My Great Quilting Expedition

I have done very little free motion quilting over the last year.  Most of my quilts have been too 'busy' to merit anything other than basic quilting.  I know I was very rusty and needed a project that would get me using my fmq brain. Last summer I made a feathered star mini quilt for a swap.  I was given a list of the recipient's likes and dislikes.  She liked quilts with lots of white space and modern quilting.  I kept the quilting very simple and used straight lines.  I enjoyed the process, but wondered what a large version with more traditional quilting would look like. In the end, I chickened out somewhat on the design and went for a simple orange peel design for all the outside white space.  However, just the physical process of fmq was very beneficial and therapeutic.  Maybe next time I'll be more ambitious.

I wrote a list in February of UFOs, WIPs and new projects.  What progress did I make? My list at the start of 2017 Works in Progress Carol’s friendship quilt Hearts and Flowers 2 TQS 2017 BOM Daisy’s quilt Passacaglia quilt 2015 Quiltmania Mystery Quilt Hexi wallhanging Gem quilt Phoebe quilt Rambling Ways International Miniature Quilt Exchange ...and a list of projects to start Waiting to start Etoile Rouge 2017 BOM Quiltmania 2016 Mystery quilt Amish II Nancy Rink Quilt Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu   So...what progress did I make IN 2017?   Works in Progress Carol’s friendship quilt -FINISHED Hearts and Flowers 2 - FINISHED TQS 2017 BOM - HALF COMPLETED Daisy’s quilt - FINISHED Passacaglia quilt - NO PROGRESS 2015 Quiltmania Mystery Quilt - NO PROGRESS Hexi wallhanging - NO PROGRESS Gem quilt - FINISHED Phoebe quilt - NO PROGRESS Rambling Ways - TWO BLOCKS DONE ...and my list of projects to start ...

I signed up for a Christmas postcard swap with the FB group UKQU Postcard Swaps and made two. I used my usual method of ironing the cotton to freezer paper before starting to colour.  This stops the fabric from moving while you colour or paint.  It also protects your table surface once you apply fabric medium and start to blend colours.  I trimmed and backed the pieces with Timtex and them free motioned  - I hesitate to say thread painted as I used the thread sparsely, using black thread.  Lastly I fused some white cotton to the back of the card and used a zig zag \ satin stitich around the edge.  I hope the recipients will like them. I so enjoyed making the Christmas robin postcard, I thought I'd have a go at a wren and a kingfisher.  Once they were painted, I didn't really know what to do with them.  I decided to make table mats from them.  It is such a bonus when you can find coordinating fabrics in your stash!  These were ...

I have been having fun painting on some pfd white cotton.  The designs are by Jacquelynne Steves, from her Art of Home Club.  I used Jacquard Textile Color paint in a palette limited to 5 colours.  I have always admired the traditional folk art on canal barges in the UK and chose my colours as a nod to those cheerful, happy barges. I'm thinking of adding sashing around each block and then, maybe adding an outer border painted with some of the garlands on the blocks... maybe slightly enlarged.  I'm not sure yet.

It was all hands on deck to finish the Billings quilt before the Hawkinge Patchwork Show.  I am so happy with it after more than two years in progress!  I also managed to finish my Roman mosaic test piece.  I learned a lot from the process of making this small piece.  I have always wanted to make a Roman mosaic quilt and when I saw a youtube video showing Cheryl Lynch's method, I just had to try it.  I printed out my source pattern fish on paper in colour - A4 size. I taped it to my light box, and then removed the backing from a piece of Steam a Seam Lite and carefully taped it on top of the source photo, tacky side up.  I found it easiest to use scissors to cut up small pieces of fabric in my chosen colours.  I then uded pointed tweezers to position the mosaic pieces onto the fusible.  I love the Steam a seam as it is so easy to reposition the fabric pieces due to the tacky surface.  When all the mosaic pieces were in position, I r...

I have finally finished my 'Daisy' quilt - otherwise known as the Hertfordshire Quilt, pattern by Carolyn Konig.  The pattern is inspired by the Billings Coverlet in the UK Quilter's Guild collection. About three quarters of the quilt was hand pieced.  Parts of it are well-travelled, as little baggies of cut shapes, needle, thread and scissors travelled with me on every holiday. I made some changes to the outer border.  The original had 2200 small honeycombs to be English paper pieced.  I used my Sizzix to cut the honeycombs.  They are larger than the original pattern.  I English paper pieced each motif and then appliqued it to the border background.  This reduced the number of honeycombs to about 600. I machine quilted in the ditch over nearly every seam in the quilt.  None of those hand stitched seams are going to fall apart.  I did some stipple in the outer and one other border.  With a quilt this busy, fancy FMQ is a waste of t...

I have managed to make good progress on Daisy's quilt over the past couple of weeks.  Only two more borders to go.  I have started cutting the pieces for the penultimate border - over 500 pieces. At the same time, I have started preparing the honeycomb pieces for EPP in the outer border.  The pattern calls for about 2200 pieces, but I am going to EPP the coloured pieces and then applique them to a background border - hopefully saving some time.  The nice thing about the EPP is that I can work on it in the evenings and at patchwork group...and there is a LOT to do for that last border! Happy quilting, all!