But first: The one quilting goal that is most important to me this year is to improve my free motion quilting skills. I've been a quilter for more than 25 years and have driven a Bernina for most of those years. So it's not the machine that's the problem. It's all operator-error. I know the secret--I've got to PRACTICE! More than I do now. On quilts I care about as well as those that don't have to be fantastic, just adequate. (Note: this goal is so important I forgot to write it on my list! It's OK, I'm over 50 so forgetting stuff like that is allowed.)
Leah Day has an excellent blog and recently finished her 365 Days of Quilting designs. Now she's on to an educational project to help all of us who want to get better. Her best advice: Shut up and QUILT! My advice: if you keep telling yourself "I Can't", you'll be right. I'm going to read everything she writes each week and practice lots and lots. By the end of the year I'll either be able to quilt well enough to satisfy myself or decide I'm only using my feed-dogs from now on--after all, I paid for them, why shouldn't I use them?
The other site I've just learned about is SewCalGal and her 2012 Free Motion Challenge. She'll have some of the top people in the quilting world offer tips on a monthly basis. There is sure to be much to learn from this site in 2012.
Today I got side-tracked with a sweet little project from Temecula Quilt Co. called The 12 Days of Christmas. For 12 days they post a simple 3" finished block. Block 1 is one piece, block 2 is 2 pieces, block 3 is 3 pieces, you get the idea. It took me less than an hour and a half to do the first 9 blocks, including digging out the fabrics:
I figure we all have the same 24 hours each day, it's just up to each of us what we do with it. Me: I'm going to Quilt!
Barbara
Hi...Denise sent me (from Count It All Joy). Your goal about free motion quilting is similar to mine..although I've not been quilting as many years as you have...only 6+ years for me. I found an online course on Craftsy.com that is half price for the next few days and taught by Wendy Butler Burns AND is available forever for those who buy it and I have enrolled and it looks very promising so far. I hope it helps me. I'd like for my small pieces to be quilted by me and look professional as right now I only do cross-hatching or hand-quilting or in-the-ditch on them. Good luck with your goal and welcome to Blogland, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat. Wendy is a great person and excellent teacher--I'm sure you will get much from her class.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to blogdom - hopped over from Denise. I understand the whole practic with FMQ and plan on following SewCalGal's wonderful program. Look forward to reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteI love Leah Day's blog ... and her videos are wonderful! I like how she breaks them up into beginner, intermediate and advanced, and I like her suggestions for pre-quilting. I was so pleased she decided to continue her blog past the 365 days of FMQ!
ReplyDeleteI've hand drawn, several times, the heart-shaped leaves in the January FMQ Challenge. I've got a UFO I think I'm going to use to quilt the challenge out. Your 12 Days of Christmas is darling!
Are your comments sent to you via e-mail? It's a lot easier! :)
Denise sent me over to welcome you to Blogland! Your quilts are very pretty. I like to see what Leah and SewCalgal are up to on their Blogs too! I'd love to see the quilt you had at Paducah last year and the one going to Road to California this year!
ReplyDeleteMary, the quilt that made it to Paducah is the middle quilt on the top row of the blog header--it's called Joyful Journey. The one in Road is the same quilt, done in blue batiks, yep, I really did made two of those!
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