Free Motion Quilting Challenge 2012

Sew Cal Gal is hosting a Free Motion Quilting Challenge. Every month, for the next year, there will be a tutorial with a feature teacher. This month the teacher is Frances Moore. She made a video tutorial on heart shaped leaves, and gave us lots of pointers. Here are my results:

Stitched on a Bernina

stitched on a Pfaff

I doodled on paper first, then tried sewing the design. It was awkward stitching at first. My brain was determined to make elongated oval leaves, not heart shaped! (At times I would forget to make the center vein too). It will take some practice to get this design flowing the way I would like. I left some blank areas and got myself stuck in a few corners, but I like the overall effect.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming months of practice!! Why not join in the challenge too!

Happy Stitching
corina

Quilting My Funky Flowers for FNSI

I know many of you thought I had disappeared off the face of the earth. I'm still alive and kicking! This year we went all out with Christmas. Lots of decorating, baking, 2 big turkey dinners and many get togethers with friends and family. Best of all, my daughter came home at the end of December for a 2 week visit. This was quite a wonderful event as she lives in Athens, Greece and I haven't seen her for over a year! She brought her boyfriend of many years too. It was wonderful to connect with my future son in law (nothing official, but I'm hoping!). Needless to say, blogging was put on the back burner. In fact, so was everything else!

The FNSI marked my return to my sewing. I finished free motion quilting my Funky Flower Jelly Roll 1600. I did an allover pattern of swirls and small flowers, trying to mimic one of the flowers in the applique (key word is trying).

 Note to self: Never try to quilt a black and white quilt with white thread! It was impossible to see where I was going or where I had been. The stitches completely disappeared on the background. Eventually I used masking tape to mark off small areas to work in. I could have used wash out markers, but for some reason I was too stubborn to do that.

I tried something a little different for the backing. It reminds me of the teeth on a zipper, so I'm calling it my zipper backing.  Next time I try it I'm going to use solids, or fabrics with less of a pattern. That should make the zipper effect stand out a little more. Tomorrow I'm off to a mini retreat with a goal of attaching the binding.

I'm working on a list of goals for this year. Something has to be done about all the unfinished projects!

Happy Stitching!
corina

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends! I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with health, joy, family. friends, lots of fabric and oodles of quilting time. See you all in January ;)

All the Best
corina

BLOG HOP PARTY WINNER!

I truly enjoyed being part of the Blog Hop Party. Thanks to everyone for stopping by my blog! I had asked that you leave a comment telling me what your favorite toy was when you were growing up. There were some wonderful comments. My memory got jogged quite a few times. I'd all but forgotten my Velvet doll with hair that grew and my Barbie with the wigs.

My favorite toy was a baby doll with auburn hair. She was chubby, like me, and can you believe I called her Fatty !?! (maybe I should see a professional about that LOL). I loved her to pieces. One day my brother took a red felt marker and drew on her (he must have been mad at me for something!). He's lucky he survived. Unfortunately she didn't.

 The dogs are telling me that I've bored them to tears so on to the winner! Drum roll please....number 151!

 Jsoosay said...i was a Barbie girl when I was little. Those books are so adorable thanks for the chance. 

Congratulations Jsoosay! You get your choice of prize. Judging by your comment, though, you would like the needlecase. Let me know which initial you want on it!

Out of all the lovely answers to my question there was one that really struck a chord with me. It was all about a well loved little teddy bear that had some pretty traumatic experiences but survived. I think his Mom deserves a little something for all the care she gave him so.....I'm giving  her a prize too (she gets second choice)!

beaquilter said....

I'm a new follower, love both the items! my favorite toy is NALLE, he's a bear my mom actually got when she was 1 and passed on to me, his fur is all worn off, because she had spilled him in oil when she was little, plus when I was a child my dog chewed it up! Nalle is stuffed with saw dust! so I came home from school with saw dust in my room- not much but enough to make a few holes in him, so we had to take him to a DOLL/teddy bear doctor and he got patched back up with pieces of RUG! that was the only thing that matched... when I was a teenager I crocheted little outfits and booties for him to protect him. he now sits on a chair next to our bed, he's a stiff little thing and not very pretty with leather paws and glass beads as eyes, but I love him and would never part with him.

Thanks again to everyone for participating! It's almost Christmas. There's tons of stuff left to do! So I better get going on my sewing! I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. I'm so glad I started blogging and have been able to share my quilting adventures with new found friends! See you all in the New Year!

Hugs,
corina
PS - I noticed I'm getting close to 100 followers so there might be another giveaway in the new year!

FNSI & Roots to Grow Wire Worked Tree

I took another beading class this past week and am thrilled with the results. The class was called Roots To Grow.So easy. I will be making many more of these! It's about 3 1/2" in diameter. A little large for a pendant, but could easily be a tree ornament. The next one I make will be smaller though.

As for my FNSI, it was more of a 1 seam sew in.The final guild meeting of the year was last night so I didn't get started on my FNSI until 11!  At least something got started (yup another one of those Jelly Roll 1600s).

This one will be much larger, more of a queen sized quilt. If my calculations are correct, I need 3 jelly rolls to make it. I've got a week left to do it, along with some smaller handmade gifts.

I ventured out to the mall this morning. All I can say is YIKES! Thank goodness all my shopping is done, except for the groceries. Tonight I will get our little tree decorated. It's one of those tall, but very skinny alpine looking trees. I usually only have lights on it - but this year it's getting smothered with sparkly light gold, silver and taupe baubles. It will look gaudy and overdressed but I don't care - this year my heart cries out for shimmer!

Happy Holidays!
corina

My FNSI Results

 Last week I started a wall quilt from Gloria Loughman's book "Quilted Symphony". I love her work. Hopefully one day I can see her quilts in person. My version of her quilt is in browns and greys. I finished sewing around the circles. There are a few more sections to be done, but that will probably have to wait until after Christmas!

Love the purple/green combination

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Just click here!
Happy Stitching,
 corina