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.

Like Peas in a Pod - free motion quilting Cameo 16

Like Peas in a Pod - free motion quilting Cameo 16

Not like two peas in a pod, because these pods take a little more than two peas and as you know by now, I don't like my motifs to be that alike. Some individuality is good and 'consistently inconsistent' is a motto I live my quilting life by. First quilt the pod - which takes you back to your starting point at the top of the pod - then fill in the center with peas - which very conveniently takes you to the bottom of the pod, ready to start the next one. Make them as fat or as thin as you want and stuff in as many peas as you can - you won't have to shell them!

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Ee -bah-gum - free motion quilting Cameo 15

Ee -bah-gum - free motion quilting Cameo 15

Essential a 'e' in a box, this is a very satisfying one to do. In a simple straight border it is very elegant. As you can see here, the 'e's can be squashed up or stretched out to go around corners or fit into small or large spaces. The two halves of the 'e' can be symmetrical or not. The choice is yours!

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Finger Print - free motion quilting Cameo 14

Finger Print - free motion quilting Cameo 14

OK, this isn't exactly a design motif, more a way to use parallel lines, but what a way! Columns of parallel lines are much used to great effect by Laura and Linda  Kemshall  laurakemshall.blogspot.co.uk and lindakemshall.com
They are great for covering area and not detracting too much the terrific surface design that Laura and Linda are famed for.

They can also be used as the star of the show, rather than just the supporting cast. By gently opening out or closing each parallel (which, if you want to be pedantic, or course means it is no longer truly a parallel!) the columns can be made to twist and turn to go around just about any shape you want. Of course, you can also alter the width of the columns. Here, I've also altered the space between the columns, making them also gently open and close. So often, the un-quilted negative can be used to form an important part of the over-all effect.

The combination of all these variables gives a lot of room to play - and we haven't even thought about thread colour!

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by

Hilary Florence

Encore - free motion quilting Cameo 13

Encore - free motion quilting Cameo 13

Doesn't this just look like crowds of people jumping up and down going crazy for more? It is very forgiving and doesn't need to be at all symmetrical to look good. In fact, the more variation to the figures, the more fun they look as if they are having. I've done it quite tightly here, with my audience in neat, well behaved rows. It is very easy to open out for a much looser density and is a wonderful motif for awkward spaces.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Banana Bunches - free motion quilting Cameo 12

Banana Bunches - free motion quilting Cameo 12

May be Banana bunches isn't quite the right name for this one - may be Jungle Leaves? Anyway, it's another one that has many possible tweaks, each of which will give it a different character. Each 'finger' here, has a slight curved and slanted sharp cornered finish, which echoes the motif above. These fingers could be finished with a straight edge, or a rounded end, or a point. Each side of the central line could have three or more fingers. The fingers themselves could curl in or out. And so on.

That is the joy of doodling to create designs - there are so many possibilities and variations.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Bubble Wrap - free motion quilting Cameo 11

Bubble Wrap - free motion quilting Cameo 11

This is a real textural piece. First, each chain of circles is echoed. This in itself looks good. Filling in the gaps with more 'circles', which of course become more ovals as the space changes, gives a richer, denser texture.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Square Division - free motion quilting Cameo 10

Square Division - free motion quilting Cameo 10

This is great to use for pieced squares or diamonds. It can be made square, as here, or easily elongated a bit to fit more pointed diamonds. A half drop repeat will cover the whole surface, where as a simple repeat, as here, creates a negative square which becomes part of the design.

Enjoy.

Thanks for dropping by

Hilary Florence

surface design with procion MX dyes

As in the previous post, these couple of abstracts are done with (an old!) credit card. This time, the card was not so loaded, so no beads of dye around the edges. I've created movement by dragging the card in a curvy waves.

The 'doodling' is again done with a needle-nosed bottle. I've aimed at imitating a script without it actually saying anything. 

I really enjoy working with the effects you can create using a needle-nosed bottle. It took me a long time to find a supplier in the UK (Art-van-go has them). Then a friend produced the bottle her home hair-dye kit comes in. Identical! So if you are having problems finding a needle-nosed bottle - go and buy some hair dye.

I've used turquoise and charcoal dyes, which of course mix to give lovely shades of teal.

printing paper and fabric with procion MX thickened dyes

My free motion quilting project is now sadly on hold while my broken arm mends, so I thought I would use the time to post another project  I did on printing paper and fabric with procion MX thickened dyes.

These two abstract designs are done using an old credit card to scrape thickened turquoise and lemon dyes onto paper. The darker lines are made by using a heavily loaded card that leaves thick streaks. On paper, leaving white areas added texture and lightness, but didn't look so good when I tried it on cloth.

This next one has no white left. I have also added scribbles using a needle-nosed bottle. The thickened dye needs to be quite a bit runnier for this.