The Free Motion Quilting Project: Week #4

Quilt Along #4 - Quilting on a Line Directions

This week Leah gave permission for me to do what I was doing - but thinking I was doing wrong.  I thought I was supposed to use the walking foot for straight lines and that I had been cheating when I tried to use the darning foot!  I thought I was cheating and being lazy when I didn't change the direction of the fabric when I was sewing.  When the lines were crooked I switched feet again instead of working at it so I could sew a straight line forward, backward, and at the different angles.

This week she suggested we practice doing just that.  I used a different color thread and oversew the first week's sample.  I decided although I need more practice, it would be better to move ahead with a another project for right now - but I am very pleased that I was able to do all this sewing without changing the direction of the fabric.  I should have cut thread between following the little house and the heart but I think it's still pretty clear when looking at the enlarged view that I was able to do this.

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 It's really fun to feel that I am learning something new - with more consistent practice it will get easier....  I'm so lucky to be able to refer back to all this notes and to be able to click to go to the original informational post!

After looking at the other people's post who are doing this Quilt Along (and seeing that for Week #5 we need the stars), I drew this star and outlined it....

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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.