Some Free Motion Quilting Time

It has been a while since I have try something new on the quilting front with my main machine out of action for 8 weeks.  My quilting pile has grown.  So it was time to tackle some of the projects, as some have deadlines that needed to be met. Luckily they are all small projects so I was able to get 2 of the small projects with deadlines quilted. My second colour way of my Tea Party Table Topper  (picture above top right)which is a retreat workshop next month and my contribution to Kate's Scrap Crazy workshop samples. Nothing fancy but nicely done.

Then there was two cat quilts that got pinned. I did manage to start on one of the cat quilts and this is where I get to play. I saw a wavy check tutorial by Leah Day last week and I wanted to try it. So this was the perfect piece to try it on. Not too big so it would take me all day, but not too small that it would be over before I got the hang of it. I got halfway through quilting it before I ran out of time but the effects were brilliant for the first time doing it. I think I will be using this one again and again in different sizes. I hope you can see it. Excuse little Miss Pochee she loves to walk through photos.

You can see it better on the back.

When I finish it I will share it  with everyone. I am sharing this post with the Free Motion Mavericks. Take a look at what others are up to.

Until Next Time 

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Under the Pressure Foot #20

It is time for some quilting. The pile is getting bigger not smaller like I had planned. So how every time I plan a quilting day something happens and my plans go out the window.
Finally it is quilting time. I started with this one as a warm up. This is one of my Project Uninterrupted  project earmarked for finishing. This is one of a set of 3 quilt from 2014 block of the month that I wasn't happy with all the blocks together. So 12 blocks become 3 small quilts. My cats will love them once finished but they make good Free motion quilting practice for me. They are all bias they love all my quilts.

I really enjoyed doing this figure 8 free motion quilting.  My favourite block out of the four I quilted. Once I had warmed up it was time to do some real work on my batik half square triangle quilt. I am playing with the circle ruler from Westalee Designs. The first block went along smoothly but on the second one  I started to have trouble with snapping thread and breaking needle.  I got through the second one but that was it. I tried everything I could think of but I had to stop it was getting worse. I turned the machine off and set up my  little Janome that I take to workshops to make some scrappy binding for the little quilt I did finish from my binding off cuts I save. It is good to use some of them up.

I went back to this one but no luck so it is time for someone to look at it because I had no luck getting it to sew even on an offcut. So if I want to quilt anything it will have to be on my little Janome machine because it will be 6 weeks before I get it back. The circles are looking good though. It is a shame I only got half way through.

I am linking up with the Free Motion Mavericks so pop over and have a look at what others have been up too.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Under the Pressure Foot #17

Sunday was a lot cooler day so I decided to tackle some quilting. There is a pile of tops that I need to do something with and there will be more on their way. I am trying to work out a plan for next year's projects and I can't quite get it worked out. I need to focus on my original designs and shop samples but I see something that catches my eye and I'm off running in a totally different direction. I'm sure I will work it out but for now I think I will just work on finishing some of the projects that are nearly finished.That way I can cross them of this year's UFO list and if they are not on that list stop them from making next year UFO list. That post will follow soon.
So there was two projects in my sight for quilting. I started with the smaller of the two. A new project using the newly arrived Quilty Pleasures range of fabric. A table runner, there will be a quilt to follow shortly. Just some simple quilting to highlight the frames around the machines followed by a little border quilting.

The second project is my Double wedding ring Bed Runner which was going to be a quilt but after the first two rings I decided to scale it down or it would sit on my UFO list for a number of years I think. I started this a while ago but it still needed to be finished. There is a lot of quilting to be done and it has been a great practise piece for using my Ruler Foot and 12' arc ruler from my Sampler Set.

It took me most of the afternoon to finish it but I got there in the end and dinner was a little late. Luckily my LS Husband is on holidays and didn't need an early dinner.

Until  Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

PS I have the binding on the table runner. An evening in front of the television will see it finished.

My Inklingo Star Quilt

It has been a while since I finished the quilt top. The poor quilt has been sitting in the To be Quilted pile for 3-4 months and at one stage I had a July deadline for the completion of it. Well July is gone and August is just about done. Finally I have pinned it ready for quilting. Another week goes by. Why can't I decide on how to quilt this one? I could easily have it finished if I just stitched it in the ditches but that just doesn't appeal to me. I think this top was waiting for me to rediscover FMQ again and after a couple tests with the rulers I purchased from Westalee Design I decided on a floral design using the 2' circle ruler from the Sampler set and on the plain blocks I followed the diagonal pattern of the fabric for a zigzag effect.

I used the Inklingo 9' Star collection to make the star blocks which I did by hand and when I quilted it I was easily able to use my seams to line the circle ruler quickly every time for perfect placement of the floral design. There is an Inklingo link in the Right hand side toolbar if you want to learn more about printing on to fabric for precision piecing every time.

So now I am up to the binding stage and I can see the completion of this quilt clearly which is fantastic. I am using the pink stripe that I used for the star centre for the binding.  All the fabric I have used in the quilt is from Sue Daley's To Norway with Love is still available in my shop.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Under the Pressure Foot #10

This weekend I pinned 2 quilt tops ready for some more quilt ruler testing.  So far I am loving the Westalee quilting rulers. I had gone back to doing more straight line free motion quilting as I have been struggling with curves and I had nearly given up on going further with my free motion quilting due to the lack of success. With some new advice on free motion quilting on my machine (and that was the key I needed someone who knew my brand of machine) I have been put back on track. It is true it is the little things the matter. Just having the wrong needle in my machine nearly ruined my free motion quilting adventure. The machine still doesn't like to go backwards but if I can avoid it I will.
 I watched a few more tutorials on the rulers during the week and they have inspired me to try a couple more rulers in the sampler set. First I tried the Spin-e-fex #4 ruler which creates a lovely floral design.

 I did want to use this ruler on my Star quilt but when I sewed the sample it was a little small for my 9' block. That is why I started with this quilt instead of my star quilt that I really wanted to quilt first because it has been sitting here the longest. Never mind it will be next.

 To see the whole front you have to wait a little longer as it is part of a special event coming soon. Keep your eyes open for Cynthia's Ark Fully Stacked for the big reveal. Here is a little bit of the back and a better look of my quilting.

The Westalee Design Ruler Foot  is available in the shop now and a range of their rulers will be available in my shop shortly. When ordering the quilting foot you need to tell me in the comment box as you go through the checkout which machine you plan to use it on as there is 4 sizes available. Once you know which foot you need that will also tell you which size rulers you use with your foot, as the rulers come in 2 sizes.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Under the Pressure Foot #9

Here we are ready for some quilting. I recently purchase a new quilting foot and rulers for my Pfaff machine from Westalee Designs. I saw the rulers in action when we were A Quilters Odyssey retreat in June. So once I got home I did some research and I was impressed with what I saw. I went ahead and contacted Westalee Designs to work out which quilting foot would match my Pfaff and with some advise from them I purchase a quilting foot and the Sampler set of rulers to test and to consider stocking their products.

With the instructions included with the quilting foot it didn't take me long to set the foot up correctly on my Pfaff machine.

I started with a practise sandwich as suggested and straight away I was impress with the results. I started with the curve ruler that comes with the quilting foot.

Once I was happy and comfortable with using the ruler I set to quilting my Christmas table runner. I started on the blocks.

This one shows my quilting up the best I am using one of my favourite Aurifil colours 2000 50 wt. It could easily live in my machine all the time that is how often I use this colour.

Then I had to play in the border. I went a little crazy, I don't think I will quilt this close together soon and little bigger gap next time. Two things to remember for next time the Pfaff doesn't like to go backward and think what you are going to do in the corner before starting.

This is what I did in the corners and I am very happy how it turned out but it so easily could of be a disaster.

All quilted.

Binding on and my table runner is completed.

 This is the second finish this month. Yippy! My Little Joys Quilt is next to complete. Just the binding to go.

Until next time

Keeping Stitching

Cynthia

Under the Pressure Foot #4

June has become finishing month for me. With my Pies & Tarts quilt finally finished. I handed my Wishes quilt to Valerie to quilt and I have decided to give my Farmers Wife quilt to Valerie when I pick my Wishes quilt up to baste on her long arm machine which means Yes I have made the decision to hand quilt it. I may curse myself in the future for making this decision but today I am happy that I finally made the decision. Now I can move on, I think these decisions have been slowing me down. Anyway this post is suppose to be what is under my pressure foot, let me show you.

This is my lozenge quilt I am quilting today with some black and white variegated thread. This is breeze to quilt especially since I am doing my favourite free motion straight line quilting. (With my usual wobbles along the way.) I started with stitching in the ditch. Then some diagonal straight lines one way and then I wanted to do the opposite diagonal line. As I got started on the last set of diagonal rows I wasn't sure if there was enough thread.

 Guess what I didn't make it. So what does a quilter do when you know there is no more thread and I couldn't get more easily. It is a scrappy project so I just found a spool of black cotton and continued until I finished it. I don't think it is too noticable. At least not from the front, on the back you can tell.

A close up of my quilting. It creates an interesting effect, fading in and out like it does. Looking at the on point squares created by the quilting you can see different blocks from the original lozenge blocks I made.

Now it is time to pull the binding box out and create a scrappy binding to finish it off. A totally scrappy quilt.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

The First Completed Project of 2015.

This is my Kaleidoscope Star table runner I made last year using Inklingo. A very simple layout of diamonds. It was a fun project to do and I have found some more stars I pieced so I may make another matching table runner. That way I can use both at the same time on different tables. I just did some free motion stippling in the blue hexagons.

 I just could decide what else to do. It is where I get stuck often when it comes to free motion quilting. What design do I want to do and half the time I fall back on the stippling option because I just have to finish the project. Maybe this is something I can work on this year.

The binding was a bit of a challenge I almost cut the ends square to make it easier to bind but I decide to leave it as is and bind it as is.

 One completed and many more to complete.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Farmers Wife Update

I am getting close to the completion of my Farmer’s Wife Sampler quilt top.  I just have the borders to go on. I will get this top done before the end of the year. Then the big choice do I hand quilt it or machine quilt it. There are pros and cons for both sides.

I feel since I hand pieced the top I should hand quilt it but I am still hand quilting my Pies & Tarts Quilt 2 years on that project so far and my Farmers Wife Sampler is so much larger I am scared of the time it may take.

So I was thinking I could machine quilt it. It would take some time but not as much as if I hand quilted and it would improve my free motion quilting skills.

Just not sure what I should do. Please help me decide. Let me know what you would do.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Blogger's Quilt Festival - South Australian Stars

Over the weekend I made time to do some quilting. This star quilt has been ready for a while but there has been no time for quilting. There was a real need to get this quilt done in time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival. A deadline helps when you need to finish a project.

This is one of my UFO projects for this year and I am glad to tick it off the list. It has been a little while since I completed a project, I have starts some new ones though. I used 3 Aurifil 50 wt threads in red, blue and cream for the quilting and did lots of free motion quilting on it.

 It was good practise; now that I have a super slider mat on the machine it has made a huge difference to my quilting. It makes the quilt glide under the needle a lot easier. So I had a lot less trouble with my threads and my stitches are looking a lot more even. I did some echoes inside the blue stars; I did a stipple in the red stars and the red borders and a wavy zigzag in the plain blocks following the pattern on the fabric.

 Then it was a matter of binding, luckily there was enough blue fabric left for me to bind it with.  Now this quilt is finished I wonder how long it will be before the original pattern and the rest of the fabrics turn up. 

 This quilt is my entry into the Blogger's Quilt Festival
South Australian Stars
58 inches square(148cm square)
Category Small Quilts

 Don't forget to pop over and have a look at all the quilts and vote on your favourite. The link is in the toolbar on the right hand side.

Until Next Time

Keep Stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt -FMQ Along #15

In our free motion quilting quilt along I am up to block 7, the disappearing nine patch block. Having made this block before it came together very well and it wasn't long before I was ready for quilting. There is 3 blocks to quilt and the first one was pretty straight forward to quilt. So it should by now, straight lines.

The second block was more challenging with the square spiral and the circles all the same size in rows. Well the neat rows of circles disappeared into pebbles and the last block aha moment on pebbles I want to do more so I did more.

The third block featured a spiral with some stippling. The spiral was interesting to stitch, a little wobbly in some spots but it turned out ok with the stippling. 

The next block is going to be a bit more challenging so we should have some fun piecing them.

Until next time

Keep stitching

Cynthia

Building Blocks Quilt - FMQ Along #14

It has been a while since I have done a post on this project. Honestly I haven't been happy with my progress and the project has been sped up so I knew there was no way I could keep up. So it has been sitting there in it bag since the end of May I think. Over the last couple week I have been thinking about it I should at least keep going even if I can't keep up. I really want to improve my FMQ, so I pieced the next 2 blocks ready for quilting.

Finally I got to the 4 pinwheel blocks and after some warm up on my Celtic Solstice quilt doing the borders. I got them completed. So here they are.

My spirals are rubbish but I had a-ha moment with the pebbles I think I have them worked out but need to work on them in a larger size.

 This one is very interesting how it turned out.

 One of my favourites

My other favourite.

I am stilling having problems with some designs but there was a few designs I am now starting to enjoy like wiggly lines, zig zags and straight lines especially if I don't have to mark the blocks.  That is my major problem, marking the blocks I just can't see the marking clear enough to follow them and I think that is really putting me off. So these blocks I only marked the 8 inch square in the middle for guidance and went for it after watching Leah's And Josh's tutorials on each block.  I must admit there is improvement in my technique; thank goodness I was starting to think I wasn't going to get passed the basics. There is hope for all of us who think we are not good enough. 

Until next time

 Keep Free Motion Quilting 

We will get there in the end; it just may be the long way round.

Cynthia