Thursday, July 30, 2009

Learning new techniques

One of the other things I taught myself on this quilt was how to stipple. I bought the free motion foot and practiced for a while. I looked on YouTube for lessons and still couldn't seem to figure it out. I even messages one of my fellow bloggers. I just couldn't get the lines to be smooth curves.


So I did the next thing I could think of. I called my local quilt shop and
asked for help. Well actually first I asked about the classes they offer. Just my luck, I had missed the most recent one by a few days and the next one wasn't until September. I started to explain to the lady the issue I was having. She laughed and told me to relax. Well her exact words were "put on some music and have a glass of wine". I laughed and she told me she was serious. She said my arms were to stiff and I was stressing too much about it being perfect. I just needed to let the quilt and my arms flow and relax. She also recommended I practice a bit more. With just a week until the baby shower I put it in high gear. I practiced on Sunday (with my glass of wine) and became more comfortable with it. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I did a little more practice on Monday after work. Come Tuesday I was ready to try my luck at the quilt. I had to, the shower was on Sunday and I still needed to bind and wash the entire thing. So when did I finish? Saturday night at 1:30 in the morning. Well that's when I put the quilt in the wash. I waited for the quilt to be ready for the dryer and then I went to bed. When I woke up in the morning I folded and wrapped the quilt. I have to say I'm really glad I kept at it and figured it out. I can't wait to make the next quilt.

Here's a close up of the applique I did on the tree and leaves. I've never done this before. I was supposed to use the free motion foot to quilt around the leaves, but I couldn't get the control just right. My mom suggested I use the regular foot. It took a really long time, almost longer than the stippling did. I have to say, the tree did look pretty cool.

Here's the back of the quilt with the leaf pattern showing through.


7 comments:

SAB said...

Holy cow! Your quilt is amazing. I wish I could be as dedicated as you when it comes to sewing. I have this problem with starting projects and not finishing them. Thanks for sharing.

Jen @ RamblingRenovators said...

Ohmigosh, that quilt is soooo beautiful!!! Your friend is going to love it.

What Comes Next? said...

Beautiful job! Your stippling looks fantastic, and the tree design is gorgeous. A little glass of wine goes a long way!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is stunning!! I love your tree. The stippling has come out fantastic too. Well done with perservering and practicing, it has paid off.

Jess said...

quilt is gorgeous! i love getting a peak at your work space too...mine is the dining room table, too funny! practice does make perfect!!! very inspiring!

Oona Johnson said...

Ah-Ma-Zing! I bow down at your quilting queen feet! Beautiful!

Wallpaper said...

Love it!! Now I want one too! ;)
you are so talented!