SewBatik Challenge 2014 – H2O

My SewBatik Challenge quilt is shipping out to the National Quilting Association annual quilt show tomorrow morning. H2O is the name I’ve given the quilt. The theme of the show is Going Green! I chose an ocean waves pattern for the design and stitched together four blocks. I did modify the look by placing white triangles in the outside corners of the blocks. These corner blocks have sayings and statistics written on them about water and the effects of using bottled water.

The FMQ was completed over several weeks. I used two quilting designs from The Free Motion Quilting Project by Leah Day. I chose two different patterns on her blog and incorporated them into the quilt. The first design is pebble ripples and is worked into the center of the quilt. I quilted waves in the blue triangles of the HST (half square triangles), making a curve from one corner of the triangle to another. Lastly, I added underwater rocks in each of the white HST sections.

I used four different blue batiks to make the ocean waves blocks. The lower left batik is the challenge fabric. The center fabric is a paisley design called blue green karachi by Modern Quilt Studio. I purchased a packet of fabrics from their booth at the AQS show in Grand Rapids last August. The colors fit perfectly with my design idea and I was able to match four batiks pulled from my stash. I used Aurifil 50 wt. thread for the piecing and quilting. Here is a closeup of the center.

 

I found a quote about water that I added to the quilt. It speaks to the necessity of water. The remaining corners have statistics written in them culled from online about the cost of and waste from consuming bottled water. Writing on the quilt proved to be challenging. It can be nerve racking thinking about writing on a quilt. One night, I finally took the leap and calculated the spacing for the words. After the first stokes of the pigma pen, I completed each one until finished. My quilting stretched the edges of the quilt, so that some of the letters were lost when stitching on the binding. But, I am still pleased with the results. I’ve never made a perfect quilt and I am my own worst critic.

This quilt will hang at the show in Columbus, Ohio from May 23-25, 2014. It will then travel around the country to various locales as a part of a traveling quilt exhibit. My last entry travelled to seven locations, including Oklahoma, Oregon, Kentucky, Indiana, Nebraska, and Nevada.

If you’re in Columbus for the NQA show, check out the SewBatik Challenge display. I am always amazed at the creative ideas that others come up with to make these 20-inch square quilts. Now, I off to place the quilt in a ziploc bag and place tags on everything for shipping.

Happy Stitching!

 

 

Free Motion Quilting Frustration

Practice! Practice! Practice! Anyone that does FMQ (free motion quilting) knows that you need to practice regularly. I have been doing FMQ on my domestic sewing machine for several years. Before I begin quilting a new project, I practice on a sample square. My quilting has progressed over the years, but still has room for improvement. Mostly because I need to do it more often.

I’ve mentioned before that I had surgery on my shoulder last year for a rotator cuff tear, related to a bone spur that was also removed. Not that everyone needs to know my medical history, but the shoulder issue was far more than just a tear. Since the problem had persisted far too long without proper treatment, I also developed problems with my humerus and tendons. In layman terms, the surgeon literally detached my tendons, cut off the ends that were dead, and reattached them to my humerus.

I say all this to suggest that I may not be able to FMQ like I used to. And, this is frustrating to me. I am finding that my motion is not fluid. While quilting recently, I have noticed sudden jerks or an inability to maintain control of my movements. I am hoping that this is temporary as I re-establish regular FMQ time. I mean, it has been over a year since I have been doing regular FMQ. I cannot expect to just go back to quilting like I did before surgery. Unfortunately, I have also developed bouts of tendonitis after sessions of quilting.

You be the judge… Here are some examples of FMQ on a wall-hanging I am finishing up for a challenge. I made Ocean Waves blocks and wanted to quilt pebbles and waves into the quilt. I viewed tutorials on the The Free Motion Quilting Project by Leah Day. I browsed her library and chose a pebble ripples design to incorporate into the center of the quilt.

Pebble Ripple Front

Pebble Ripple Back

I added curved line quilting in the dark HST (half square triangles), to look like waves. Then, I looked for something to add to the white HST. I settled on another Leah Day design, underwater rocks. I currently have it on my machine, quilting in short spurts, but keeping the quilt intact until I get to the end of a section.

Underwater Rocks design

For those who are interested, I am using 50 wt. Aurifil thread in a variegated blue #3770 Stonewashed Denim. The white  HST are being quilted in 50 wt. Aurifil #2021 Natural White.

Aurifil #3770

It may be that I just need to practice. I appreciated the blog post by Christa Quilts! yesterday. She reviewed a Craftsy class on FMQ by Elizabeth Dackson. I especially liked Elizabeth’s philosophy:

The Golden Rules of Quilting

1. Practice, practice, practice!
2. Give yourself permission for things not to be perfect right away.
3. Walk away and take a break if you feel that you’re getting frustrated.

I really needed to hear this today. Whether my FMQ ability returns to it’s former level or I have to adjust how often and how much I do, I will keep quilting. Maybe I’ll take that Craftsy class, too.

Happy Stitching!