I am in awe of quilters who can free motion quilt using a plain ordinary sewing machine…I HAVE tried and it ain’t pretty! There are bumps and lumps where the stitching should be straight and there are sharp point where there should be curves…I am hopeless. And the length of the stitches…well let’s not even go there!!
For the past 6 months I have been watching Leah Day’s videos on 365 of Free Motion Quilting Filler Design (LOVE this blog-she is so wonderful!!) She makes her quilting designs look so easy..so effortless…so flowing…”I WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DO THAT!!” I tell Lisa after each broadcast. SEW…today I put together a bunch of practice fabric sandwiches…watched a couple more videos…did some practice drawings and then tried a fabric sandwich…needless to say…you won’t be seeing any pictures in the near future of my free motion quilting!! I then phoned Satin Moon Quilt Shop and enrolled in three free motion courses!! Two are in October and one is in November…The morning class is for beginners~this is what we will be working on…
I’m a good, keen student so by that afternoon I figure I’ll have advanced to intermediate ;o) so I signed up for the Intermediate Free Motion class from 1-4! This is what we will be doing~
Yikes…do you think I have bitten off more than I can chew?…
A month later, after they have recovered from my Intermediate MESS…I am hopefully going to slip in and take this class..free motion quilting borders. Now this one looks like fun!!
In the meantime…think I’ll keep working on those sandwiches…and that’s no baloney! Yeah, yeah…I know..I know…lame!
Have a winning Wednesday and Happy Quilting!~P
I'm still trying and I will have to admit, the more you practice, the better you get. However, I only have two completed projects that anyone has seen. I want it to be perfect, but I may never get to perfect.;) I'm planning lots of new projects with straight line quilting.
ReplyDeleteI am still practicing too, it takes a lot of that, lol.
ReplyDeleteI find small areas and designs are easier than geometric stitching, since I can do more free form that way. Moving the fabric is my biggest problem, I tend to jerk a lot, so free form is good for me, haha.
Debbie
Before my longarm I used my DSM and yes...practice until it comes natural like writing your name.
ReplyDeleteI think it does help to practice little and often. I love Leah's blog. I also have a couple of Patsy Thompson's DVDs which are brilliant and Ricky Tims' 'Grand Finale' in which he demos some great practice exercises and other stuff like piped binding.These certainly helped me!
ReplyDeleteLucky you! I wish there were classes here too. Practicing makes my shoulders very stiff and there is nobody telling me what I do wrong.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I'm not very good but I sure enjoy trying. I think taking the classes are marvelous ideas. Even if one is too advanced, you will still come home with something new that you learned.
ReplyDeleteI keep making scrap sandwiches, (lightly toasted ;P ) and trying free motion. On a piece 10x10 it comes easy after a few tries. Much more difficult on a 36x36 piece, of which I tried last night. I am glad the small quilt I tried it on was a mistake quilt. ( The pattern gave wrong cutting instructions, and I got it off the internet, how could it be wrong!)) I learned much from trying though. Like, don't do this again until you know what you are doing! I will put the binding on my "mistake" quilt and hang it in my sewing room, just as a reminder.
ReplyDeletePaula
I love Leah's endless ideas. I'm setting up a quilt now for FMQ. Still not good at it, but "just keep quilting, just keep quilting...."
ReplyDeleteI'm sure what you've done isn't as bad as you think. We are our own worst critics aren't we? Let us know how your classes go.
I have faith in you and I am sure you will grasp the skill. However, if it doesn't work for you, you seem to have some sort of barter system going, so you can continue to trade skill for skill.
ReplyDeleteWell good luck to you - I know, I've tackled it a few times now and can see an improvement but like Paula and Mel said, the bigger the project the more it scares me.:) I'm up to a small quilt and boy, I just about break out in a small sweat!:) So funny to think something like that can scare you so much. :) I should enroll in a class, I think I would enjoy it. But I do agree, the more we do the better we'll get. So hang in there!!!:)
ReplyDeleteI know just how you feel - but while you can learn the tips and tricks, in the end it is practice, practice, practice... and eventually you have to do it on a real quilt!! I've had one class and have a little pile of 'sandwiches' but haven't practiced a lot... have fun and good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood for you - practice makes perfect, I sure don't have the patience! Or the strength - doing it makes me ache something fierce.
ReplyDeleteI am a beginner too. I just purchased a "super slider". I'm hoping this helps with the bigger projects. I've heard it makes it alot easier to move.
ReplyDeleteI never could get it right, which is why I'm robotic now. I really envy all those who can just sit (or stand) and do it and the results are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLeah lives in NC and so do i, so our Guild invited her to come talk to us.
ReplyDeleteShe says it's all about
Practice, Practice, Practice!
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