Quilted Dream Big Dahlia Eye-Candy

In August, I traveled to Atlanta, GA for Janome Institute. This is the big conference for Janome dealers where we get to see new machines (Have you feasted your eyes in the Janome M7 yet? 13.5 inches to the right of the needle, perfect for free motion quilting!), new product, and learn more about the machines and business in general. We also get to check out various vendors as well.

While I was in a class on the Janome Artistic Quilt Maker Pro 18 (the longarm I now carry in the shop and am learning to use), I spied some fabulous Dream Big Dahlia panels hung up on display. I assume they were done on the long arm, but they were done with free hand free motion quilting, so I snapped some pics so I could share them with you.

 First a detail shot and then the full picture. While up close the loops over the center might seem like it obscures the detail of the panel, from a distance it's lovely!

Now, they didn't have any attributing artist info on them, but thye might have been done by Michael Smith, one of the Canadian Janome educators.

Sorry, no detail shot of this one above.

I really like the look of the variegated thread in the center of this one.

Now, the one below was really stunning with the striped fabric appliqued over some petals.

Finally I took this shot just because I loved the look of the quilting on this vinyl.

Now, here are some in progress shots of my panel from the Facebook quiltalong at AmyQuilts.

I hope you are following along on Facebook, and if not, please be patient as I eventually will share the videos here.

Happy Quilting!

Dream Big Dahlia Quilt Along

I've started another live FB Quilt Along, this time using the popular Dream Big Dahlia panel. I'm almost sold out of my panels, with it available in the Opal colorway only. I'll see if some of my other independent quilt shop owners carry them and post links here if possible.

This panel is a whole lot of free motion fun! I'm echoing the outer edges of the petals and filling them in with free-hand fills and a little ruler work.

You can watch the videos on the AmyQuilts FB page Wednesdays at 1pm and Fridays at 1pm and 5pm. That's Eastern US time. Catch me live and ask questions! The replay is posted as soon as the live ends, so you can watch at your own convenience.

These videos are very long and rambly, so I'm not sure they will end up on my YouTube. Some will if I can edit them down a bit, make it more concise.

The threads on this project match pretty well, so a shot of the back really helps! I'll be using 3 different colors and all of them should show nicely (or badly as the case may be) on this violet backing.

As with my other videos, I'll do an archive post with all the videos on it here on the blog. That makes it a bit easier to find them all in order and get context of what the videos are about.

So....have you done one of these panels before? Do you have one you've wanted to do, but just haven't tried it yet? Let me know in the comments!

Amy's Amish Bars QAL: The Videos

Here are all of the FB Live videos from Amy's Amish Bars Quilt Along on the AmyQuilts FB page

This QAL got off to a rough start. I started in a rush and didn't like what I did and it had a pucker on the back so we're starting with this video instead.




Absolutely adoring these whirling curvy feathers!



Next comes some tiny feathers.



Next is some geometric looking ruler work. The ruler used is one that comes in the Janome Ruler Work Kit which is a nice assortment of high shank rulers.



And more feathers.



Crosshatching using my Low Curve Mini. Can also use the QPC BFF ruler.



Some dithering about with this video as I design on the fly what I want to put into this inner border. I change my mind a few times.


Still working out this design....



Finally in the below video, I figure it out and stick with it.



This project might need to be named the Indecisive Quilt! Below is a great design for a border, but again I changed my mind.



The below video is a quick follow up to the above video as I decided to change things up!




Loving the use of this Double S ruler for my outer border!



Fair warning on the below video...I change my mind on the feathers afterwards!



Time for some curved crosshatching...



Trading the feathers for some straight line work!



Whew! What an adventure we've been on! It's time to move on to our next series, so this shows the last of the Amy's Amish Bars QAL. It will be back in its finished glory in an upcoming post.

Amy's Amish Bars Tutorial

Amy's Amish Bars Quilt Along Project

You've been asking, so it's high time I get the tutorial up for making my "Amish Bars" variation. It's a great space for practicing all sorts of designs with and without rulers, especially those that work linearly like sashing and borders.

Still in progress....

 All you need is two fabrics with a decent amount of contrast. My selection of a tan solid and turquiose-y Grunge has been a big hit. You can order the kits for the top, backing and binding, and thread on AmyQuilts.com.  You'll need 1/2 yard for the narrow strips (the tan) and 1 yard of the main fabric. You might be able to squeak by with less, depending on how wide your fabric is and the care of cutting, but I think this is a safe amount. The final quilt measures 32 by 30 inches.

Cutting:

    From the tan:

        Cut two 2-1/2 inch by WOF (width of fabric) strips. Subcut into 4 strips 20-1/2 inches long

        Cut two strips 2-1/2 inches by 22-1/2 inches

    From the main fabric:

        Cut one 6-1/2 by 20-1/2 inch strip

        Cut one 4-1/2 by WOF strip, subcut into 2 strips 20-1/2 inches long

        Cut two 4-1/2 by 24-1/2 inch strips

        Cut two 4-1/2 by 30-1/2 inch strips

Assemble as shown in the above image. Press well and sandwich with your choice of backing. It takes a yard to back it. Our mottled brown has been a big hit too, so there's a backing kit too.

Looks like a nice suede, doesn't it?

Feel free to adapt this tutorial to fit your own needs; vary the strip width and/or length. I think a wider center strip would look great with the addition of some applique.

My hubby said the image above reminded him of a Roman or Greek temple, which tickled my funny bone and I made up the image below and sent it to him! I thought he was going to choke he was laughing so hard.

David goes quilting....eyes up here ladies, it seems to say....

If you can come up with a witty caption I can use with this, leave it in the comments.

For quilting of this top, of course you can head over to the AmyQuilts Facebook page, but I will follow this post up with an archive of all the videos so you can watch them directly here on the blog. That makes it a little easier to follow them in order. I'll also post a list of the rulers I have used in that post.

American Valor Quilt Along: The Videos

This fun and easy panel quilt is a great canvas for practicing your free motion quilting. Come along with me as I undertake another free motion quilting adventure. A limited number of the American Valor kit are still available.

There are two videos shot live each week via the AmyQuilts Facebook page on Wednesdays and Fridays, each at 1pm eastern time in the US. The replays will be posted afterward on the Facebook page and also embedded into this post below so that you can watch them without going on Facebook at all.

First we start with a little talk about prepping a quilt for basting and quilting. Click this link to watch it in Facebook where you can see the comments. There's also an introductory blog post as well: American Valor Quilt Along Introduction.




Now we move on to the quilting in this second video! You can watch this video directly on Facebook so you can see comments and questions, or right here on the blog below. We start off with the center star and quilt is lightly so it can be the "star of the show".....



The third video in which I finally have a decent haircut and I stitch some wind into the flag stripes! Watch below or at facebook to catch all the discussion that happened during the live video.




The fourth video is below or you can watch it directly at facebook so you can catch the comments and questions. In this quilting video, I begin outlining the words towards the top of the panel and do a little star and loop fill in the background. (Note to self, do not stand while making last minute adjustments to the camera when it's already on!)


I'll add more videos as they are posted. I hope you will follow along.

Roses and Arrows Quilt Along Series Videos

We've been having a blast with the Roses and Arrows quilt-along over at the AmyQuilts Facebook page. Have you been quilting along? It's not too late to enjoy this fun and laid back project to improve your free motion and ruler work quilting skills. I even have a few kits still available and all the videos have been posted after the live broadcast finished.

Below are the videos so you can find them easier than scrolling through the FB page and watch them without having to be on FB. Though I suggest you check them out on FB to see peoples comments, questions, and my responses. These can be pretty helpful too.

Remember that these live videos are a little more ramble-y than my Youtube videos. I'm not sure how much of these videos, if any and when, will be added to my YouTube channel. Most are around an hour long. Feel free to skip ahead through the chit chat, but keep in mind, sometimes FB doesn't load things well when you skip ahead.

To purchase the Quilt Along Kit and the Backing Kit.
There's also a thread kit which gives you a choice of two top threads and a great color to use on the back with our backing fabric.
Finally, we're using a few rulers on this panel and they are the QPC #12 and BFF or my new Low Curve rulers #12 and Mini. I've put those into a Starter set. Plus you'll want to use a straight ruler and this is my favorite straight ruler.

First we started off with piecing the panel and borders. That link is to the blog post with instructions. Here's the video on Facebook: Roses and Arrows Part 1, which is a bit of an introduction

An Intro to McTavishing

For our next video, due to a brown out at our shop following a big snow storm, I did a video at my new studio and I demonstrated the McTavishing design I will be using in the center of the panel. Drawing this design really helps! Watch this video in Facebook or watch it below here on the blog.

Beginning to Quilt the Panel

Posted on January 23rd, watch on FB or below. Showing a little stitch-in-the-ditch followed by McTavishing in the center of the panel and discussing how to work around and through the letters across the panel.



More McTavishing....

January 26 video is about more McTavishing and another way to work around those letters to make things extra swooshy.

Starting with Ruler Work!

Next we introduce simple straight-line quilting. I'm keeping it pretty basic for folks who are new to quilting with rulers. This video was shot January 30th.

Adding in Crosshatching

This video was done February 2nd and we continued with straight ruler quilting and added in curved crosshatching.



The below 2 videos had a little technical problem and was shot in two parts on February 13th. and focuses on stitching with rulers in the flying geese.





Below, February 16th is a bit of a review.



February 23 is working a very simple design in the narrow inner border.

Curved Echo Border

February 27th, my first video in the new studio! In this video below (watch in Facebook) I show a great border design.



March 6th is a follow up to the border design. Watch it on Facebook, or below.



Starting with the video below, I move to a 3 video per week schedule: Wednesday at 1pm and Fridays at 1 and 5pm. Watch this video shot on March 8th below or directly in Facebook.




The 5pm video below or watch in Facebook. I start stitching some backgrounds fills around the "pieced" blocks.



This next video, shot March 15th at 1pm, includes another background design as well as a tutorial on thread tension and free motion quilting. Watch below or in Facebook.




Next is the 5pm video from March 15th showing a design worked around the flying geese units. Watch below or in Facebook.



In the below video, we revisit the flying geese units with a stitching path that allows the entire row to be stitched continuously. Watch this March 20th video directly on Facebook.



That's nearly all the videos, there will possibly a review video before the final one. Sections of some of these videos will be edited for use on YouTube eventually.

On March 27, at 1pm I revisited the narrow border and dressed it up a bit! Enjoy the video below, or watch directly through FaceBook.



That's the last video on the quilting folks! At least until I get one of mine completely quilted and bound.

We're gearing up for another quilt along which will start April 24th. Here's a direct link to purchase the kit for the American Valor Quilt Along.

Roses and Arrows Quilt Along: Piece the Top

Let's make the Roses and Arrows QAL top.

Before we can quilt along (grammar-nazis, please weight in: Is it quilt-along, quilt along, what?), we need to have a top to quilt on. If you haven't gotten your Roses and Arrows Kit yet, click on over to AmyQuilts.com and get it ordered. We're getting low on the white print for the border so don't delay. We've got the blue version of the roses print as well, and will likely substitute a few other fabrics for the border before we are done. I'll be using an alternative choice for my borders for better visibility in my live videos.

Remember to fussy cut those beautiful rose borders! (Do as I say, not as I did.)

This is a very basic top and measurements are given based on the panel size that I used. Panels can be tricky with measurements depending on how they are printed, so make sure to check how your panel measures up. You may need to trim up the length of your strips if you have pre-washed.

If I had my way, panels would be printed so they are at least 2 inches shorter than the actual width of fabric (WOF). Then we could easily add that first inner border without piecing. As it is, you might be able to, but if you pre-wash your fabrics, I just can't guarantee it, so we'll start off with piecing the narrow inner border. I'm a risk taker on my own projects, but like to play it safe when giving instructions.

Basically, we are putting a one inch inner border followed by a six inch (finished) border.

Illustration does not show bias join of inner border.

The Roses and Arrows panel has a dark red printed border. From the inner edge of this border, measure into it 1/4 inch and cut all the way around it. The remaining red is your seam allowance for attaching our one inch red grunge border. Like a scant 1/4"? Trim accordingly. I trim to 1/4" and make sure to stitch my red strips on with the panel side up and sew right along the printed edge.

From the red, cut five 1-1/2" x WOF strips. 

Three of them are used for the long sides. If you cut carefully, you can get away with using the remainder of the third strip for one of your shorter strips, but I've given you plenty in the kit.

Join three strips end to end at a 45 degree angle, like making binding. From this long strip, cut:

2 strips, 1-1/2" x 43-1/2 for sides

from the remaining red strips, cut:

2 strips 1-1/2" x 26-1/4" for top and bottom

In the kit I am including plenty of fabric so that the borders can be cut lengthwise and so that you can fussy cut to make the best use out of the print (especially for the roses print).

Paying attention to the print placement, cut from the outer border fabric:

2 strips, 6-1/2" x 45-1/2"
2 strips, 6-1/2 x 38-1/4"

Using the diagram below, assemble top. Press seams toward the red fabric.

Illustration does not show bias join of inner border

Press top nice and flat. Layer with batting and backing (Backing kit) and baste well. I pin baste. Use what works for you.

I'll see you on January 16th (7pm Eastern time) for our first official video which will include a segment about piecing those inner borders if you are unsure.

Remember I'll be doing both regular free motion quilting and ruler work with my new Low Curve rulers. I'll be using the #12 and the Mini. You may substitute the QP #12 and the QP BFF as they are the same sized curves. This project can be adapted for other rulers, but I love these.

Roses and Arrows Quilt Along Starts January 16th

Right on the heels of the launch of my new ruler line, The Low Curves for domestic sewing machines, comes a new quilt along where we will work through some good, basic use of ruler work on a panel quilt that mimics pieces blocks.

It uses a minimum of rulers if you just want to test the waters of ruler work. As I've said before, you only need a couple of basic curves and a straight ruler, plus a little creativity to make numerous quilting designs with rulers. But I heartily recommend ordering the Classic Set of Low Curve Rulers as I have found them to be invaluable in doing my own ruler work across many sized blocks and shapes. They are so versatile! Read my recent post about the Low Curve Rulers.

The Roses and Arrows QAL kits are now available on my website in two versions, the white one shown above, and a version using the same print on a blue background (below) for the borders.

Along with a backing kit, I've also listed the companion prints I have of this line in case you want to make substitutions or make your quilt bigger.

I have plenty of kits at the moment, but once they are gone, there will be no reordering of this fabric so don't delay it you want one. QAL starts January 16th, but piecing instructions will be released sooner.

The Quilt Along will consist of twice weekly videos done live via the AmyQuilts Facebook page. Can't join in live? No worries, the recorded video will be posted for convenient viewing. For those of you who don't do Facebook, I will eventually post the videos to the blog. (You can see most of the Boho Owl QAL videos on the blog now.)

The instructions for assembling the panel into a simple top will be given here on the blog as well. You do not have to buy the kit to benefit from watching the free QAL, but I encourage you to quilt along with me.

It's going to be a lot of fun!

Owl Quilt-Along with Amy: Week 3

Wheee! This week's (September 26) quilt-along video was fun. After stabilizing the quilt in week 2 with stitch in the ditch quilting (SID) using my AcuFeed SID foot (my machine's built-in version of a walking foot), it was finally time to play with free motion quilting.

Don't you just love his googley-eyed face?

You can catch the replay of the live video on the Amy's Quilting Adventures FB page. It's right at an hour long and I talk about the choices I make for the quilting while I make them. I also talk about a few basics of setting up for free motion in general, and then some details about setting up for free motion quilting on the Janome 9400. Then I quilt the entirety of this owl on camera.

He was pretty straightforward to quilt, mostly just outlining the different shapes but getting a bit creative with the feathers on his tummy and adding some highlights to that multicolored print at the tips of his wings. I kept the lines "sketchy" meaning they don't need to be right on top of the printed lines. This made it easier to stitch, to stay relaxed, be fun, and I think it fit the aesthetic of the panel.

I'm still using the dark violet thread so most of the stitching is pretty visible unless on the violet or black printed areas. I stitched up some freehand clamshell-like feathers for his belly and if you look closely, you can see a bit of the white pencil I used as reference lines. I started with two rows of clamshells and then went to one row per line as the feathers got bigger. I also began to curve the lines to follow the curve of his tummy.

I am sorry that we ran out of this panel so quickly. I had no way to know how many of you would want to join in and since the panel is stinkin' cute, the fabric company ran out after my second re-order. We do still have quite a bit of the below companion print if you need something for your backing.

The response to this quilt-along has been wonderful! Whether you bought fabric or are just following along to watch and learn, I am encouraged to do more of these. It's so fun to stitch and answer questions together. I am always a bit timid in telling people what to do and how to do it (there are a myriad of ways after all!) but as a teacher, there is a need to do just that to some extent. So I'm glad to get such positive feedback.

Thank you!

Owl Quilt-Along with Amy: Week 2

Welcome to the Quilt-Along with Amy!

Week 2 is all about the basics of machine quilting. The quilt has been basted with pins, my personal favorite method. On a quilt like this with blocks and sashing, I like to stabilize my quilt before getting to the free motion fun.

You can see the live video I shot last week for this segment on the Amy's Quilting Adventures Facebook page. I warn you it is a long one. I'm working on editing it down to a more streamlined version for youtube.

What is quilt stabilization?

It's pretty much a permanent, beefed up version of basting. Quilting some of the major lines (or bones) of the quilt keeps things from shifting, breaks the quilt into smaller areas, and helps assure that seams stay straight and don't get distorted with quilting over them in multiple directions.

For the most part, we're talking about Stitch-in-the-Ditch, SID for short.

Those of you who have followed me for a while or taken my Craftsy classes,know that I like to do my SID in free motion with a ruler most of the time, as I don't have to rotate my quilt as often when working in free motion.  But sometimes a walking foot is perfect for smaller quilts like this. Plus I want to leave ruler work for another quilt-along in the future.

What is a walking foot?

A walking foot, sometimes referred to as an even feed foot, has a set of feed dogs that help move the fabric from the top side. This allows layers to be pulled through the machine together without shifting. If you've ever sewn two squares the exact size and the top fabric has "grown" by the time you get to the end, you've seen how the regular feed dogs under the fabric pull the bottom fabric through more effectively than the top.

The basic walking foot has a lever that goes over the needle clamp and it is powered by the action of the needle going up and down. You can get these for just about any sewing machine as long as you match up the right shank type. Some walking feet are a bit lightweight and too cheap in my opinion. Others include options to make using it easier, like a SID guide, open toe options, and most have a guide bar that can be used for parallel lines of stitching.

Some machines have "built-in" or integrated walking feet and these are wonderful. They are powered by the actual machine and are synced with the movement of the lower feed dogs. Unlike the needle bar powered versions whose upper teeth only go forward, some of these systems can be used with decorative stitches too as the upper feed dogs go into reverse. Typically, they work best on simpler stitches without a lot of reverse as there can be a little bit of a lag between the upper and lower sets.

Pfaff machines have had them for quite a long time. Janome rolled out their own versions with the 6600 and 7700 models and then an improved version for their newer, bigger machines, called the Acufeed Flex system. I love the Acufeed Flex feet for my machines. In this case, the Janome 9400. I also have interchangeable feet for the base of the integrated walking foot for SID which makes this pretty easy-peasy. See more about the SD foot above at AmyQuilts.com

How do I Stabilize My Quilt?

Opinions vary, but for the most part, it's a lot like basting. Work from the center to the edges, to keep things nice and even, not creeping in one particular direction. I did my stitching in pairs of lines as shown in the graphic below. Then I went around the outer sashing and the inner edge of the border (not shown).

Once I've done this stitching, I can remove a lot of my pins as well and the layers are less likely to shift, nor is the top likely to warp its main lines.

The Stitch for the Ditch

I used my built-in walking foot, the Acufeed Flex SD foot, which is a foot made for Stitch in the Ditch. There's a guide to keep the foot moving more easily right down the seam line. I keep my guide running on the downhill side of the seam. This is the side that does not have the seam allowance under it. Get things running just right, and the stitches will hide right under the fold of the seam. In the picture of my SD foot above, the downhill side is on the left.

My first thread audition

I used a pretty dark violet colored Glide thread and you can hardly see it, down in the ditch. In fact, when doing the live video of this process, I stitched over and area I had already stitched and it took about 6 inches before I saw my earlier stitching.

The darker violet thread below is what I used and you can see the backing I chose there on the right. This busier back will help the dark thread blend in a little better. If I had not been doing this quilt on camera, I would have used the lighter thread. I may use it for some of the background spaces.

The stitch itself is just a straight stitch with a fairly good length of 2.4mm. I did alter my needle drop position (by adjusting the width setting) so that it was one needle position off of center towards the downhill side, changing it as the downhill side changed.

After stitching the lines represented in the diagram, I went back and stitched between the green and purple sashing strips. With the other lines stitched, I didn't need to do those from the center out, but did it as felt best as I moved from area to area.

One thing I did that seemed to surprise my viewers on the video is that I pulled up my bobbin thread before I started the SID. This just gives a neater look to the back as the bobbin thread tail doesn't get stitched up.

There were several short lines that I would have left until doing the free motion and done with a straight ruler, or possibly even free hand if I hadn't said this was going to be a ruler-free project.

Next: the Free Motion Quilting!

The next segment will be done via live video again on the Amy's Quilting Adventures Facebook page on Wednesday September 26 around 7pm eastern time in the US. I will post the recording on the FB page too, so you can watch it later. We will get started with the free motion around the owls and I'm excited about it. Join us, won't you?

Sew much fun,

PS If you have questions regarding any of the feet or products I show, we likely can fix you up with the right foot or whatever for your machine (or other fun supplies!), even if we don't list it at our online shop. Just shoot me an email at amy@amysquiltingadventures.com

Owl Quilt-Along Panel Assembly Tutorial

There's a hurricane south of us and the school system is excessively cautious, so I lost quite a bit of my work day Friday to time with my kiddos. I could have let them do what they wanted while I tried to power through and work on this post, but instead we had some fun. I have to admit, with both parents working on a relatively new small business, sometimes fun family time is hard to come by.

We've just got a bit of rain and wind so far. No damage, but I still expect  lower areas here to get some flooding. Though it's been far more gentle of a rain than we had expected. My thoughts do go out to those closer to the coast in South and North Carolina.

On with the tutorial! First, remember this is a "relaxed quilt along," The main focus will be free motion quilting the actual owl panels, so if you are short on time, feel free to just use the panel as-is. If you want a bigger quilt, feel free to do your own arrangement of panel and other fabrics. I think the squares will make excellent pillows or bag sides as well, if you'd like a smaller project.

You will need:

one Boho Owl panel

1/2 yard each of two coordinating fabrics (actual fabric use is about 1/3 yard, but you will likely need a smidgen more for squaring up)

1/4 yard for cornerstones

Optional: outer border fabric

I wanted to make use of the print to the outsides of the blocks so I incorporated it as a border. 

First step is to cut carefully 1/4 inch to the outside of the magenta frame around the blocks on 3 sides, and 4-1/2 inches away from either the left or right sides to keep that outer print. You will have two blocks with the outer print to the right and two with it to the left.

From two coordinating prints, you will need to cut eight 2-1/2 inch strips by 16-1/2 inches. It is important to note that this is not the final length of these strips! The digitally printed squares are not 16 inches square, and vary in that measurement depending on horizontal or vertical. We'll trim them down later.

Next, cut nine 4-1/2 inch squares from a third fabric for the cornerstones. 

Sew your strips in pairs, long sides together. Press to the dark side. Then trim them down to match the actual length or width of the blocks.  Leaving them at 16 inches long and easing them to fit will yield in a wavy outer edge. I found them to measure 15-1/4" wide by 15-7/8" long. 

Sew a strip pair between the inner sides of each two pairs of blocks, keeping the outer 4-1/2" strip to the outside. To get the alternating placement of colors like I did, you'll want to alternate the colors between the two pairs of blocks. One will have the first color on the right, and the other pair will have it on the left. See diagram below.

Watch your quarter inch seam allowance to make sure you don't get a strip of the printed color from the seam allowance showing. You may find it best to keep the panel on top so you can see the line where the seam allowance meets the narrow magenta border. Press towards the strips.

Stitch 2 pairs of strips between 3 conerstone squares, paying attention to the color arrangement as shown below, to make the 3 sashing rows, alternating in color placement as shown.

Sew these horizontal sashing units between the pairs of blocks, making sure to align seam between the the outer corner stones and the strips with the printed line of the outer magenta border of the owl block and the outer fabric. Press towards the strips as you go. Double check your color placement before sewing!

I plan on adding a 6 inch border to this but ran out of the print I wanted to use. I am totally blown away by the response we got to this project and have ordered more of the coordinating fabrics for delivery next week. (Edited to add: The companion fabric is back in stock) Cut 6 inch strips by the length needed to attach them by the method of your choice. I will be using a mitered border for this and will do a post when I add it.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. I am still honing my graphic design and pattern writing skills, so forgive me if it's not as clear as it could be. I'm a work in progress!

Looking forward to next Wednesday and our quilt along video on the Amy's Quilting Adventures page on Facebook.

We have plenty of this line left if you want to sew and quilt along. Explore and place orders at AmyQuilts.com

Free Motion Quilting Video: McTavishing Fun

I set out to work on my McTavishing and learn more about my camera and video making and created two free motion quilting videos. One is more educational, so I'll post it first. The second turned out to be more entertaining and is near the bottom of this post. (I don't get out much....)

 I quilted a large feather and then began to McTavish all around it. There are 3 basic types of line styles with McTavishing: curve to a point (bounce), curve to a backtrack, and the "C" filler.

Be consistent within a set of curve ends as to whether you are bouncing or backtracking.

I had fun trying to increase the speed of my quilting as I McTavished. I am normally a pretty slow quilter, but I also have a ton of projects that I want to get DONE!

Not too shabby. I chose a peach thread on white fabric so that you could still see it, but the reduced amount of contrast might hide some of my mistakes.

No doubt about it, when quilting on a sewing machine, our eyes are maybe 10-12 inches from our stitching and that can make us crazy, worrying about every little backtrack, bobble, and bump!

Now for some fun! I really sped up my quilting for this video! Wheeeeee!

It's the weekend and time for me to get some serious quilting time! So glad that my hubby's out-of-town work project is done. I missed the poor guy.

Hope you get to quilting too!