It’s time for a give-away!! Are you excited??
I ran into quilter extraordinaire Patsy Thompson at Spring Quilt Market, and she gave me a copy of her latest DVD Free Motion Fun…with Feathers! Volume 4, to give-away to one lucky Quilting Gallery reader.
You can watch an intro video on Patsy’s web site that gives you an outline on what you will learn in this DVD set.
I took a couple of photos while in Patsy’s booth. Unfortunately the lighting is poor, but you can still see some of her fabulous quilting.
I’m lucky enough to own Patsy’s other DVDs. She’s taught me so much and inspired me to actually try free motion quilting last year. Now, I love it.
How to enter: Leave a comment below sharing your favourite quilting tip. Your tip can be about free motion quilting or any part of the quilting process from cutting, piecing, quilting or binding. One random winner will be chosen Monday, July 19th.
Facebook, readers: You need to visit the Quilting Gallery blog to leave your comment and be entered in the give-away: CLICK HERE
And the winner is #120 Avery Claire. Congratulations!
Hi,
Oh, I’d love to be entered for a chance to win! I just did my very first quilt with all over free motion embroidery. I still need alot of practice, but it is sooo much fun!
My tip…arrange your fabrics by color. I did this several years ago and it has been the best thing for my creativity with combining fabrics and colors! I’ve always loved to mix lines, but having the fabrics organized by color encourages that even more so and I’ve come up with many combinations that I would not have otherwise simply because two fabrics ended up next to one another on the shelf!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Sheree
Oh I would love to win this!! I just got a new long arm frame and machine and I have NO IDEA what I am doing!! So this would be sooo helpful to me!
My quilting tip is to practice. I need to take my own advice! When you feel like your can’t go one, take a break and get back on that horse (machine) and soon you will become a better quilter/sewer.
My best quilting tip right now is to try to win a DVD to help you improve your quilting skills. Frankly, my quilting skills stink!!! There’s LOTS of room for improvement!
Pick me I’m just learning on how to do free motion and would love to win. I need to learn more more and then more.
Don’t be afraid to try something new or different. We all have our own ‘quilting’ voice. Different is not bad or good, it’s what works for YOU!
Hi,
my favorite tip is to be mentally preprared with the “mantra” I sew because it is fun, not to produce a lot of projects.” And repeat that a lot while sewing. then I dont rush my projects.
Basting spray, gloves and practice, practice and practice again.
My tip would be to pack up the fear and actually just jump in and start trying some free motion quilting – I’ve recently only just done this myself and whilst not perfect it’s been liberating and certainly opened an new perspective to what I’ll be doing and any additional advice on domestic maching FMQ will be very very welcome
Relax, relax, and relax. Then practice, practice, practice. These were the best two tips I have been given. To relax and practice – you will get there and your quilting will get better and better.
Of course I’m exited! I’ve seen glimpses of Patsy’s work in The Quilt Show lessons she gave there, but would love to learn more :)
My tip is go slowly. It’s quicker in the long run. You make fewer mistakes and you don’t have to waste time unpicking.
Just keep trying and don’t give up. Start small a baby quilt or a purse. Lots of light and good music helps. Sit up straight and have fun!
These are the two things I always keep in mind when quilting. Changing needles every eight hours of sewing, gloves for machine quilting, and measure twice cut once.
A doodle pad for ideas
A practice sandwich to warm up on,
Good music,
Coffee to the right
Chocolate to the left,
Relax
ENJOY!!!!
:o)
my tip is a good glas of red wine and good music.
Thank you so much for the chance in this great give away.
Save those clear plastic resealable salad containers from the grocery store. They are perfect for storing binding, sewing projects, fat quarters or sorting out fabric bits to good to throw out but pile up everywhere. The see throught container lets you see what’s inside and you are recycling too!
Quilting tip, relax your shoulders, breathe and take many breaks.
I learned free motion from reading Patsy’s blog. IThank you for the chance to win this coveted prize.
I use a large piece of clear vinyl. Wrap the edges with duck tape. Lay this on your quilt top and use wipe off markers to try out your quilting designs.
Tape is there so you do not get near the edge and mark on the quilt!
Audition many quilting designs to find out what is right for the quilt!
Great give-away. My best tip when quilting, either by hand or machine, RELAX, listen to your fav songs, have fun, have a glass of wine and let the quilting begin. Just keep the wine to only one glass, you don’t want to get carried away. :)
good lighting, gloves, music, are all essential – but there is no substitute for practice!
and use a machine with the largest possible bobbins, and a fine thread in the bobbin. clean the machine every time you change your bobbin.
Best tip: Don’t give up too quickly. Take your time and practice. It takes time to learn to make smooth lines.
When machine quilting, I like to turn on some of my favorite music – usually classic rock – and sing along while I’m quilting. In doing this, I find I’m more relaxed and my quilting reflects that fact!
Breath, relax, and take breaks frequently…and press, press, press those seams :)
My tip isa little different than the others, when putting on borders, you must measure, measure, measure. How do I know this, we’ve been to a quilt show this weekend and it was very evident whether the borders were measured properly or not, and boy can you tell the difference if you’re trying to quilt a quilt that hasn’t been measured properly!
wind LOTS of bobbins ahead of time. Nothing more annoying than having to stop and wind a bunch of bobbins. I like to have lots of extra empties handy for the next project.
Enjoy the moment, & don’t be in a hurry to get it finished. Try to relax, Yvonne.
I would soooooo love to learn to make feathers freehanded! I mark mine so many times, and the markings always fade. Maybe one day!
tip: for me dont start quilting by hand before the marks are visable!
When I am free-motion quilting, I look for motifs in the fabrics or shapes used in the quilt top. Then I practice on paper to “imprint” how to create the flowers, leaves, swirls, or other shapes that I will be using for quilting designs.
Make sure you have plenty of room to the left and back of your table for the quilt. There’s nothing worse than quilting along and have the quilt fall off and mess up your stitches.
Wind LOTS of bobbins. I try to keep a bunch of empties for this. So annoying to have to stop and wind. By the time you get back to quilting, you’ve lost your pace. Also, check bobbin area (esp. on drop-in machines) for lint every time you change a bobbin and keep it from building up in there.
After choosing a quilt motif to stitch on my frame, I practise the pattern on a whiteboard so that I am accustomed to the motion. I also wind several bobbins before I start quilting so that I don’t have to stop and take the thread off the long-arm to wind more during the quilting process.
when there is no a/c in your house, have a fan blowing on your face at all times in the sewing room! also have lots of needles on hand!. looking forward to hearing you on Creative Radio later today!
I always have some peacful music going, a large table with my machine inset into it and some great gripper gloves.
look for inspiration everywhere. I recently sketched a fence that would make a great quilt border while riding the train.
The best tip I have recieved for Free Motion is to look ahead while you are quilting. Don’t focus on where the needle is but where it is about to go.
I need all the help I can get with free motion feathers!
Use a free motion slider when machine quilting. This is a teflon, sticky backed sheet that lays on your machine bed. The slippery surface allows the quilt to move so easily. I tried one when taking a class at my local quilt shop and thought it worked so well I bought one on the spot. Now I wouldn’t quilt without it.
Don’t be afraid to try new things with your quilting; FMQ, binding by machine, new patterns, machine applique, etc. You can’t expect to move ahead with your skills, ideas, & fun if you don’t try new things. Just take a deep breath, clean up your sewing room a bit, relax about making mistakes (there’s no quilt police watching you) and have fun! A quilting friend of mine told me a long time ago when I was unhappy with my points not matching…”Do you want it perfect, or do you want it finished?”….and it helped me find freedom to enjoy in my quilting.
My best tip would be the tried and true of “practice makes perfect.” Well, I don’t know about perfect and am thinking some guidance from this DVD would help with a few finishes!!
If you have a pattern on the fabric to draw do not do it with a pencil or a specialpen, but simpley surviving pieces of toiletsoap. You have no stripes after wards
I keep practicing this concept over and over. I love the tips that all of you have posted.
Meandering feathers on my quilts are a must!
Doodle every chance you get, even if it is with your finger and not a pencil. Drawing a motif several times imprints it in your brain and will make quilting the shape a snap.
My favorite tip concerns what people like to call un- sewing. When you have to rip out a seam cut every third or fourth stitch and then pull the thread on the oppisite side . It comes right out, TaDa!
My favorite tip would be to use a slider. It makes the quilt move so much easier.
And like most others have said practice
When viewing beautiful work like Patsy’s, don’t be intimidated. We all must start somewhere, so jump in and do the best you can! Your best will become better and better!
My best tip is if your gut tells you that what you are doing doesn’t look right then stop and try something else, don’t keep going because it will only give you more to unpick :)
Clean your machine often, change your needle and walk away when you start to feel stiff, it’s amazing how much my free motion changes when I’m refreshed.
Quilting gloves. Sitting position.
I am a beginner at free motion quilting and try practising feathers but will never achieve the great work of Patsy’s. I would be honoured to receive this great give away.
Please enter me in your fantastic give away. Thanks
This is a lovely giveaway- The most important part of free motion quilting is to have good tools and to relax. Someone suggested a glass of wine and good music to help get your rhythm. Your winner is going to be one happy person. Regards,
Anna
I keep a small white dry erase board in my sewing room so that I can sketch and doodle quilting designs prior to actually stitching. My board is small and does not have to be hung on the wall and tucks back onto the book shelf along with a basket holding colored dry erase markers, eraser and cleaning spray.