An online buddy of mine is a quilter extraordinaire..Teri Lucas
She has been trying to demystify machine quilting for those of us that find it a bit intimidating. I guess the biggest mystery is that, like any skill, it requires *gasp* practice. I know, I know, not a real mystery.
Well, here is one of her tips and some of my practice. FYI.....it ain't so pretty, just sayin....
First, you practice with pen and paper. Try to keep a continuous line and keep at it until it looks like you want. This is something that you should do with any new design. It helps your brain and hands know what to do. Muscle Memory, so to speak.
Then you get crackin......
my first feather. open toe foot on, bsr not connected. Who knew you could do that? Well, Teri did.
I made the center line first then I feathered from the bottom up, then the top down. the feathers look a lot better from the bottom up.
Left is b to t...right is t to b
Changed to my regular darning foot, closed toe.
One feather is from the top down with the spine filled in
the other, bottom to top
All together.
What did I learn?
- Practice does make a difference. I hate when an old adage is right. lol
- Tips from a pro can make a difference if you use them
- I do prefer an open toe foot
- I do prefer controlling my machine instead of using the stitch regulator
- If your tension isn't dead on perfect, you can really see when your threads do not match.
- Yes, Bernina is great, but a sweet 16 handi quilter would so rock this
- I still got a lot of practice to do.
What new technique are you trying to make an old habit?
You are going to be a master quilter very soon :) I'll have some quilt tops to send your way!!!
ReplyDeleteokay, I need the practice
DeleteYouTube is an excellent source of feather quilting hints and tips. Jamie Wallen is awesome when it comes to giving some basic principles for feathers (the correct angle the lines should come back to the spine, etc). Check out his videos here......https://www.youtube.com/user/jamiewallenchannel/videos?view=0&shelf_id=1&sort=dd Some are DVDs but most are free for the watching. I love, love, love quilting feathers and have found the "practice" rule so true. I 'popped' over to your blog from Teri Lucas' . My comment on her blog gives and idea of where I'm coming from. Everyone who knows me knows how "obsessed/passionate" I am about this quilting art form. Last Fall I started doing quilting for hire and have really enjoyed the challenges. If you have the opportunity to do charity quilting projects (Quilts of Valor, etc) that would be great practice. One of the groups I belong to needed help with the quilting process for their QOV so I volunteered. Lots of quilts and much stitching (more than I could have generated!) helped build my skills and confidence!!! Would love to have you stop by "my place"/blog if you have a moment!!! Hugs........................................
ReplyDelete