Circuit Board - free motion quilting Cameo 31

Circuit Board - free motion quilting Cameo 31Add caption

This motif uses the same Swirl motif as on the 'more learning curve No. 2' that I posted yesterday, but this time in mini form. Each triplet row of swirls is encased by two horizontal or vertical lines, forming an oblong box. My father used to make his own hi-fi wireless sets when I was a child, and this reminds me of watching him solder valves into place between all the silver tracery on the circuit boards. Apologies to younger visitors who haven't a clue what I am talking about with valves and wireless sets. I am going back to an age before micro-chips, mobiles and PCs were unheard of - difficult to imagine now.

The central motif could be anything - a single circle, a row of circles, a thin leaf, spiky thorns, a S shape - the idea is to alternate between the horizontal and vertical/thinner and fatter boxes. The repeat is at a not too accurate half-drop which creates a rather nice texture. It works equally well as a single row - or 3 rows together also make a good band that would look good quilted on a border.

For more information about the 101 free motion quilting Cameos, please visit the 'fmq Cameos - so far' page.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

The next 'more learning curves' 2nd of 9

Here is the second of the 9 squares that will make up More Learning Curves. I might have to rethink that name. To be honest, I hadn't given this piece a name as I considered it a trial for a larger piece - for which I don't have a name either!! And talking of names I haven't got one for the above motif as it isn't really an original. So let's call it 'swirl'. It doesn't close to form a circle and requires a bit of travelling back along the tight scroll to form the next swirl. It is very easy to open up or sew tighter giving a good variety of density. It is a brighter green that last week's 'hour glass'. I was thinking loosely of autumn colours choosing greens, reds and golds.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

More learning curves...

This is another test piece for a larger work that I have in mind for a quilt show later this year. This is one of 9 squares (although the final version might have more).

This is a motif called 'hour glass'. Each square will be done in a different colour, using a different motif. At the end, there is, I hope, a bit of a surprise which I won't tell you now, because I want to know if you can see it. I've dyed material in the same colour as the thread to frame each square. I've been working in black and white for a bit. It is stunning, but I do miss colour! There is no doubt quilting on white makes the quilting really stand out, so this is a bit of a compromise.

In the recent black and white pieces, I've quilted the motifs in 'straight' rows. I say straight, because I don't mark them and they certainly wouldn't match up with any ruler! Here, I do mark the curves. I tend to stitch the parallel-lined curves first, then fill them in with the motif. I don't try and keep the 'parallel' line perfectly parallel. In fact, I often deliberately try to vary them a bit, opening up at the apex of a curve. Distorting the pattern to fit the resulting shapes is perhaps my favourite part of quilting.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Arch intersection - free motion quilting Cameo 30

I missed out on a Cameo last week - sorry about that - so here we are back on track with number 30.

This is what I call a 'there-and-back' pattern, meaning it takes two passes to complete the pattern. I mentioned in the last post the idea of sewing backwards, and with these patterns I do just that - the first pass from top to bottom and then returning bottom to top. Getting the semi-circles to intersect at the right point is what makes the pattern. Just go for it on the down stitching, but coming back up you have to be careful to match the semi-circles at a half-drop. I don't get too fussy - marking this would be a nightmare. If it doesn't quite match, so be it. Watching the shapes that are being formed I find really helps.

I've put this in again on the horizontal, just to show a different aspect. I like the wide-open ribbon effect this one gives. You could stitch it without the gap in between to make an overall pattern, then you would have fun deciding whether you wanted to align the motif which would emphasize the circle, or do a half drop.

For more information about the 101 free motion quilting Cameos, please visit the 'fmq Cameos - so far' page.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Learning Curves

When I posted a piece of black free motion quilting on white fabric, I got a lot of interest (thank you very much!). When I announced that I was going to cut it up, one or two visitors were shocked, but mostly, people were very curious to see what I would do with it. Well, me too, because I really wasn't sure what I was doing. So, here is my first trial.

Learning curves - trial 1

 I started with an old practice piece on which I had tried out some new designs. I edged each piece with a zig-zag stitch before attaching them to the quilted background with a button whole stitch. I think using black thread for this was a mistake.

So, on to the next piece. First the background - a piece of hand-dyed black fabric quilted with an all over pebble stitch.

I took this out in the garden on a sunny day. It is a bit darker than this in reality. I tried an experiment with this. I quilted the circles in undulating rows, which makes it look a bit like a crocodile skin I think. When quilting from top to bottom, this then raised the question of either stopping and starting again at the top (tedious) or turning the piece around so that the bottom becomes the top (not always possible if there is too much bulk) or quilting backwards, from bottom to top. Do you ever do this? It wasn't strictly necessary with the size of this piece, but I thought it would be good practice. Doing pebbles is good practice anyway. Touching the adjacent circle without going into it and travelling around the pebble to the start of the next requires quite a bit of precision. 

Fracture 1

So now here is the first piece that I made from the quilting that I have posted previously. And yes, it doesn't use any of the designs that I made from black and white paper. I haven't abandoned them, but I didn't have enough black dyed fabric for them - and I have run out of material and need to order more  - all of which was going to take time, so in the meantime... here is Fracture 1. Rather than zig-zag the edges here, I  bonderwebed the pieces to stop the cut stitching from unravelling. I then blanket stitched it using white thread.

Close up, this wasn't as neat as I had hoped. What do you think? Would you find this acceptable and any ideas what else I could do?

Here are a couple more shots taken from an angle - just because I think they are fun!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Triangle Tangle - free motion quilting Cameo 29

Triangle Tangle - free motion quilting Cameo 29

This is quite a simple but unusual and effective all-over design. In a way it is like an angle 3-D stipple and like a stipple can be made large or small, tight or more relaxed - and fit into any shape or corner. In other words, it is very flexible!

For more information on the free motion quilting Cameos, please visit the 'fmq Cameos - so far' page.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Crossing over - free motion Cameo 28

The gentle meander becomes an increasingly sweeping curve with each echo. You can echo as many times as you want but keep the cross over at the same point. Just 3 can make an effective ribbon, or you can keep going until you have a broad band as here.

For more information about the free - motion quilted Cameos, go to the 'fmq Cameos so far' page.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

What is in a name?

The last few posts have been all about black and white  so I thought it was time for an injection of colour.

Here is some printing done with another stencil made with a fabric soldering iron. See my post 'stencils, soldering irons and inattentive mothers' for the story  here. 

I decided to use the letters of my name for the design. All the letters are right - but not necessarily in the right order! I needed to overlap the letters to make a good design, and since 'Hilary' is shorter than 'Florence' - which went on the 2nd line - there was a bit of jiggery pokery to fit all the letters in.

Of course, making your stencil this way, means you actually end up with two stencils - the positive and the negative of your design. Here, I have started with a yellow negative stencil, overlaid with a positive in red.

In the next example I have added some dark blue to the mix and inverted the stencil so some of the letters are upside down.

This time I've only used the negative stencil, but turning it through 90 degrees to give both horizontal and vertical text.

Here, I have first used the positive stencil - again overlaying horizontally and vertically - then gone over with a sponge roller.

I really like this last one. I've used both positive and negative versions in a kind of checkerboard pattern.

All the prints are done with procion dyes thickened with manutex.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

P.S.

I have become a convert to linky parties. They are a great way to see and be seen. Please find below a list. I may not link to all every week, but I do link with some most weeks. Please go and have a look at all the lovely work there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

­­­­I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/