Weekend update

This weekend I got a good amount of quilting done. I took the squares I cut last week and finished the quilt top for the third and final ombre quilt for Rock Paper Scissors.

After making three of these babies, I feel like I finally got the hang of traditional patchwork. The key to matching seams, at least to me, is finding your own way to be consistent in cutting and piecing, doing everything in the same way over and over again. I tend to get bored by repetition and then try to shake things up a little by trying things differently. This is NOT the way to make a precise quilt. Making these ombre quilts kept me interested because I love the fabric and because they were small, but they also gave me the practice I needed to feel confident in precise piecing. (They’re also all quilted differently, but that’s a topic for a different post.)

After all that repetition, I needed to do something a little more improvisational. I’ve been reading a lot about free motion quilting designs and decided to try a few more. I was short on time, but I made one feather and filled in the negative space with pebbles. They’re definitely not exactly what I’d hoped, but I’m really proud of my first effort, especially the pebbles. My feather looks a little like limp seaweed. I can’t wait to keep practicing. I’ve really been enjoying playing with my free motion quilting, and I’ve learned the the most important thing to do is practice, practice, practice.

Here’s to a good week. Thanks for stopping by.