The Free Motion Quilting Project: Week #3

Leah Day Week 3 Challenge: Playing with Scale


This week Leah invites us to be more conscious of the scale of our FMQ designs.  She guides us thru doing the same (stippling) design in different sizes.  She suggests getting something we can use to double check our stitching with - a pen would work for 1/4 inch, etc.

I am running low on batting that I can use for this challenge, so piggybacked on something I had done for a previous week.

I put the measuring tape there to show the different sizes.  I tried finger and thumb width, pen width and teeny tiny.  The 3/4 inch and 1/4 inch ones were the most successful.

Even if it take more time and more thread, I think I prefer the smaller sizes.  I guess I haven't really seen that many finished quilts - but when I see them online or in the adult ed class I sometimes attend (mainly to baste or use AccuQuilt cutter) and the quilts are only stitched a hand width apart, I haven't liked them.

I am doing this as part of Leah Day's Quilt Along Wednesdays on the Free Motion Project.  The directions to this (and much more) are there for you to learn.  To help support the project I have purchased some of my supplies from the Day Styles Design Quilt Shop.

If I had to pick two things that I really use, I would pick the table for the sewing machine and the cheater needles.  I feel quite smart each time I take that needle off the pin place and hide the threads...  Here is the link to her video on the how to hide threads...

But really the bobbin washers and the gloves make things go much smoother.  I rarely even have to think about my bobbin now, and putting those gloves on made me feel so much more relaxed but also so much more in control of the fabric.

I have a long way to go, but truly appreciate the time that Leah Day has devoted to all her training and instructional posts and videos.

I am coding my entries regarding this challenge with Leah2012 so clicking on that will display those posts with the most recent on the top.

I have been working thru the beginning designs that are also on her site - taking photos and notes as I go.  It's already been helpful to me to go back and remind myself of the designs and what I thought as I did them.