Last night I was up to some FMQ practice. My plan was to try out some pebbles. I couldn't see a thing with my crappy light. With matching thread it was almost impossible to see the quilting. So I made very loose kind of pebbles. I got lost in few places but I was not willing to give up, lol. How do you quilt at night? What kind of light do you have?
I was thinking to sew on plain white lining but I was scared I only create puckers or some tension issues might appear. Here is detail of my fabric. It has silver print on it and in daylight the texture is just fine.
I did not practice on side. That is not my style, lol. So this back side of cushion cover is my practice piece.
The front will be another take on Broken Herringbone block. I wanted to use 3 jelly roll strips only which left me with one section plain white. As it is Christmas decoration I wanted some pebbles as they look like little snow balls :-)
I could see the quilting better on plain white but as you can see I get a bit crazy once I reach the edge. I don't like to quilt close to the edge. As an inexperienced quilter I struggle with how to hold it properly without hitting my fingers.
I'm quite happy with this little practice and I'll try to incorporate more FMQ projects from now on. Practice makes perfect, right.
Beside that I only prepared few more colors to go into my Mini Disco project.
Linking up with
Your pebbles are looking good and just get better. It is best to make the back of your sandwich at least 3" wider than the front to help with the space to hold the quilting. If it is not, You can always baste a scrap of fabric onto the edge to give you that place to hold onto and then trim it off later.
ReplyDeleteYay, yay, yay! It's coming along beautifully! Love the pebble quilting accent.
ReplyDeleteLeanne is right – it helps to have your quilt wadding and backing a bit bigger so you have something to hang on to. Even so, I think it looks great! I couldn't do that, especially late at night.
ReplyDeleteI think your pebbles look very nice. I second Granny Maud's suggestion, making the backing a bit bigger gives you something to hold onto and makes quilting on the edges easier.
ReplyDeleteI really like your loose pebbles. Mines are always so tight, I'll might give a try to do something like you next time. About light, I'm almost sewing at night, so I have my machine light, a bendable light and a floor lamp next to me. And with white or black, it is always very difficult.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with you FMQ!!! It looks great! Love your cushion too!! Great colors, and the pebbles really give it a nice "pop."
ReplyDelete~ Jess ~
Everything Is Coming Up Rosie
They look great! I just tried pebbles recently and found that if I quilted them backwards (backwards of how you would normally sew, that is) it was a lot easier to get the spacing better, because I could see the pebbles I had just done, rather than trying to make them touch blindly. As for holding, I usually turn the piece in the machine, then hold it with a flat hand on the outside, but its always difficult.
ReplyDeleteI only quilt at night or in the early morning. I have two sewing lights in addition to my machine light, one sits on my table and the other is a floor lamp.
ReplyDeleteI agree that white on white can be some of the toughest quilting to see - regardless of the time of day or lighting! Lots and lots of practice is what it took for me. I love the touch of density that putting pebbles in one section of your herringbone gives.
ReplyDeletePractice does make perfect, but even more important is it makes you confident and that is the bigger battle. Very few quilts are perfect, it is all in having the confidence to just do it.
ReplyDeleteLove the red and turquoise together - and that broken herringbone block is fantastic. Great job on the quilting, especially for having no light!
ReplyDeleteYour pillow top looks lovely. You did a great job on the quilting.
ReplyDeletePractice does make perfect and I'm way out of practice. I find I need a lot more light to sew, than I used to. I wonder why??? I bought a light that attaches directly to my sewing machine. It has a flexible neck so you can move it around to find the best spot. I also use a desk lamp with a natural light bulb that I can move around. Finally, I have my sewing machine placed so I can make the best use of my room's ceiling light. Your pebbles look wonderful. You're far better than you give yourself credit for.
ReplyDeleteI'm a great believer in practising with a contrasting thread - it's much easier to see what you are doing. Pebbles is a very popular design often recommended for and used by those who don't fmq much, but I actually think it is very hard to do - getting close to circles but not cutting into them. But, the more you do them, the better they get! I love the piecing and the colour combination of this block
ReplyDeleteWow! Practice must make perfect!
ReplyDeleteSave your practice pieces, even date them you will see how you improve over time. I use Ottlights even during the day, I think your quilting is great
ReplyDeleteI don't quilt at bight - I'm usually too tired. It would be a disaster, I just know it
ReplyDeleteLooks really good! As for quilting at night, I have terrible lighting so frequently I quilt by the light of my own wit. :-) Ha! For piecing, the lamps are okay but for actual "quilting" quilting, I try to wait for weekend afternoons.
ReplyDeleteYour pillow top is very pretty, love the pebbles.
ReplyDeleteYour fmq is getting so good! I still haven't braved another attempt after my last try. Pretty sure i was meant to straight line quilt only!
ReplyDeleteAnd your pebbles do look like little snowballs! Lovely little Christmas cushion.
Those are some good looking pebbles! I have a hard time with tone-on-tone pebbles too...it's hard to see! I use a huge fluorescent growing light above my sewing table for my light...I have a cheap machine with a teeny light, so I need my big light even during the day!
ReplyDeleteI love the pillow top, I might have to borrow the idea--thank you for sharing the pattern link!
The back of your cushion is stunning, Vera! I love how you've just done FMQ on one part and how it co-ordinates so well with the fabric that has tiny circles on it.
ReplyDeleteI am still a beginner FMQer. Its lots of fun though! I'm linking through from I QUILT at Pretty Bobbins :)
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