Two weeks ago, I learned how to free motion (FM) quilt from a wonderful teacher and quilt maker, Norma Jean at Parkland Parish Quilt Co. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, FM quilting is done on your home machine and not on a long arm machine and if you don't know what a long arm machine is, you must google a picture of one. They are amazing and can be very very expensive. For those of us who are broke or just thrifty and can't bear to spend $25k+ on a long arm machine, we use our regular sewing machines to do it. I've used a long arm a couple of times and they are nice but as I can't afford one I ventured to learn on my machine.
I purchased an open toe FM quilting foot for my machine (I got it from allbrands.com- I don't get paid to advertise, just wanted to let you know)after my class and was excited when it came in the mail last week. I had a darning foot, which is what we used in class to learn how to FM, but it's all plastic at the bottom and is really a terrible foot if you want to see what you are doing, where you are going and where your last stitch was. I had a twister quilt that I designed and pieced together that I had just found the perfect backing for and decided that I would free motion quilt for the first time the quilt pictured by myself on my machine. FM quilting is tedious work and not for the faint at heart, it starts with clamping down your backing to some sort of table, the backing has to be very taught because if it isn't, it will ripple, gather and bunch under the stitching. After you've clamped it down, you later the batting and then your quilt top on the backing and then pin it down. My quilt probably could have stood to be pinned more but I didn't and that's something I'll remember for next time. Once I got it pinned up, I used a scrap quilt sandwich (fabric, batting, fabric) to practice my pattern on, just to warm up. That was a trick I was taught to do in my class. Once I felt I had it down I put the quilt in my machine and away I went. The top picture is just the quilt top, I took it minutes after I finished sewing the top together and the bottom one was minutes after I finished FM quilting it.
I learned about 6 different styles in my FM class but the one I'm most comfortable with is meandering or stippling. I love to meander, there's no rhyme or reason to it, and there's no set pattern, you just move your quilt around in squiggly lines and usually turns out looking like puzzle pieces. Mine normally look like coral, or at least that's what it reminds me of. I spent about 4 hours on Sunday quilting my twister quilt and I think it turned out beautifully, the only thing left to do is bind it and it will be ready for sale. One of these days I'll get around to binding the 4 quilted quilts that I have, and I will also get around to quilting the 5 tops that are ready to go, of course those have to wait until I find the perfect backing.
One of my goals in life is to own my own quilt store and make my own items to sell. I'd love to teach people how to sew and quilt, I think that not many people do it anymore and would love for the younger generations to keep up what our grandmothers used to do. Quilts may be expensive to some but I know that I have a greater appreciation for the price of a quilt after making and quilting my own. Lots of time and money go into the fabric and machines and if properly taken care of, can last a lifetime or more. Each quilt has it's own story to tell and I think that's amazing.
May you find something new in your fabric stash each time you look at it.
Rachel
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