Free Motion Quilting... a Beginning!

One of the directions I've decided to follow is quilting, both traditional and art quilting. To that end, I've been taking a bunch of classes, including a Basic Beginners Quilting class at my local quilt shop, Quiltz, here in Phoenix. OK, so Quiltz isn't the closest store to me but it's the one where I feel really comfortable and that's what counts, right? So I've taken a few classes there and this week, I started the Advanced Beginners class that goes for six weeks.

Naturally, once you make a quilt top, you have to layer it with batting and a backing and quilt the layers together. Or you pay someone to do it but then it isn't just your own work anymore, is it? So I took a class on machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine (what people have in their homes for regular sewing usually). OK, so I do know people with heavy duty machines, leather machines, long-arm machines intended for quilting big quilts, etc. But mostly we all have some form of the basic old-fashioned Singer machine, no matter what brand it is or how many bells and whistles it has. Newer machines can cost as much as a small car and let you access the internet! Mine don't do that but the newest is called a "Sewing Computer" by its manufacturer.

So anyway, I started looking to see what's available online in terms of learning to machine quilt. One of the things I came across is SewCalGal's blog. I've taken up the challenge and decided to do the FMQ Monthly Challenge (free-motion quilting - see the badge to the right). So, me being me, I naturally didn't have time to do the first month's challenge in time to be eligible for one of the prizes. That's okay. I'm in it to learn, not for the prizes, though I'd love to win an assortment of Aurifil threads or some fabric! I did it late, following my agreement with myself that I had to do these in order and that I had to do them... eventually. So three days late isn't too bad now, is it?

This is my version of leaves inspired by Frances Moore for the January tutorial and challenge. I had a couple of sample sized quilt sandwiches left from my beginning machine quilting class from last year and used this white muslin sandwich to try out her design. The thread is Superior's King Tut #40 in a variegated yellow-green in both top and bottom of the machine. I used the #90/14 needle suggested by Superior for use with this thread and my Bernina 435 sewing machine with the feed dogs dropped and a spring-loaded quilting foot. I did not use my Bernina Stitch Regulator. Maybe I should have?

I actually didn't screw this one up as much as I feared I would. It sure has room for improvement and I only stopped once to rip out a bit and re-do it. But overall, I was surprised to be happy with maybe half of the leaves and most of the connectors. I'll definitely need to revisit this. Maybe I should use a different color thread and just use the same quilt sandwich? Or will I actually want to have this someday?

Hmmm...