Sticks and Stones - the 8th Learning Curves in 9 Squares

After the excitement of my first ribbon, back to the next of the 'Learning Curves in 9 Squares' - Sticks and Stones.

I love this design. Quilted small the 'sticks' and 'stones' become the same size, creating a dense texture and making the colour seem darker at that point. Give it more space and the whole thing opens up and breaths. The spiral unwinds a little. The sticks protrude and acquire a cheeky curve at the base. It is excellent for going around curves, from the gentle meander to the absolute U turn, as demonstrated here. Despite the stitching being in a lovely deep buttery yellow, this colour suffers the same fate as the other pale ones, namely that it can not be seen from a distance. I'm sad about that because I love the freshness of the buttercup yellow on white.

Time too for another FMQ cameo.

Wimbledon - fmq Cameo 34

Wimbledon is a variation on a pebble stitch. but is actually easier because there is no travelling. After completing the circle at the top an S shape gets us to the bottom of the circle ready to start the next one - giving an impression of a tennis ball - hence the name. It is a great background stitch and when the size of the balls is varied, as here, it also gives a good textural variety.

And last but not least, I now have the judges comments on 'Square Spiral'. I unintentionally provoked quite a few comments about judges comments - and I've also meet other quilters deflated by the label 'satisfactory'. I've spent a lifetime in education and for me, the importance of feedback is not just to praise or criticise, but to encourage growth and signpost how to reach potential. But that takes a lot of effort and time - maybe more time than quilt judges have?

Square Spiral - detail

I'm pleased to say I got very positive comments this time: "Wonderful workmanship. A really lovely quilt thoughtfully executed." My grades have gone from 'satisfactory' to 'very good' and 'excellent'. What this really teaches me is the importance of design. I don't believe for a moment that my quilting has improved 3 levels in 6 months, or the execution of an identical binding was just 'satisfactory' on my first show quilt, yet 'very good' on the second. But what I can see is that the design and overall visual impact of the second show quilt was much better - and that obviously influences all the other categories in the eyes of the judges. Which also teaches me not to take it all too seriously. I do it because I love it - and in the doing, I continue to learn.

In the meantime, the next show quilts are underway and I will be blogging about them soon.

Quite a long post today - so if you are still with me you deserve a ribbon too - or a least a cup to tea/coffee!

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

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 Big Reveal and a call from the Delightful Angela

A couple of weeks ago I related how the 'delightful Angela' had designed The British Quilt and Stitch show entry process to cater for the likes of me who get the dates muddled up and are in consequence late with their entry. I gave a sneak preview of my quilt 'Square Spiral' and promised to reveal the whole after the show.

So here it is!

Square Spiral

Sorry, not a great photo. I had to hold the camera above my head to get it all in and I couldn't see what I was doing! I did plan to try again before this post, but I haven't had the quilt back yet.

The great news is that I have had a phone call from the to-my-mind-now-even-more-delightful Angela to say that I had won second place in the wall hanging category! So, now I am awaiting not just the return of the quilt, but my first rosette too!

As you can see it is a whole cloth, quilted in black and white. It is done in the style of a log cabin and if I've counted correctly, it has 58 different original fmq designs. I did mark the boxes for each design, but they are stitched free hand without a ruler. Close up, the lines look a lot more wobbly! The boxes vary in width - a 1/4,  1/2,  3/4 of and inch, 1 inch and the widest is 11/2 inches. This alters the density of the design and gives the impression of darker and lighter lines.

Here are a couple more photos.

Add caption

I had a comment asking why I entered quilt shows and wondering about the impact of criticism from judges. For me, the reason is simple - to get known outside of local. I have had local exhibitions, sold in local galleries, demonstrated and given talks to local groups but never beyond. It is time to spread my wings! This blog also has that aim, but people have to find you first, and quilt shows seem like a good way to get seen.

My first attempt (a few months ago) came back with judges comments that my design was interesting and quilting good, and everything else 'satisfactory'. I have to say I did find that word most unsatisfactory! It felt like 'not bad enough to complain about, but beyond that...' There has to be a more encouraging descriptor - maybe 'shows promise'? 

Anyway, it didn't put me off, but it did mean I wasn't expecting to get anywhere this time. I was all the more surprised and thrilled to win second prize for my second show. As long as that relationship - i.e. third prize for third show, fourth for fourth... does not continue!!

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

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/

7th of 9 Squares and fmq Cameos 32 and 33

Something numerical in the title this week, and I hope it adds up to quite a bit for this weeks post!
We are up to number 33 in our fmq Cameos

Arrow Head - fmq Cameo 32

This is Arrow Head that I used last week in my 'Learning Curves in 9 Squares'. There is so much you can do - and so many different effects - that you can get with just one motif. Here it is in straight rows in a uniform size, with no dividing tram lines. I am not sure if this counts technically as a mirror image repeat, since the design itself is a mirror image of the arrow head. Anyway, I have lined it up arrow head point to arrow head point. Definite stalemate! Like this, the individual motif almost gets lost in the overall texture. The negative spaces come into play strongly and the eye picks out new motifs.

Arrow Head - detail from Square Spiral

Here it is as a single row (taken from 'Square Sprial') Doesn't it look different when isolated into a single row and framed between guide lines?

Learning Curves in 9 Squares - Not on my parade!

Not on my Parade from Learning Curves in 9 Squares

On to the next square from Learning Curves in 9 Squares - this is number 7. Every time I look at it I just see majorettes and batons. Well, maybe a sort of abstract Walt Disney version or majorettes.

This motif had a definite top and bottom and you do have to decide which way up you are going to quilt it. It is quick and easy to stitch - lovely getting into the rhythm of it - and it is great for going around corners.

Not no my Parade - fmq Cameo 33

It can equally be done military style in straigt line around a square, as in number 33 of our fmq Cameos.

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

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/

All Aflame and Arrow Heads from Learning Curves in 9 Squares

After the excitement of last weeks guest post with Lori at The Inbox Jaunt thanks to all of you who visited the tutorial. I hope many of you found a new source of inspiration in Lori's wonderful FMQ and welcome to new visitors who through the tutorial discovered this blog. If you left a message and I did not reply, this is because you are a 'no-reply blogger' - a problem that often crops up if you are on Goggle plus.

Arrow Heads - from Learning Curves in 9 Squares

So after dramas with show quilts and missed deadlines, back to the Learning Curves in 9 Squares. Arrow Heads is the 5th of the squares you have seen so far. A single border of this pattern is very effective - almost more so I think than en- masse as here.  I like the look of it, but it is not one of my favourites to stitch. I keep forgetting whether I am turning left or right and it takes a lot of concentration. Remember this piece is a trial - hence the learning curves - and one of the lessons learnt here is that pale colours don't work. You may be able to see the FMQ on this somewhat wonky photo (sorry about that), but step a few feet away, and you can't see anything.

All Aflame from Learning Curves in 9 Squares

There is no such problems with this square. The deep red shows up beautifully. The name I think is pretty obvious. This is a design that is very adaptable and works very well around corners

Cobbler's Nightmare from Learning Curves in 9 Squares

I asked your help in naming two of my motives - many thanks to all those who left suggestions. It was fascinating to see what was evoked in viewers. I did like the suggestion of DNA for the above one, but also a few visitors liked the humour of my suggestion of 'Cobbler's Nightmare' and since it appears the joke is obvious enough, I will go with that. The pale green by the way, poses the same problem as the yellow.

Fly-away-home from Learning Curves in 9 Squares

This was the one that really got your creative juices flowing. There was no doubt at all that all of you thought organic both vegetable and animal. There were flowers, hay and vines as well as hearts, lungs and back-bones! My thanks to you all, but particularly to Norma Schlager who came up with the nursery rhyme 'Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home' as a title, which I really loved.

Now I can hear all my British visitors shouting 'but it isn't Ladybug, it's Ladybird'. A bit of Internet research has shown the common British Ladybird is indeed the same insect known as Ladybug in the States - a beetle loved for its appearance and eating of pests such as greenfly. And that got me wondering where the rhyme originated.

 'Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children have flown'

It is thought to have dated back to 18th century (I mean 16th century - see Marly's kind correction below) England and the time of Henry VIII's break with Catholicism. The Lady in question is Mary, mother of Jesus as representative of the Catholic faith and a suggestion to return home to Rome. 'Your house is on fire' is probably a reference to those burnt at the stake for refusing to convert to the new Church of England. 'Your children have flown' refers to Catholic congregations - who had flown into hiding, exile or converted. Fascinating where a piece of FMQ can take you!

To avoid the bird/bug confusion - and because although the motif does look like some kind of flying insect, it definitely isn't a ladybird, I thought I'd just call it 'Fly away home'.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

And for all those of you who missed it, here is the tutorial that appeared as a guest post on Lori's blog last week

Hello Quilters. I am Hilary Florence and I am really thrilled and excited that Lori has agreed to let me do a guest post on her blog. Although our quilting styles are very different, like Lori, I love to create new free motion quilting patterns. So, what better topic than how to start with a simple idea and by playing here and tweaking there, changing it to create:

Theme and Variation

I am going to start with a very simple, elegant design which lets you get into a lovely rhythm on a swinging cross over curve.

Start with a simple downward curve out to the left.

 Stitch up  the middle stopping just short of the starting point

 Now do a mirror image of the curve - out to the right this time, cross over and do another curve to the left - making and inverted S shape.

Go straight up the center, stopping short of the cross over line. You are now ready to begin the motif again with your inverted S - and that's it. Keep going as long as you want.

So - that's the theme, on to the variations

If you have a curve, alter the depth of it.

My first curve was pretty shallow. Here I have made it much deeper, into semi - circles. You can do anything in between or even push it even further and make the motif wider than it is long.

If you have a curve, turn it into a V

Instead of soft curves you now have sharp angles, giving the motif quite a different character. The central line is now enclosed in a box. Think of going across from right to left at 45 degrees, making the exterior angles 90 degrees.

 If you have sharp angles, round them.

The change here is more subtle. Still Vs rather than curves, but this has a softer look.

If you have straight lines, put a kink in them.

This again is not a great change but it gives another feel. Each side of the box should kink slightly towards the centre. Put the kink in the outer lines only, not the central line. The cross right to left cross-over line is now a little more complicated as it has to first kink upwards towards the upper box and then downwards towards the lower box.

Now come the real fun!

If you have a central line, embellish it!

Anything goes here and there are lots of possibilities. Here are just some examples.
I've taken the semi-circle version, started my upward line and then inserted a (more-or-less) symmetrical meander. You could also think of this as a very squashed S.

Next I've gone back to my original flat-curve shape and filled it almost meanders. Just enter and exit with a short bit of straight line. This is one of my favourites and it usually finds a place somewhere in my quilts

The sharp cornered square version deserves a couple of sharp thorns.

And here is the same motif with all the corners smoothed out!

This 'squiggle' also makes a good centre line. Start curving upwards to the left, change direction and curve gently upwards, change direction again and curve upwards to reach the top of the inverted 'S'. 

If you have a nearly close point, open it up.

In all the samples up until now, the middle line has nearly but not quite met the upper line giving the illusion of a square or circle. Now, I have only gone about two thirds of the way up (with the embellishing circle placed about one third of the way up)and dropped the next cross-over line opening the motive up more.


And finally, if you have been there, done that, go back and do it all again!

This one is taken from the current piece I am working on, hence the enclosing 'tram lines'. It is a combination of two of the above variations. Firstly, I have done the rounded square version without central embellishment. I have then gone back stitching over with the circular version and the central squiggle - and I do mean gone back. Of course you could start at the top again, but I suppose I am too lazy to deal with all the threads involved in stopping and starting. When ever possible, I will stitch down a row and then back up. This is also excellent practise for when dealing with items that are too bulky to turn round.

So there we are - from one idea to many versions. All of the above samples are about 1 inch wide with the exception of the last which is one and a half inches. One inch is a good width to start with, but you can also vary the density by varying the size.

Finally, a word about marking. I often say that I mark as little as possible and advocate learning to love your wobbles! I am in awe of the skill of FMQ quilters who produce absolutely identical motifs, but I like the organic look of everything a bit wonky and each repeated motif having its own individuality. I admit to being anxious about this when I considered Lori's wonderful tidy accurate quilting and wondered if I should make an exception. In the end, I decided to be true to my philosophy and stay a bit messy! To start off with I advise marking guide lines 1 inch apart until you can feel the motif. You can chose whether to be neat and tidy and do this with a ruler, or free and easy and mark the lines free hand!  I would be interested to hear where you find easier/better for you. I personally also feel it helps to draw the motif first, or at least to trace it with your finger.

It remains to thank Lori for allowing me to do a guest spot on her blog. I feel very honoured. At the time of writing this, she has just revealed that she has been asked to do a bimonthly column for the  American Quilter  magazine and I want to add my voice to the congratulations. It is richly deserved.

If you would like to see more of my work and fmq designs, please visit my blog at http://quiltingworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/  

Thanks for reading

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

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/

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/

Waving in the Wind - free motion quilting cameo 27

A bit of a break from the black and white theme for this post. It is time for another fmq cameo.

Waving in the Wind - free motion quilting cameo 27

This is one of my motifs that was born of putting pencil to paper and just watching and waiting to see what happens, going with what I like, dropping what I don't and constantly trying out the 'what ifs'. For me it evokes crops waving in a summer breeze. Although the line crosses it is a continuous line and has a nice swing to it. I think it looks better stitched all in the same direction, which is a bit of a pain because it means you have to stop at the end of each row and start on again for the next.

Thanks for dropping by..

Hilary Florence

P.S. I'm linking this post to:

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/
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/
Do go and have a look at some of the other fantastic quilts there.

To cut or not to cut?

 Actually, that isn't  the question. The black on white quilted piece shown in progress last week, is now finished. The question is, how do I cut it up?

I admit, I am very nervous now. If I get this wrong, a lot of work will to to waste, so for the moment I am still working with my paper layouts. Here are some more.

The shapes are quite nice, but the layout gives a very boring negative space...

so a couple of different arrangements...

a few more with a kind of 'zipper' effect, playing around with the amount of separation between the right and left sides...

or in alignment...like this one, interesting negatives spaces...

could this be the one???

thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

P.S. I am linking this to:

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/

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/
Do go and have a look at some of the other fantastic quilts and quilters there.

Trio of Leaves - free motion quilting cameo 26

Trio of Leaves - free motion quilting cameo 26

This is a spin off from the previous post 'Leaf Triplets'. The leaves have become more stylised and symmetrical. The curved stem has gone and the straight veins jet out at a 90 degree angle, each vein with an ending - triangles for the first leaf, circles for the second and kites for the third.

Thanks for stopping by...

Hilary Florence