Hilary Florence Quilting Workshop: free motion quilting Cameo

Showing posts with label free motion quilting Cameo. Show all posts

Thursday, 11 September 2014

You loose some you win some and Getting to the Point

So many of you have told me how one of your quilts got very different results and reactions in different shows. The question is, if it is just down the personal choice, style preference etc, when you loose, what is it when you win?!!!

Straight on top of my mixed results at Birmingham Festival of Quilts, I entered 2 of my quilts (you've seen them both before) at The Great Northern Quilt Show in the UK.

Art quilt, free motion quilting on metallic fabric, original design, award winning quilt

Cosmic Split won a judges' choice ribbon in the Large Wall Hanging category. I am really please because I love this quilt. I feel it is so dramatic, I can't imagine how I am every going to make a better quilt.

Hilary Florence, Square Spiral, Whole cloth, free motion quilting, winner of wholecloth amateur in the Great Northern Quilt Show

Square Spiral won the Amateur Whole Cloth Category - as in came first!!

In many of the quilt shows in the UK, as well as all the categories that you can enter, there are technical prizes that the judges can award to any quilt in any category. (Is it the same in other countries?)

You won't be surprised to learn that the one I covert is the one for machine quilting. In every show I've entered so far (all 4 of them!) that prize has been won by a professional long arm quilter (and yes there is a separate prize for long arm quilting, but I suppose quilting on a long arm is also technically machine quilting so they get that one too).

Don't get me wrong, the winning quilts are spectacular, but I just don't feel as an amateur on a domestic I can compete with a professional doing a huge bed quilt on a long arm. So I was thrilled to find a category for amateurs - and even more thrilled to win it! (Didn't get the overall one for machine quilting though - that one is still to aim for).

And now for something that you haven't seen before.

original free motion quilting design, continuous line pattern, on hand-dyed cotton

Getting to the Point - FMQ Cameo 40

This is another of my castellated designs (as is 'That is the question' or All Aflame). This is such a useful technique as it allows you to flip the motif on it's head and frames it nicely at the same time. I've called it 'Getting to the point' but I also see a ship being launched. I love the shape created by superimposing the 2 versions of the motif, one tall and skinny, the other fatter and squatter. It doesn't really matter which you do first, but I always start with the tall and skinny. Bit like me really - started life tall and skinny and ended fatter and squatter!

Thanks for visiting

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

Thursday, 21 August 2014

Chorus Line - Free Motion Cameo 39

Step into your dances shoes for Chorus Line - FMQ Cameo 39.

Chorus Line - Free Motion Cameo 39

I'm quite fond of these cheeky chaps and chapesses although they are probably a bit too rotund to make good dances. I don' think they would pass a 'Lord of the Dance' audition! They are quite labor intensive. I do them in 4 steps - the leg arches first, the body and head in a figure of 8 second, then the arms for the final 2.

Many thanks to all of you who left such wonderful comments on Cosmic Split. I did suggest to a few of you that you get yourselves hired a quilt judges at the Festival of Quilts forthwith!
I promised I would let you know how the quilt got on.

Cosmic Split

Well, judge A loved it and gave it an 'Excellent' for every applicable category. Judge B wasn't so impressed and interestingly enough, marked down everything I thought was good about the quilt. She gave it a few 'goods' for colour and material choice, but only a satisfactory for the 'treatment of edges' (that I was so proud of!), satisfactory for the quilt overall as an art quilt and a 'needs attention' for the 'design and execution of quilting' with a note to avoid the 'puckering' in the background. That did worry me a bit. There is no point in me going to all that extra effort to add textural interest in the form of ruching (which is much trickier to quilt) if it just looks as if I can't lay down a flat piece of fabric! I liked the effect, but maybe I am going to have to rethink that one.

Anyway, 30 thousand people got to see the quilt which is quite a thought.

Thursday, 31 July 2014

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

Monday, 23 June 2014

...and then 3 came at once!

It is a known fact in British folk lore that you have to wait hours for a bus to come - and then 3 come at once. So it is with my FMQ Cameos. I have been very lax about posting them in the past few week - literally sidetracked! So here are 3 at once.

That is the Question - fmq Cameo 35

The first one, based on a question mark is aptly named 'That is the Question'. I know I keep saying 'I really enjoy quilting this motif' but the curls on this one are fun to do. It took a bit of practice to get the thicks and the thins as I wanted, but I am pleased with them now. Putting the motif in a box allows me to also include the motif inverted. This is an idea that I use with quite a few of my motifs.

Ripped Ribbon - fmq Cameo 36

This is one of those motifs that looks different depending on whether you look at the positive or the negative. I conceived it as a ribbon with random rips in it and I think it may be more effective as a single row. There are 4 rows here, so that you can also see a very odd what? - tree trunk with short, stubby branches? Definitely go with the ribbon - it's prettier!

Fmq Cameo 37

I haven't come up with a name for number 37 yet (all suggestions welcome). I hope you can see what I have done because it is easier than describing it! The idea was that the little vertical lines joining the S shapes, themselves create a curving vertical shape and also alter the balance between the two bowls of the S. I told you it was easier to look!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence