Learning new skills in graffiti quilting class

Learning new skills in graffiti quilting class

This was the first lesson of our grafitti quilting class. Students enjoyed tuition on design elements, practicing on sketch pads, before giving it a go on our long arm machines.

Free motion quilting on the sweet sixteen, grafitti style!

Grafitti quilting can be done on any machine that can free motion, including domestic, sit down and long arm frame machines.

The Bernina 20 is great for this type of quilting, with its stitch regulation it gives great results every time.

We offer classes on different types of quilting, check out our website for details of upcoming classes. They are great fun and a good way to meet others interested in similar things to you.

Stitch regulation makes quilting a breeze.

Do you enjoy quilting but are disappointed by the uneven stitch length you get?

This is a predictable dilemma, caused by the fact that you are often moving the quilt under the stitching foot by hand and may be moving faster and slower at times.

The feed dogs normally ensure smooth progression of your work through the machine, producing uniform length stitches. When you disengage the feed dogs to free motion quilt, it is now up to you to move the fabric through the machine.  The evenness and consistency of your stitches depends on how you move the fabric/quilt under the foot.

Moving slowly will produce small stitches, fast movements will result in long stitches , both of which can detract from the overall effect of your quilting.

Here is an example of free motion quilting on one of our sit down long arms with the stitch regulation disengaged- yes you can turn it off if you want to!  Notice the varying size of the stitches.

I then turned the stitch regulation on and kept going exactally the same way and you can see how the machine keeps the stitches even no matter how inconsistently I move the fabric

The development of stitch regulation has made it possible to eliminate this problem. This wonderful feature is where the machine has been designed to adjust its stitching to allow for varying speed of the fabric movement and maintain uniform stitch size and quality.  This is made possible by the use of built in sensors that detect the speed the fabric is being moved over the stitch plate and adjusts the machine's stitching to maintain consistency.  This work both for those who want to stitch slowly and carefully and those who want to go flat out.

This feature is available to all quilters as it can be found on some of Bernina's domestic machines, as well as all of our Bernina and Handiquilter sit down long arm machines and frame long arm machines.

Come in and see the difference stitch regulation can make to your quilting, you will love it!

Here is another example of the improvement to your stitches using stitch regulation. I switched the feature off on our frame mounted Bernina Q24 and did some quilting,

As you can easily see, quite irregularly sized stitches. 

Then I switched the stitch regulator back on and got perfectly even results ,quilting in exactally the same way, as you can see in the photo below. So easy and such great results!

Please feel free to drop in anytime to check this out, we will also be running demonstrations soon featuring this so check our website for details. 

Keep practicing, Pam

Projects to keep me busy.

I can't believe that it is almost April. Over the past two months I have been very busy creating and completing a show quilt for AQC (yet to know whether it is a finalist), class samples for terms 2/3 as well as having a go at making some temari balls for an Easter Gift.
The class samples include a kaleidoscope quilt, a Westalee whole cloth quilt and a yet to be complete stain glass quilt that uses steam-a-seam self adhesive tape. Each of these uses different techniques so there is sure to be something there for you.

I have stitched the whole cloth quilt using Westalee rulers and contrast thread on black fabric so it is easier for you to see the designs and I have stitched five different border patterns to show what you can do with the Westalee rulers. Also showcased are four of the Wonderfil Mirage varigated threads so you can see how they stitch out.

I have also really enjoyed making the temari balls that are an ideal project when "watching" T.V at night.
I have used some of the patterns from Barbara B. Suess Book " Temari Techniques - A Visual Guide to Making Japanese Embroidered Thread Balls"
No.5 perle cotton was used for the embroidery/wrapping and I have wrapped polystyrene balls so that they are light enough to be used as Christmas tree decorations.
It took a few nights to complete each one although if your hands are in better shape than mine, it may takes you less time. 

Have a lovely Easter break
It’s all about craft/quilting
Jacqui

Wonderfil's new Fabulux is well named.

Hi everyone,

Further to Anne's post yesterday about Wonderfil's new thread Fabulux, I just wanted to show you what it looks like when graffiti quilted on black. Isn't it just luscious?

I can't wait to use the other colours in the range. 

It's all about quilting.

Jacqui.

Make a Christmas Table Cloth with AccuQuilt and Embroidery

I am counting down the weeks to Christmas, and this year I will be making all the presents I give. It is a big ask, but I know I can do it if I stay focused.  Of course I find making things for the blokes (men) in my world the hardest to do so I have made up a bit of a list.  But more on that in future posts.

Right now I thought I would share something I began this morning. It is a table cloth (ready made) that I am embroidering with a very sweet Sarah Vedeler design that works with a Sparkle-Slim tree die from AccuQuilt.

Have you used these before?

There is some work in preparation, but I cheated a little in using a pre-made square table cloth.  There are instructions for making a table runner from scratch with the die.

I started by starching the table cloth, and using the Sewing Revolution ruler I marked up my north/south/east/west and 45 degree angles.

Then I prepared by appliqué fabric with fusible web.  I used cob-web because I like the fact that there is no paper backing to remove, and that it is quite thin so it doesn't make my appliqué too stiff.

Using my software I loaded the design onto my USB flash stick, and opened it using my new machine.  (I have a beautiful new Bernina 780, which I am still learning so using it for a big embroidery, with careful placement required is a good learning exercise!)

Finally time to stitch out. The first lines in the design are placement, and then the good stuff follows on.

After the second placement lines (I used white thread so it could not not be seen should it peak out from under the appliqué fabric) I removed the hoop and positioned the appliqué fabric.

The fabric is pressed into position using a hot iron, and the hoop returned to the machine.

Finally time to stitch out all those lovely patterns and colours, the finished cloth is in the shop!

Joan's quilt 6

The HQ Sweet Sixteen and smaller table are great for quilting when you don't have much space. Joan's quilt is a double bed size, this is still achievable on a smaller table. I like to bunch the quilt up and puddle it as I go. For this block I am using a combination of the Handi Gadgets Mini Ruler and the Versa Tool.

I know this isn't traditional quilting, but I think this works, what do you think?

After looking at the overall quilt, I realised that this block hadn't any quilting on the lighter background. So I thought that I would have a go at drawing the lines with a chalk pencil and have a go at quilting it without using a ruler. We will see how I go, I may regret this decision.

Well that was easier than I thought. Not perfect, but not too bad. I am going to do some of the other squares like this. If you don't have a ruler foot or rulers to use, I think this is a great option.

Have fun creating,  Anne 

Joan's quilt 5

Joan had hand basted all the layers before hand quilting some of this quilt. This has made it easier to load on the HQ Fusion with some clips rather than pin it to the leaders. After looking through the patterns on the Pro Stitcher, I thought Pam Clark's pc-all-around arcs would enhance the centre block. I did think of trying to fit the design within the points, so using the multi point function, I plotted the shape. Once I had the shape I loaded the design over the top. It didn't look as good as I thought it might. So I rotated the design on the screen and that was the look that I wanted. As WonderFil Fruitti is a 12 weight thread you need a needle size 12 or 14 with a bigger eye, this will stop thread breaks. Time to stitch, I am happy with the result, what do you?

More about this beautiful quilt next time. 

Have fun creating your own memories, Anne

More about Joan's quilt 4

Joan had shadow quilted 3 of the 4 triangles next to the centre block. I chose to use the Bernina Q20 with free motion. The table that is available with the Bernina is fantastic! If I had the space at my home, this would be a must for me. When extended it measures 190cm long and this would be great for bigger quilts.

Have fun creating, Anne

Joan's quilt 3

So now I'm up to the smaller squares. I'm hopeless at straight lines, so the HQ mini ruler made my job easier. It's only small, so much use will it get? Well this would be a must for starting out with using rulers and at only $22, very good value.

This it my first attempt, not perfect but I think I'm improving. What do you think?

My second attempt, better I thought?

Now the question is, do I keep using the straight ruler or try my hand at he HQ Versa Tool? I need to step back for a moment and look at the overall quilt rather than just each square. 

Have fun creating, Anne

Joan's quilt 2

After showing my very good friend the progress on Joan's quilt, I thought I should do some more of the smaller squares. So I decided to try my hand a using the Handi Gadgets VersaTool ruler. I think this is great for some simple petal shapes to enhance the other lines, what do you think?

At this rate I might finish this quicker than I thought. Well on with the quilting.

Have fun creating, Anne

Free motion quilting ideas

Sometimes I get stuck for new ideas to try when free motion quilting. I have done quite a bit of stippling and meandering, curls and spirals, all of which I do as a continual line design. This means you don't start and stop, but work back and forward across the entire quilt, working your way down the quilt. However it is good to try new things and different styles will challenge you to improve your control of the machine.

I was asked to do some free motion quilting on this batik quilt that had areas of small piecing and then areas where fairly large triangles were used between the pieced blocks

The batik quilt I am working on, areas of small piecing, and large green triangles between these blocks.

I didn't feel that an all over quilting style would suit the batik green fabric , so thought I would try and follow the print of the fabric and hopefully enhance the batik effect.

This is quite a challenging task, especially with a batik as the pattern is very random, often small and quite spikey which can be hard to follow. 

Some ares of the design are clearly defined, others are quite soft and abstract.

Soft abstract designs can be a bit hard to follow but enjoy the challenge and give it a go, it will look great. Don't stress too much about following the outline exactly you will improve with practice, and the effect is created by the quilting following the effect of the print, not by carefully outlining it, the outline isn't clear on some areas anyway!

I have found that fairly slow is a good approach, but not too slow as your quilting can become a bit stilted or jerky if you go too slow. This quilting works better if you leave areas of background between the print unquilted as the quilting stands out more. The best way I have found to do this is to quilt as much as you can in one go, then when you need to start somewhere else, do a few stitches in the same spot to anchor the thread, then stop the machine, release the presser foot if needed and "jump" to the next spot. Start here by again stitching a few stitches on top of each other and off you go. This eliminates bringing up your bobbin thread each time you start which can be tedious. It will mean that you will have to clip your threads that lie between where you finished and started next, but this can wait until you are finished. Don't forget they will be on the back too!

This shows the back, and my "jump threads" that will need clipping at the end.

The line of stitching showing here is basting, not jump threads.

Here you can see some threads where I have jumped to another spot.

How much print detail you choose to stitch depends on you, how much time you want to put in to the quilting and personal taste. Don't feel you have to quilt everything. Too much may take over the print, you still want to see the fabric print behind the quilting. This is a really good exercise for improving fine control of your machine and following a design. I hope you have fun experimenting with this, enjoy, Pam

Ps the thread I am using is Wonderfil Tutti,a 50 wt variegated quilting thread which comes in a whole range of colours. They work really well with the colour variety in batik fabrics.

Four Great Events.

Hi everyone.

This time of the year is super busy.  In Australia we combine Christmas and New Year with our annual Summer Holidays, which can lead to some crazy parties - and forgetful moments.

Last night I was at the final planning meeting for the Fabric Frolic, and I realised that I have completely lost a week of planning time.  Now I have to really put my skates on and get things done!  And it is forecast to be 41+ degrees Celsius today (more than 100 f).

If you are reading this and you are in the Ringwood area next week we have 4 huge events.

First up our annual Shop Hop - which we call the Fabric Frolic - kicks off on Friday - yes that is just 2 days time!  The shop hop has it's own website www.fabric-frolic.moonfruit.com so take a look and join in the fun.  At last nights meeting there were just 4 spots left on the Moorabbin bus, however you can self drive and you have a huge 8 days to do that.

The next event is the Husqvarna Viking Epic Product Launch.

The launch will be held at our Long Arm Quilting Centre just up the road from the main shop at 42C Wantirna Road, on Tuesday 19 January, 1pm-4pm.

On Wednesday 20 January we will be launching the Premier + Embroidery Software System.  This launch is also at the Long Arm Quilting Centre just up the road from the main shop at 42C Wantirna Road,  1pm-4pm.

Letitia Moore from Blessington will be hosting these two launch parties, and naturally space is limited so please email the shop on info.ringwoodsewingcentre@gmail.com to book your spot.

Finally on Saturday 23 January we wrap up the Fabric Frolic with a fun day - Put on a Pinny and Cook up a Quilt Day.  on this great day you need to find your favourite apron (known locally as a Pinny) and pop it on when you visit any of the Fabric Frolic shops.  You will be rewarded with free pattern (s) and a chance to go into the draw for special prizes donated by the day's sponsor PK Fabrics.  All the details are on the Fabric Frolic website.

Happy Sewing (and keep cool)

Michelle

What to do when it is 40 degrees outside........QUILT

Hi all,
It has been so hot this week that I had to find something to take my mind off it.

I put the cooler on and descended into my quilting room to quilt.
Using the new Wonderfil Fabulux thread I finished the graffiti quilt I started a few weeks ago at the shop.

This form of quilting is great for those of you who have a long arm machine or who now have the Westalee ruler foot to use on your domestic machine and are venturing into the world of free motion quilting. It allows you to practise your control of the machine or the quilt, (depending on the model you have) when you are in free motion mode. You are also able to "let go" as any 'mistakes' are lost in the overall design.

The fabulux thread which is a 40WT randomly spaced multi thread is a dream to use. It has a wonderful sheen and it worked beautifully on my HQ Avante machine.  I can't wait for the range to become available as it has some fabulous colours.

It was a real surprise when we started quilting with it. Once the thread was quilted out it looked more intense and some colours which had not been evident on the cone became visible. It also looks spectacular on the black fabric.

Pop into the Long Arm Centre and have a look at the colour chart for this thread and I am sure you will be as impressed as I am.

 

It's all about quilting,
Jacqui