Last week was not a good sewing week. My brother-in-law had a major unexpected surgery and is still in the hospital so sister needed a lot of support, and with veggies coming on in the garden there’s been some canning to do.
However, I was able to find a few minutes here and there so I finally took the plunge and started quilting the Dresden quilt. It has just been hanging on the wall staring at me – toward the end of the week I swear I actually felt it mocking me. 🙂
Because there is so much negative space, I knew the quilting would be important. Straight lines with a walking foot just wasn’t going to get it. It needs some free motion quilting. Whew! That scares me, big time!
The only FMQ I’ve done to date is practice pieces and these placemats. I decided to do a loopy meandering pattern in a khaki colored thread. The thread just melts into the backing, and has a tiny bit of contrast on the front of the quilt. So far, it’s going well. (I kinda hate to say that out loud – don’t want to jinx myself!)
I’ve got a few pictures for you. As you can see, there’s some hiccups along the way and I’ve got a long way to go on consistency in pattern and stitch length. A few things I think would help are a Supreme Slider, some gloves, and a flat quilting surface. Right now my machine sits on top of my table and I don’t have an extension table. That means I’m constantly stopping to reposition my hands. So, now that I know I like FMQ and want to do more of it, I’ll be working on getting a better set-up so I can be more successful. My Dad always said the right tools makes a job easier – I 100% agree!
View from the back side. I love the pattern this is making!
Above is the pattern the quilting is making on the back of the quilt. I really like how the shape of the Dresden plate/flower shows up.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get more sewing time this week. I’ve told myself I can’t start anything new until this one is finished. Well, mostly finished. Okay, until the quilting is started. Wait! That’s now! 🙂
I used a walking foot to outline two of the Dresden plates.
I did use a walking foot to quilt two of the Dresden plate/flowers. It’s a real pain to constantly turn the quilt though, so I might get brave and try to sew a straight line with my FMQ foot. It would eliminate all that moving of the quilt. I’m still mulling that one over…..
The quilting is moving along pretty quickly so it may not take me as long to finish as I thought it would. I still have to do the centers of the plate/flowers – hmmm, maybe I should’ve done those before I started the quilting. See, I told you I’m the best example for how not to quilt!! 🙂
Happy Sewing!
It looks great! I’d love to have an extension table for my machine too. I sew on my kitchen table, so there’s no drop-down option for me. And I love my quilting gloves and never fmq anything without them. Actually, I usually use one when I’m binding too, just to get a better grip on the quilt.
That looks marvelous! What a great job! Although I feel like I’m getting a workout when practicing FMG it’s so worth it when you hang it up stand back and look at it, like really look at. Be proud your doing a great job! Now if I could only get the nerve up to actually do it on a quilt. Your keeping me motivated.
This looks great, Beth! I’m so glad you jumped right into the FMQ’ing of the negative space. I love the walking foot detail on the dresdens, too. What a happy quilt this is going to be. Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. I hope he heals quickly, and I’m glad you were able to be there for your sister.