Step By Step Free Motion Quilting -Review

The new free motion quilting book by Christina Cameli is now available.  I was so pleased to get an autographed copy.  I have been following Christina's blog for quite a while.  I have seen her grow in her skills and bloom as a teacher/author.   So it is with pleasure that I share this review with you.

This is not a "how to" book at all. If you need a how-to book, then get Christina's first book "First Steps to Free Motion Quilting."  This book is a pattern book that teaches you to use nine simple shapes to create a myriad of designs.  There are pages and pages of designs.  One page shows how it is sewn and the next page is a full page of the design.

I like that Christina says that you can make the designs your own by modifying them.  She encourages creative play.

I really wanted to quilt the spindle design. So, as suggested, I tried drawing it first. My sketches were not good and the more I did it, the worse it got.  So I decided that particular one was not for me.  But I still liked the idea.  So I kept drawing but morphed it into a circle rather than a spindle shape. After all, I love doing pebbles.

My circles look much nicer.   So I took a sample block to the machine and started playing.

The inspiration from the book and my variation

I really started too close to the edge of the fabric, but you get the idea.  It works!
Then I said, what if I stacked them as pebbles instead of lines?

I like it!  My lines are not perfect but it is a fun way to cover a quilt. You could do this in any scale to suit your quilt.

I love a book that inspires you to branch off and find  your own creativity this way. Even though the book is filled with designs, Christina says it only scratches the surface of what you can do with the nine simple shapes.

This book is a great resource for any free motion quilter's library.  I am so glad that it is in mine.



My blog is http://blog.geneblack.com
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger" - I can not reply.

Up too Early

For some reason I am up waaay too early this morning.  So I did a little playing with Electric Quilt 7.
Here are two similar quilts I designed.

The way I did this makes a 44" square quilt. I like the brightness of the bottom one, but the other is more pleasing to me design-wise.  I think it makes my eye move around the design more.

My blog is http://blog.geneblack.com
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger" - I can not reply.

Breaking a Vow - Quilting

How do you feel about breaking vows?  This is not a sacred vow. No, this is a vow that I made to myself.  You see a few years ago, I participated in a mystery quilt along.   Near the end, the designer said something like "Oops, my pattern doesn't work. You need to rip out parts"  ARRRGH.  At that point I promised myself "no more mystery quilts."
Famous last words!

Today I started - albeit late - on a mystery quilt.  Since the first clue had been taken down already, a friend kindly sent it to me.  Now I have this interesting "quilt mess" on my sewing table.

We are sewing LOTS of 2 1/2" squares into 8 by 8 grids. I am cheating a bit by sewing some of mine as groups of  2 1/2" strips that I then cut into 2 1/2" sections. My quarter inch seam has "rusted" while I have been weaving and doing improvisational quilt piecing.  Some of my intersections are nice and some -- well not so nice.

I will leave them as is - just so the bigger block is the correct size.  I am not about "perfection" in quilting. Done is better than perfect!
This is allowing me to use up some scraps and random fat quarters that I have collected. I also had a 2 1/2" mini charm pack that I got as a "Deal of the Day" from Missouri Star Quilt Company- in it goes too!

In a few days I will be reviewing a new book by Christina Cameli.

If you find yourself quilting the same design all the time, this may be a way to "cure" that illness.  I need to do some FMQ with patterns from the book.  But I can tell you already that I find it inspiring.


My blog is http://blog.geneblack.com
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger" - I can not reply.

Weaving the Warp I Made

I showed the "tangled" threads in the last post.  It was the warp I made at my weaving class.  Someone mentioned that a lot of what I said was "weaving language."  So let me give some definitions.
Warp - the threads that form the basis of the fabric.  The selvedge of fabric is along the warp threads. It is the lengthwise grain of the fabric.

Weft - the threads that cross the warp in an over and under pattern and create fabric as they do so. The weft is the cross grain of the fabric.

[If ever I use a term you don't understand you can either ask me or ask Google.]

When we begin weaving, we begin with a warp. One very cool feature of a Saori loom is that you can buy ready made or "prewound" warps.  But, as one progresses in weaving they often desire to make (wind) their own warps.  So I took an intensive class with an emphasis on making a warp and threading the warp on the loom.

We made three warps in the class.  Two of them we wove in the class while learning some fun weaving techniques.  The third one I brought home. Once home, I decided to add more to that warp - something we had NOT learned in the class.  But I was bold and adventurous after having so much success in the class.  So I took my homemade warping frame (a device to wind the warp on) and wound on 50 more threads in purple and cream.
I had wonderful success in getting it on the loom. (Yaaay!)

There were no significant tangled areas and it went on smoothly as you can see in the picture.
I actually managed to wait until later in the day to start weaving it.  But weave on it, I did.  It is now more than 2/3rds finished

I don't know what the fabric will become as one of the tenets of Saori is to "weave without intentions."  The joy is in the process for the moment. As we say, "The cloth will tell me what it wants to become."



My blog is http://blog.geneblack.com
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger" - I can not reply.