Monday, April 1, 2019

2019 FMQ Along - Part 10: Fast Feather Border

Greetings all -
Happy April Fool's Day!
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Be careful out there...
You never know what Fool may come your way.
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Welcome to Part 10, 
the final FMQ portion of our  
2019 Free Motion Quilt Along.
This week we're stitching the outside border.

I'm excited for you that 
we're nearly complete 
but I'm also a bit sad that our time together is winding down.

Wendy and I were texting this morning -- giving thanks for the opportunity to collaborate on the QAL and keep in touch weekly (rather than bi-annually at Market !).
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Who knows what other "projects" we might find to continue to keep in touch ;)

We hope you've enjoyed your time here too!

To recap...
We started with a 1 yard cut of fabric:
Lewe the Ewe panel by World of Susybee...
We added this awesome book by Wendy Sheppard,
Stitching Pathways.
We each chose our favorite Aurifil threads
and some batting....

I sandwiched with one layer of Quilters Dream Wool -
  It really does "Quilt Like a Dream". 
There's minimal shrinkage and it can be machine washed and dried
 (albeit on cool temps) .  
You can read more about Dream Wool by clicking here.


and we've spent a few weeks sharing how we would each quilt this beautiful panel.

I've stitched Reflections and Pebbles
and Loops and Swirls
and a variety of other fun quilting motif.
Hopefully you've learned a LOT!
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Let's move forward to the 
specifics for this week
and stitch a new feather variation...
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Feathers, 
feathers, 
 feathers...
I Love Feathers!

Any Shape
Simply Spring Fleur - Janome Home Machine w/ Aurifil Thread
Any Medium
My Sketchbook Doodles
Stitched on... Any Machine
Innova Longarm Free Motion with Aurifil 28wt
 I just LOVE Feathers!

If you're like me, you've gone page by glorious page through Stitching Pathways.
Feather details begin on Page 54 and continue through Page 66 !  
Now, that's a Feathered Frenzy...!!

Wendy's instruction and detail couldn't be more helpful for learning to FMQ Feathers.
Give those pages a run - through.
See what catches your eye.
Try some out, you can't go wrong!

 With the remaining border being varying widths and lengths I thought it appropriate to choose a design that was flexible -- that could shrink or grow as necessary.

So I stitched a variation of Wendy's
Pseudo Feathers found on Page 66
in Stitching Pathways.
I refer to my version as
Fast Feathers.

They are called this because, like Wendy's Pseudo Feathers, there is space between each feather plume.

Generally I'll draw/stitch a fiddle head (fern)
 and "grow" feather plumes from the "spine" of the fiddle head.

Else, you could draw/stitch a swirl and grow the feather plums from it.

Fast Feathers are generally unplanned and unmarked, although I will at times sketch in a simple spine so I have a clue as to where to fill with plumes.

Here's a practice sketch of fast feathers:
Have I mentioned that I like to practice on paper and fabric before I begin stitching the real project.
 
Practicing either way is a great opportunity to get warmed-up and to build muscle memory for that design.

At International Quilt Market last year many Aurifil Designers shared their skills and expertise with  Facebook Live feeds from the Aurifil booth. 

You can get a glimpse of me stitching out Bumpback and Fast Feathers in this video
recorded live!
(Best when viewed from a computer - not a mobile device).

Another Fast Fun Fact!
Did you know that Wendy and I are both Aurifilosophers ?
We're 2 of a group of 21 certified educators for Aurifil thread.
You can see our funny video clip here
and read about Aurifilosophy here.

But I digress...

Let's get some feathers stitched out...

Here's a few clips of my progress.
You can see where practicing a swirl and a plume would come in handy...
For consistency I used Aurifil 40wt thread color #2024 again.
I added in a few "extra" swirly plumes as necessary and traveled to make a new swirl or fiddle head as I needed to move along the border.
I love how the inside border swirls and the new fast feathers complement one another.
As you travel creating the design try to mix-up the direction of your plumes -- so they are not all going to the same direction.
It's pretty easy to turn a corner -- backtrack if necessary!
It's all starting to come together now...
Love, love, love the texure!
Pay no attention to the fact that I didn't take pictures until after the binding was on!
Ooops...
We'll talk binding, hanging and labels next week!
...and there you have it!

A few fast feathers around a swirl or fiddle head for the win!
Be sure to watch the video I shared above -- it always help to watch and learn.

And also be sure to jump over to Wendy's Blog to see what amazing stitching she is sharing this week.

Next week we're back to discuss binding, hanging and labels.

Then we'll take a week for ya'll to finish up before submitting your entries for the Sponsored Giveaways!

Have you visited our sponsors ?

Be sure to jump out to
Facebook or Instagram
and give them a "Like" or a Follow.
We wouldn't have great products or giveaways without our Sponsors! 

You can checkout the Giveaway Post
here ==> QAL Giveaway

If you have any questions, please leave them below -- I'll respond as soon as I can.

Happy Stitching!
Karen

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Learn more about how to use various thread weights in these Facebook Live Sessions
hosted by Aurifil at International Quilt Market: 

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Redbird Quilt Co. on FacebookInstagramPinterestTwitterYouTube
Join my FMQ Frenzy Community Group on Facebook.
See my other Moda Bake Shop Recipes
Click here to see my upcoming events.
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***  Guilds, Groups and Shops ***

I'm booking Lectures, Trunk Shows and Workshops
for 2020 and beyond!

If your Shop, Group or Guild is looking for programs or workshops I would love to hear from you.



Free Motion Quilting on Home Machines
Basics ~ A Quilters Doodles ~ McTavishing
A Full Day of Feathers
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Aurifilosophy
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Wool & Needle turn Applique
Technique or Project Oriented Workshops available.

Click here to see my upcoming events.
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Send email inquiries to karen at redbirdquiltco dot com
or redbirdquiltco at gmail dot com


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2 comments:

  1. Karen, you have some weird comments above eeeeek
    I love the result of your quilt. Your quilting is marvelous and just adorable. Thank you for sharing all of your expertise and your creativity. You make me brave

    ReplyDelete
  2. hello, I love your lap quilts and dolls. I found your site while I was looking at pinterest. great work, camille Oklahoma, USA

    ReplyDelete