FMQing Challenge, Feb: Feathering

This month's challenge design was an Echo Feather Plume.  Diane Gaudynski was our expert tutor, and what a fantastic tutorial she provided us this month!!  Very easy to follow, and full of heaps of tips and tricks she's amassed from machine quilting for over 20 years!!!

If you follow my blog, you will know I dabbled with feathering earlier this month on a cot quilt I made for an old classmate's new baby boy ...

Front view, left hand side

Back view, bottom left hand corner

I wrote about the quilt here...

Anyway, when I realised I had run really close to the deadline of getting my entry into this month's challenge, I decided that I would put aside a couple of hours today to do a small (9in squared) panel to demonstrate what I have learnt this month.  I have to say, working on the feathering on the quilt earlier in the month certainly helped me a) feel more comfortable about it this time, and b) ensure the stitches, both front and back, were a lot more even.

I found that you could see the patterning more clearly when it was on a paler fabric, though it still looked pretty on the patterned purple.  I decided to just echo the design out to the edges rather than using a separate design as a filler or leaving it plain ... I probably would go plain if it was already in a border or block, sewn into a flimsy (full size quilt top).

Once again, I used a polyester batting (just cheap stuff I got from Spotlight years ago), but I really love the puffiness this design creates with the batting.  It's really only thin stuff too ... closer to 1/8in than 1/4in, but with this design it really comes out looking stunning!!!  Definitely using this design in future quilts!!!

Doesn't the back just look gorgeous?!!!!

*LOVE*

Thankyou, again, Diane Gaudynski!!  And of course, thank you goes out to SewCalGal for hosting this challenge!!  I don't know if I would have been brave enough to try this design out without your encouragement!!!

I am linking this post up with February's challenge post.  I'm headed over tomorrow to have a squizzy at what the other participants have achieved this month ... Right now, I need to take notes for a few lectures for my new uni subject before picking up DD from the Early Learning Centre ...

Enjoy your weekend!!

My first ever cot quilt ... finished!!!

It's crazy to me, the thought that I only jumped into this 'craze' of piecing, patchwork, & more recently quilting, less than a year ago!!! ... The other thing that amazes me is that I have only just completed my FIRST ever quilt ...

To be fair though,

... It was me FMQing a cot panel, which was simply backed with a single WOF length of fabric, sandwiched with cotton batting, and bound ...

... There was no piecing involved as it was only a panel ...

... And it was only a cot-sized 'quilt' ... not full bed-sized!

Aside all that ... I finished my very first quilt ... that I personally quilted in a pattern more 'advanced' than simply in-the-ditch or echoing of straight, oblong shapes (I previously quilted a table runner with this echoing) ... This one was truly Free Motion!!!

Isn't that feathering pretty darn good for a 'newbie'?!!  ... This was honest-to-God my first time actually quilting this feathering design!!! (I'd drawn it out on paper a dozen or more times over the month to get a handle on the shaping ...)

The back's not too shabby either ...

A closer shot of that gorgeous feathering ... (LOL!! ... Can you tell I'm a little majorly proud of this achievement?)

And finally, since we all love a good 'rolled-up-quilt' shot ...

Isn't that binding to die for?!!!!  Loving it!!! .... Such a shame I only got 20cm, solely for the binding ... might just have to go back for some more, *fingers crossed* it's still available, lol!

Anyway, I must go ... to bed!! It is currently 12.30am here, and I was up until 4.30am last night/morning working on this, lol, then did another 1.5hrs hand sewing the binding down this morning (half of which was at the baby shower this morning, after giving it to the lucky Mummy!!! ... Tehe!!!)

Have a fantastic weekend guys!!!  I know I will ... once I've gotten the cleaning done and gotten onto some more sewing ... Thinking I should probably do some of that needle turn appliqué for my SKoW quilt before Chooky really pulls out the whip, lol!!

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I will be claiming this as my Monthly Make for this month, just as soon as I can focus enough tomorrow ...

January's FMQing Challenge entry ...

One of the challenges I have decided to take on this year is the Free Motion Quilting Challenge set by SewCalGal.  This month's challenge was set by Frances Moore, and it was a 'trailing leaves' design.  The tutorial was given via this youtube video if you are interested in trying it yourself.

So, how did I go?  After a really horrific attempt earlier in the month, after which I realised DD had changed up my tension ....

Looks o-kay ... but just wait till you see the back!!!

Bleagch!!! LOL!!  Why, oh why didn't I check the tension before starting?! Hehe!!!

I had another go today on some 5in squares I sewed together in a 6 x 2 block.  It looks pretty good from afar, lol, all tidied up and squared up ...

When you look closer, it is easy to pick out the horrible leaves ... though, every now and then I come up with a nice leaf or two, lol!!  My best two blocks are in the orange on the top left, and the green-blue, third from the left along the top ...

The back looks like a mess of trailing leaves, with the occasional loopy to break up the 'stems' ...

I found that, when I was nearing the end of the 'runner', it was obvious my hands were tiring.  The leaves looked messier and the nicer leaves were few and far between.  I found it easier to make the leaf shape when I was looking at the 'heart' shaped leaf, with the point facing towards me.  When the points were facing away from me it was more difficult to get a nicely shaped leaf.  With LOADS more practice I am sure I can make this more regular and neater.

I was using Mettler silk-finish multi thread, No.50.

I am linking this up with SewCalGal's January challenge linkup here.

If you are wanting to join in on the fun, challenging your skills at FMQing this year, why don't you join us?  You don't have to have participated this month ... You don't have to participate every month ... Just the ones you feel you might be interested in!!