Free Motion Mavericks - Week 159 - Tractor Tracks

Slowly the landscape is taking shape.  I have worn a groove in the floor walking back and forth between the sewing machine and the computer screen checking the photo of the crop of rapeseed.   Getting the position of the tractor tracks through the crop was crucial for the perspective.  In theory, all I have to do now is the equivalent of colouring in, except that it is not quite so simple. 

Today I have had a day off because there are a few problems to overcome. 

The degree of puckering is a little irksome, but that will rectify itself as I fill in the gaps. 

How I am going to stitch the rapeseed in the foreground remains to be seen. 

What bothers me most is that I have put too much yellow in the thin strip of rapeseed in the centre.  I shall either have to stitch over it in a lighter shade, and/or intensify the yellow slightly on either side of it. 

Sometimes I think life would be far easier if I just learnt how to paint in watercolours, but that would rather defeat the whole object of the exercise.  So I keep on sewing.

Here goes for Week 159.

The project that caught my eye in Week 158 was Jocelyn's Sew Spooky hanging.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and have a closer look.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art.... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Sarah''s blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday 

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 158 - Perspective

Every subtle shade in variegated thread helps build up the picture.  The trouble I am having at the moment is that the weather is rainy and overcast and the light is dreadful.  Everything looks a dull yellow under the electric light.  At least I have been able to plot the main lines of the composition and am thinking ahead as to how I am going to stitch the bits in between.  It is slow work.

Here goes for Week 158.

The project that caught my eye in Week 157 was LeeAnna's Van Gogh inspired quilt..  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and have a closer look.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art.... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Sarah''s blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday 

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 157 - Anticipating Next May

Looking a bit dull so far, but next May my favourite field should be a sea of yellow.

I have chosen the photo I am going to use for the stitched landscape and have made a tracing to use as a pattern...

... and I have chosen the threads.

It is a bit daunting, so I shall only stitch a little at a time.  Let's hope I don't mess it up.

Here goes for Week 157.

The project that caught my eye in Week 156 was Andrée's black and white wall hanging.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and have a closer look.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art.... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 117 - Creation, Day Three

Now finished and in the annual 12 x 12 exhibition at Midsomer Quilting, which runs from the 2nd to the 19th December, is my interpretation of this year's challenge.  After spending months without any inspiration on how to tackle the theme of Mystery, Myth or Magic,  I decided to dive straight into the Book of Genesis for the biggest mystery of them all - Creation.

The third day looked the easiest one to try, but having stitched landscapes in the past, this time I had a few interesting dilemmas and limitations.

Firstly, how should I depict the sky, referred to in Genesis as the firmament, a great dome that separates the waters above and the waters below?  A rainbow seemed to be the best solution, giving a natural arch, and by breaching the cloud it puts some water above it.  The sky above the rainbow is a single shade of dark blue, whereas below it I gave myself a free rein to use atmospheric sunset shades above a misty sea.  I wasn't going to let the fact that the sun wasn't created until the fourth day prevent me from using these colours; after all, light was created on Day One.

Next, I had to think about the land and the newly created plants.  I decided to keep the hills relatively bare, with just a hint of green to suggest grass, and put the emphasis on a few plants in the foreground.  Having used a rainbow in the background, a symbol of God's covenant in the Old Testament, the choice of plants was obvious.  The wheat and the vine symbolise the New Covenant, and the red flowers are there for just for the sheer delight of adorning the scene.  They are the lilies of the field.

All the free motion quilting was worked in Gutermann's Sulky Cotton 30 in variegated colours, using my 1945 Singer 15K treadle.  To give a little relief to the trunk of the vine and the wheat stems, I used my 1888 Willcox and Gibbs Automatic.  This is a chain stitch machine, with the chain appearing underneath the work, so I had to sew from the back. 

Because there is only one thread, the colour of the variegated thread changes more frequently than along a line of stitching made with a lockstitch machine.  This gave an interesting effect in the colours of the bark.

For the ears of wheat I sewed on tiny straw coloured beads, and added stitches for the spikes on the grains.

I bought beads in a nice plummy shade for the grapes.  These little bunches took only a few minutes to sew on.

The lilies of the field are each made up of three tiny dark red beads, which make me wonder whether they are in flower or have already gone to seed. I honestly don't know, but does it matter?  Let the viewer decide.

So that's my interpretation of Day Three.  I have also made a second quilt for the exhibition, representing Day One, and which I shall show next week.  All I shall say at this stage is that is completely unlike this quilt.

Here goes for week 117...

A big vote of thanks to LeeAnna for interrupting her Thanksgiving weekend and linking up her beautiful quilt of autumn shades .   If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 116 - Rain and More Rain

Eerie timing... the day I stitched the pouring rain was the greyest and wettest for a very long time.

And I mean wet.  This is just down the hill from our house.

The project for the 12 x 12 exhibition is now complete except for a bit of hand stitched detail, so if the daylight improves I should have photos to show next week.

Meanwhile, I am working on a second, super-quick quilt for the exhibition.  It too shall remain a mystery for the time being...

... but I can tell you that there is some rudimentary free motion quilting and four buttonholes.  There shall be no buttons to match.

Here goes for week 116...

The project in Week 115 that caught my eye was Gwyned's ice cool creation, Siren's Song.   If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 115 - A Few More Lines

When children leave home and both end up in Ireland, sewing has to wait its turn.  Last week I had six days away visiting my daughter in Belfast and then my son in County Wicklow, so there isn't much difference between this photo of my 12 x 12 project and the last one, except perhaps that this is a worse photo.  The weather is rubbish, and my camera can't cope with the poor light indoors.  Perhaps I shall have something rather more fascinating to show next week.

While visiting my son I was delighted to be able to give this boy or girl quilt to my future daughter in law's sister for her brand new baby boy!

Here goes for week 115...

The project in Week 114 that caught my eye was Bernie's lovely colourful baby quilt.   If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 114 - Steady Progress

Not finished yet, perhaps about a third of the way there... It will be done by the end of the month, and I shall keep it secret from now on because I am making it for an exhibition in December.  All shall be revealed soon enough.

Here goes for week 114...

A special welcome to Paula, the first blogger to link up from Brazil.

Paula has enjoyed a quick quilting course recently and is thrilled with the results, and I can see why!  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 112 - Parallel Lines

It's a boring yet fascinating process.

The annual 12 x 12 exhibition at Midsomer Quilting is at the beginning of December, but for some reason I had it my head that it was next spring.  A couple of weeks ago I realised it was coming up soon, and it wasn't until last weekend that I decided that if I got a move on I could make a quilt (or very possibly two) in time for the show. 

So I am in parallel lines mode...

...stitching sea, sky and rainbow, with a swirly cloud thrown in for good measure.

The theme of the show is mystery, myth and magic.  Quite what I am going to do in the foreground is still a bit of a mystery to me.  I shall have to do about five minutes' serious thinking tomorrow.

Here goes for week 112...

The project in Week 111 that caught my eye was Yanicka's blue and white table runner.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia and Ireland have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 81 - Still Experimenting

This is as far as I have got with my latest experiment, using thermal curtain lining and one of my posh new needles that arrived through the post last week.  The idea was to reproduce the changes of tone that worked so well in the sunset landscape that I put into the 12 x 12 exhibition at Midsomer Quilting last year.

However, once I had done a small area of stitching for the sky in the distance, compared with last year's landscape, which is on calico and for which I used a finer needle, somehow the colours looked sludgy. 

Not even the patch of pink light in the photos can compensate for the dirty sky, but I rather like the illusion.  We have a bit of stained glass in the kitchen, and I am so used to the pretty colours it throws around on a sunny morning that I didn't even notice it until I looked at the photos later.

 

Eventually I worked out that the bobbin thread was showing through.  There isn't a problem with the tension, but because I have been using a thicker needle, and the curtain lining is more resistant, it doesn't close up over the hole left by the needle.  So the multi purpose mixed beige and neutral colour that I have used in the bobbin for all my previous landscapes shall have to be replaced by a different shade when I am working on curtain lining.

However, having made a start on the landscape, I had a change of plan last Friday.  I am busting my buttons to get a large quilt done very quickly.  For the moment it shall have to remain under wraps, but here is the back of the first section I have quilted.  The alternating waves and swirls are very easy and uncomplicated, so I should have this quilt finished by the end of the month.

Here goes for week 81...

 

A special welcome to Margarita, the first person to link up from Russia!

And it just so happens that the post in Week 80 that really caught my eye shows her beautiful collection of white quilted doilies, which she made using fabric that her mother bought over forty years ago.  If you haven't seen Margarita's blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.
 

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau and Russia have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday.
 

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 79 - Smokescape

Unusual choice of subject, I admit, but this piece was an experiment to see whether two layers of thermal curtain lining would be suitable for stitched landscapes, instead of a calico and wadding sandwich.

Last week I had just a small section quilted, but the curtain lining was so resistant to folding and frilling that I was able to take the safety pins out from the corners and carry on working without them.

The material held so firm that I was able to quilt right up to the edges.  Here is a photo taken before I had straightened off the edges.

Another great advantage was that the work is easy to grip, so no need for gloves, and I shall be able to quilt landscapes in the summer without getting hot and bothered.

Binding was out of the question - it was far too thick - so I cut along the edges to get a clean line all around, and then attached the zigzagger to the treadle.  This was the first time for ages that I had used the Singer 15K for anything other than free motion quilting.

There was still about a quarter of an inch all round outside the zigzagging, so I then sliced off the surplus as close as possible to the grey zigzag stitching.

All I needed to do then was the hand stitched birds in the sky, and the job was finished.

I am not going to fret about the few stray threads at the edges.  I am going to convince myself it looks arty.  Otherwise I might resort to clear nail varnish, unless anyone has any better ideas.  Suggestions please!

Here goes for week 79...

The post in Week 78 that really caught my eye was Carole's fabulous quilting of a gorgeous blue top based on Haida art.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday
and to Connie's blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday.