freemotion

last wednesday, i took a freemotion quilting class to learn how to do my own quilting beyond just straight lines. i am especially interested in learning how to stipple quilt so i can do it on "taite". the first half of the class was spent putting together mini-quilt sample pieces that we can practice on later. i wish we'd spent about half an hour less on that and a bit more on the actual content of the class because we ran out of time. louise continued to give instruction, but i had to get home for the afternoon taxi runs and missed some of the more detailed instruction she gave. still, i learned a lot and got some wonderful new ideas.

i had time to do a few samples of different basic stitch techniques:

we started with writing our names and doing loops. basically, when doing freemotion, you drop the feed dogs (those grippy guys under the needle plate that move the fabric through the machine) and you guide the fabric through all on your own. you "draw" with the needle and thread. it involves thinking a lot as you would when you draw with a pen. that's why we started with our names since louise said we could write them in the dark by now. our brains already know how to do it.

i was pretty pleased with how my name turned out and i did alright on the loopy vines. stones/pebbles/bubbles were also relatively easy. the stipple and feather techniques were harder. definitely need to practice doodling them on paper and on the machine before i attempt them on a quilt. it's a careful balance of speed and knowing which direction to move in. i would be moving along well, then suddenly not know exactly where to go next, but you have to keep moving, so i would get flustered and make mistakes. pretty challenging, but fun, too.

louise demonstrated how to do more complex designs, some very detailed, like flowers and geometrics, but i'm far, far away from anything like that. if i can just get stippling under my belt, i'll be happy. i think it's great to learn new things, to feel a little foolish as you try to wrap your brain around something new, and to continue to do so through out life. now i just need the time to practice and perfect the new skills.