Monday, April 2, 2012

2012 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge: April Motif

I do not want to die until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig has grown. –Kathe Kollwitz

The thing about waiting until the last minute to do March's challenge {I was the third-to-the-last to link up} is that I still had my stuff out when the April challenge came on-line and I was still in the mood to do a little FMQ. Plus, if I hurry, I can be second to link up this month!

I had everything on hand for Don's tutorial, except for the embroidery hoop {just had to dig a little for some fine-mesh tulle}. I didn't want to make a trip out to get a hoop so I tried a glue stick first to see if that would work instead. I put a very thin layer of glue across the entire template, which held the tulle in place very nicely. When I was done tracing, the tulle came off easily. To transfer the design to my quilt, there was enough friction between the tulle and the fabric that I was able to hold the tulle steady and in place while I marked the quilt.

When I started this challenge, I envisioned the optional quilt as a sampler and I wanted the different types of quilting to really show. I decided to use darker threads on my off-white fabric to make that happen. I know that every mistake really shows, but the trade-off in being able to see the quilting is worth it, I think. I didn't do so well with the echo feather in February when I was practicing, so I picked a much lighter thread than I'd originally planned to quilt it. It still shows every single imperfection, but I can live with it. And I decided that I really do want my quilt to showcase the different quilting. If this were a “regular” quilt, I would not have used these dark colors of thread for the April motif. But I wanted it to highlight the pretty flower I saw in the shape. Imperfections not withstanding, this was a fun exercise.

For those who are not doing the challenge, this is Don Linn's tutorial for marking a quilt using tulle as your tool.


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8 comments:

Paulette said...

You did well!! Isn't that a neat technique with the tulle? I haven't watched the video yet but I read the transcript and thought it seemed really original. I may be one of the last stragglers this month, but I'm looking forward to it. I love how the flower design came out in yours. It looks like a trillium.

Shay said...

Coming back to watch that tute when I have time!

Mary Ann said...

Great idea with the glue!

Ray and Jeanne said...

Great quilting! Thanks for the idea of using a glue stick. I used a hoop but may want a bigger design at some point. ~Jeanne

CaroleM said...

Clever idea on the glue. And great job too!

Nancy said...

Good job! Mine is in process. The tulle is such a good idea for marking. Like you, I had to "make do" for some of the supplies.

Joanie's Trendy Quilts said...

Great job! Such a neat idea for transferring design!

Angie in SoCal said...

Looks great with the dark thread. Good job!