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   

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/

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/

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/

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.

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

Leaf Print - free motion quilting cameo 24

Leaf Print - free motion quilting cameo 24

We are back to parallel lines. They are oh so flexible and rich in potential. I'm sure I have seen this idea in a drawing somewhere, but I can't remember where and when. Evidently I filed it away as inspiration for free motion quilting. Like the Funky spider web - this would be a great design for simple plain squares, especially if you kept to the idea of filling in the space between veins with parallel lines, but changed the size and shape of the leaf. Now there is an idea!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Funky Spider Web - free motion quilting cameo 23

There is nothing original about parallel lines and spiral, but I'm rather fond of this funky spider web. I always like playing around with the dimensions of a motive - making it bigger or smaller. I find these 3 motifs work well together and giving the web nine arms lends a nice symmetry. I haven't yet tried the idea with other motifs - but I'm filing the idea. I have a quilt top of 6" squares that I made in my very early days of dyeing (idea was to see how many colours you could make using just 3 dyes). I have never got around to quilting it. This might must be the job. Watch this space!

Thanks for dropping by...
Hilary Florence

Hourglass - free motion quilted Cameo 22

Hourglass - free motion quilted Cameo 22

Rows of hourglasses flow across the page in gentle lines. Symmetry across the horizontal axis means this one looks the same quilted forward or backward. Depending on the space to be filled, the hourglass can be tall and skinny, or short and fat. It is interesting to see how that can quite alter its character. There is a good juxtaposition of angles, straight and curved lines - although some of the 'staight' lines can also be given a bit a curve if wished.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Keyholes - free motion quilting Cameo 21

Keyholes - free motion quilting Cameo 21

OK, so this quilt a jumble of keyholes all tangles up together, but that is rather the fun of it! I wonder what secrets so many keyholes are hiding?

Like Thorny Point, Cameo 17, this design is a 'there and back' one. In other words, the first line creates just one side and you need to quilt back again to finish the design, so ending up at your starting point. You could be absolutely symmetrical and make keyholes left and right the same - but you know by now I rarely do symmetrical. Here I've taken asymmetry even a step further and made the central stem occasionally shift to the right or left.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Wooded Hills - free motion quilted Cameo 20

Wooded Hills - free motion quilted Cameo 20

This is another cameo that was inspired by the work of another quilter, namely Freida Anderson. You can see her work at www.friestyle.com/

Frieda creates some wonderful fused and quilted collages, often featuring leaves. One showed leaves or trees arranged on hills. I have done a similar arrangement here, using a very simple stylised tree. The trees quilted on their own were not particularly interesting, but it is the rhythm of the background quilting, the close lines echoing the curve of the hills that makes the piece hang together.

At some point I will expand on this idea, perhaps using a different design of tree in each square.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by

Hilary Florence

Tribal Sun - free motion quilting Cameo 19

Tribal Sun - free motion quilting Cameo 20

This cameo was inspired by the quilting on some cushions by Yoshiko Jinzenji. If you have never seen the work of the inspirational quilt artist Yoshiko Jinzenji, do visit her website at http://www.yoshikoquilt.com

The quilting created a variety of patterns using close parallel lines. It is quite a while since I made this cameo, and this is a technique I must return to. I find it very meditative and particularly enjoy creating the larger triangles. Any one of the 3 sides can be used as the starting point of the parallel lines, each side giving a very different result. You can chose whether to make the ends curved or straight.

Enjoy.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Thorny Point - free motion quilting Cameo 17

Thorny Point - free motion quilting Cameo 17

I don't think I can claim that this is an original design. Many quilters and artists have used images of thorns or barbed wire to great effect in their work. I find it a very powerful motif and of course, by its nature, every time you quilt it, it will be different.

I quilt down one side, creating thorns of different lengths and angles as I go, then go back up the other side and complete them. In general in my quilting, I pre-mark as little as possible, but here, if you want interlocking, but not crossing lines in a good rhythm, in can help just to mark the line in first.

It works well as a single line, or a collection of interlocking lines to create a texture. The line can be vertical, horizontal or even curved.

Enjoy

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

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

Journal Quilt Competition 2014 - sneak preview

I have just posted a couple of entries to the Journal Quilt Competition 2014, organised by Grovenor Shows.

Beneath Our Feet - The Earth's Inner Landscape - detail. Entry into the Journal Quilt Competition 2014

 The theme this year is 'Landscape' and the exhibition of journal quilts will be shown at the Spring Quilt Festivals around the country, Quilts UK and Malvern 2014.

I am not sure what the etiquette is for showing competition quilts on line before the compeition/exhibition, so I've just giving a couple of detail shots.

My Inner Landscape - Around and around in my Mind. Entry into the Journal Quilt Competition 2014

Nobody who has been following this blog will be surprised to see I have managed to interpret 'Landscape' in terms of free motion quilting! It will be fun to see what others have come up with, but I anticipate there will be much variety.

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

Notan leaves and more Procion Paper Play

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Notan Leaf 1 - printed on paper with thickened procion dyes

I thought it would be great to start the year I hope to go on - namely with some creative fun.
I have played around a little with Notan - that is motives and patterns that balance negative and positive space. I made a few leaf stamps with funky foam, thickened some dye and off I went.

Grid stamped Notan Leaf 1

I've overlapped the stamp here to make a loose grid. The background overlaps but not the leaf itself. Extra texture is added with another stamp, made from rubber bands stretched across a base.

Overlapping Notan Leaf 1 stamp

Here I've overlapped the leaves in this one - not sure I like this.

Notan Leaf 1 multi-directional  overlapping

And pretty sure I don't like just overlapping in all directions

Notan Leaf 2

 Here is Leaf 2...

Notan Leaf 2 - mirror repeat

repeated and with mirror image..

Notan Leaf 2 stamp half drop repeat

different colour scheme and a half-drop repeat grid.

Notan Leaf 3 - simple repeat

 Notan Leaf 3 - very fiddly stamp to make this one, not just cutting out all the little bits of foam but sticking them on to the other side!

Notan Leaf 3 horizontal half drop repeat

Enjoy!

Thanks for dropping by

Hilary Florence