Free Motion Quilting Challenge-February
I’ve entered the Free Motion Quilting Challenge over at SewCalGal’s blog and I’m posting my February challenge. This surely must be the only thing I am ahead of deadline on so I’m quite pleased with myself.
Although I do have a lot of experience with free motion, I was intrigued by the challenge because each month a different instructor of great expertise will post a tutorial. Diane Gaudynski was February’s gal so I was hooked. I haven’t done January’s challenge yet because I signed up late in the month. Frances Moore was January’s instructor and her tutorial on leaves was great.
This month’s tutorial was an “echo feather plume”. I already had a lot of experience with feathers, so my challenge to myself was to shrink it down into a small size which takes more skill, and, to combine it with a new passion: fabric postcards. I learned about fabric postcards from the pro-Franki Kohler and I’ll write more about postcards and Franki in a later post.
I used dupioni silk front and back, Superior’s Rainbow thread and a size 70 Titanium Topstitch needle. The postcard format requires you to fuse the fabric to the base of the postcard-as a result, there was no puff because there was no batting. I miss the puff of the wool batt that I typically use! I also found it difficult to quilt this kind of motif on the base that I chose-it was hard to get a smooth line. There are probably better fusibles to use for this particular type of quilting but I’m new to this and still in the discovery phase.
If any of you want to improve your freemotion skills, look here. The challenge has attracted quilters at all levels of skill and it’s a very nurturing and encouraging environment. Plus, you “meet” quilters from all around the world and the challenge seems to be growing every day. Take a look and join in on the fun-I’d love it if you dropped me a note and let me know you joined!
Looks great! Good for you Jenny. I really need to put some more time in to improve, but think that one of your’ classes should be first on my list. Love your blogs.
Postcards can have fluff! Just quilt with batting and I use interfacing and fuse on a back when you are done, or just do a bit more stitching to hold the back on.
But I know your focus was on the quilting challenge and the feather is beautiful!
I thought I had to keep it under 1/8″ to be properly mailed and if I used batt it would exceed that? I’d certainly prefer having some batt on it-I’m still very new at the postcard thing.
Hi Jenny. I am currently making a tote bag and I am double batting. The bottom layer is the double sided fusible, then thin batting and then my top fabric. I am getting the puff you love, and still getting the stiffness you want for a bag or a post card. You could fuse/stitch the writing side on after. Not sure about the 1/8 restriction.
I am 3/4 of the way through my sample from the Feb SewCalGal class with Dianne. I thought it would be a good chance to do a sample on Hoffman’s Radiance.
Have not been able to do much since we were in class. Working for a living definitely interferes with my quilting time.
Carol
Oh you will enjoy that Radiance Carol! So delighted to hear that you are doing the challenge too! I don’t think a thicker postcard will pass the Post Office restriction on thickness-it has to be less than .016″ thick. I’ll figure out something!
Another Postcard option: Quilt the design on the silk, backed with a stabilizer. Fuse to the fast2fuse then outline the image. It will puff.
Thank you-had not thought of that! Yay, now I can have puff on my cards!