Not so fine toothed comb - FMQ Cameo 38

Time for another free motion quilting Cameo

The Not So Find Toothed Comb  FMQ Cameo 38

This is an example of how very simple ideas can be combined to give a useful motif. A line and a squiggle combine together to give the impression of a fine (or not so fine) toothed comb.  What could be simpler? You could almost argue that it doesn't merit the label of 'motif' . And yet put these two elements together and you get rhythm and texture in a very pliable way. You can see that one of the characteristics of this stitch is that it opens and fans easily to go around even very tight corners. The length of line and number of squiggles can be increased or reduced to fit any width required. All round, a very versatile pattern.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Cosmic Split

I know I said that I would not show you the finished quilt until after the show, but another read through the rules has reassured me that blogs, internet and other public previews are not forbidden - or even mentioned for that matter. So why not? Here goes.

I left you last week pre-split. 

The name contains a 'Split', a split is required. Changing my mind is not an option. A few deep breaths, a bit of contemplation, a cup of tea, a meander down the garden, a few sketches, a trial on one of the 'failed' gold samples, another cup of tea, a walk along the country lanes,  quite a lot of worry, yet more tea, more deep breaths - a flash of the rotary cutter and for better or worse it is done.

After - yes guessed it - another cup of tea, I face the two pieces with black fabric. I want to lose as little of the pattern as possible in the facing, so the seam is barely an eighth of an inch wide, neatened with a zig-zag to strengthen. 

The edge is gently rounded, sitting proud of the background, but less so than on 'Sidetracked' as there is no piecing with its thickening seams. 

The next task is to fasten the split gold pieces onto the background. Using something like bondaweb is not an option as the necessary heat can not penetrate all the layers. As with 'Sidetracked' I use a slip stitch catching alternatively facing and backing. On straight lines this works easily - just fold the backing back to reveal the edge of the facing and off you go. 

With curves, the folding back is much more tricky and the bulky layers are reluctant to yield to the shape. The result first time round is a wonderfully distorted quilt. This is a very useful bit of information if you actually want a distorted quilt. I don't. Obviously in all that folding and refolding around the curve, the gold quilting shifts around. It needs to held firmly in place for stitching. Pinning it from the font will leave unwelcome permanent holes. Pinning from the back must go through the background quilt, into the batting of the gold quilting but not through the metallic fabric. To do this I try to feel the pin through the gold fabric as I pin from the back and stop just in time to prevent the pin popping through the front into daylight. Think less Princess and the Pea and more the Commoner and the Pin! And on the third attempt at stitching I actually ended up with a flat quilt!

The background quilt is a black version of 'Sidetracked' - that is, adding a layer of the ruched black fabric to give more texture. The quilting uses several motifs, but draws on the gold quilting with pebbles and swirls, linking the two together.

Black fabric seems to have a magnetic attraction to any bit of fluff, dust and cat hair around. I have been over every inch of this quilt, front and back, twice with sellotape. I still don't trust it  not to pick up more fluff in transit! Cosmic Split, quilt number 404, is on it's way to the Festival of Quilt 2014. Good Luck and Enjoy!

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/ 

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

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/

Lizzie Lenard @  http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk   

Going for Gold

The 'Cosmos' for my piece 'Cosmic Split is complete.

Oh, I really enjoyed making the Cosmos! This is the part that I absolutely love doing - it is the reason I make quilts at all. I don't mark out the patterns in the circle, but just trust my eye and as I come to the end of the round, either squeeze up or draw out the last couple of  motives to fill the available space. Mostly, that works very well. If you look closely, you might find the odd motif that really has been hard done by!

Here are a couple of close-ups.

I wanted the texture of the background quilting to be a different, much smaller scale to the spheres. I've used a mixture of pebbling and a motif much used by one of my favourite quilters - Jacqueline Heinz. These two motifs are mixed in with two others on the black background that the gold will be stitched to.

The gold fabric has just about held out. If you look at it through a magnifying glass, you can see areas around the thread where there is a threatening split and a peek of white batting underneath. Just cross your fingers that it holds out until after the show and that the judges don't used magnifying glasses!!

Next comes the really scary bit - the Split in 'Cosmic Split' - otherwise known as the rotary cutter. It is always a bit of a nerve wracking moment to slice hours of quilting in two! I plan to finish and get this quilt off by the end of next week. The show is 2nd week in August, and I will post the finished quilt then.

This quilt has been such a journey, I think I will really miss it when it's finished. What shall I do next? It is a bit like finishing a really good book. On the one hand it is great to find out what happens in the end, on the other hand there is a hole left by its absence. Yet I often feel I need to savour the story a moment before I am able to plunge into the next one. Do you find that - with quilts or books?

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/ 

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

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/

Lizzie Lenard @  http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk   

Gold Fever 2

It would seem that my Gold Fever of last week was contagious, judging by your comments. How I wish those words of appreciation, encouragement and commiseration could, like the wave of a Fairy Godmother's wand, turn simple cotton into the much sort after gold cloth. Sadly, in the real world, the only allusion to it on the web that I have been able to find was to say that it is no longer manufactured. Thank you so much for your kind words and suggestions. They were much appreciated and at least raised my spirits!

Should any of you - particularly those of you able to go to the big shows in the States - see this fabric, please get the suppliers name for me - tell him I'll buy the whole bolt!

So I have gone with the last of the fabrics I showed last week, hoping that it will not split again. Colour wise and consistency wise, it was the best of my trials. I have been wisely counselled by Pam to consider it 'different' rather than inferior! Here is the structure outlined, ready to have the blank areas filled with pattern.

Making my marks

As I said in the last post, none of the usual markers work on metallic fabric and stitching from the back didn't work with this one, as it stuck to the sewing table. Incredibly, felt tip pen does mark and washes off! It does dull the gold where the line has been, but once stitched over that is barely noticeable. Still, it is a bit nerve racking doodling all over fabric with a felt-tip pen!

Going around in circles

The title of this piece is going to be 'Cosmic Split' - so think vaguely of space, orbits and heavenly bodies. I did not want perfect circles. After googling 'how to draw perfect eclipses' and playing around with pin, string paper and pen, I decided I didn't want eclipses either. A lot of paper covered with a lot of 'circles' later, I decided just to draw the lot free hand. Above is the 'artistic' photo with garden in the background. Below is a clearer version.

Oh for a long arm! At least I imagine circles would be a lovely easy sweep on a long arm. On a DSM, even non-circular circles are tricky. It is not possible to do any but the very small circles in one. Every stop to readjust the fabric is an opportunity for an uneven stitch length. Every start is an opportunity for a needle jump to the side. And at no point can you see the whole track of the circle. The end is not in sight! Welcome to the universe of slightly wobbly heavenly bodies!

Tying off loose ends

... as in thread ends - well over 300 of them to tie off and bury. I wish I had taken a photo of them. It made a fair imitation of a fringe dress. Lots of threading needles and not knowing which part of my vary-focal specs to look out of!!!

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/ 

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

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/

Lizzie Lenard @ http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk/