy. Even when I put the thread on a spool stand, I still have issues. So my question to Leah this week is would a thread spool net help? I have a bunch of these, but I've never used one. Do I need to cut it down? Is there anything I need to know before I use this? Any other suggestions of things to try?

Thread spool net

Stats for  WIP Wednesday!
In-process: (8)
Wonky/Improve QAL quilt -  (Continue to quilt)
Purple heart wall hanging ( needs borders, backing, quilting and binding)
Expanding Possibilities quilt (Continue to quilt)
Storybook quilt # 2 - All embroidery is done
Geneva Public Library quilt - join and quilt (maybe make a block or two to even it out)
Sew Cal Gal's April FMQ Challenge - Need to make into a pillow.
Sew Cal Gal's May FMQ Challenge - Need to make into a pillow
Sew Cal Gal June FMQ Challenge - Need to bind.

New projects: (0)
No new projects this week!

Finished (0)


I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday and The Free Motion Quilting Project for QAL Wednesday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

The Fun is Returning!

I absolutely love to free motion quilt, but with all of the problems I've been having lately, it really hasn't been fun. But now that I've gotten to understand my machine just a little bit better, the fun is returning. So yesterday, I had a lovely time FMQ on my wonky/improv. quilt.

Add caption

I was doing great, until I tried this design, then back to shredded thread and birds nests. Must be something about how I'm moving the quilt. Guess I'm going to have to work on that because this is one of my favorite FMQ designs.

Today I'm linking up with Plum and June for Get Acquainted Blog Hop.   You really should stop on by and check out the giveaway they are having from SkyeReve Fabrics.

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Wednesday Roundup!

Let me start be saying, I LOVE quilt painting. So when I saw that Leah's homework this week was painting, I was all in! I haven't done a lot of quilt painting, but what I have done is so fun.

I have a bit of an amateur background in watercolor painting. This is a bit different, but still lots of fun. I just own a starter pack of this paint, so I just have a smattering of colors. What I found difficult was mixing paints (while on the palette)  to get different colors. I found I could paint over colors to get different colors, notice the centers of the flowers and then interior of the petals, I layered colors. So my question for Leah, do you buy each color you want or is there a way to mix them?

Today is also Quilty Embellishment Day for August. So for anyone who wants to link up some embellished quilty projects from this past month and have a chance to win 1/2 yard of my hand-dyed fabric. Click here for my QED post.

1/2 yard of hand-dyed fabric. Giveaway for QED

The only other thing I worked on this week was my wonky/improv quilt. Just a few more sections FMQ.

Stats for  WIP Wednesday!
In-process: (8)
Wonky/Improve QAL quilt -  (Continue to quilt)
Purple heart wall hanging ( needs borders, backing, quilting and binding)
Expanding Possibilities quilt (Continue to quilt)
Storybook quilt # 2 - All embroidery is done
Geneva Public Library quilt - join and quilt (maybe make a block or two to even it out)
Sew Cal Gal's April FMQ Challenge - Need to make into a pillow.
Sew Cal Gal's May FMQ Challenge - Need to make into a pillow
Sew Cal Gal June FMQ Challenge - Need to bind.

New projects: (0)
No new projects this week! I'm not counting this little painted sample.

Finished (0)


I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday and The Free Motion Quilting Project for QAL Wednesday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat