Oh, Fransson!

Free-Motion Quilting

 

I prepare my machine as follows:

• Fit machine with darning/free-motion foot.

• Set stitch length to zero.

• Lower feed dogs.

• Fit machine with a new needle (90/14 Universal or 90/14 Machine Quilting).  Free-motion quilting puts a lot of stress on your needle, so using a stronger one is often a good idea.

I've read about lots of ways that people whose machines don't have stitch length controls or lower-able feed dogs work around this.  If you're one of those people and want to discuss how you prep your machine, or if you need tips, check out this thread in the Flickr pool. 

  

For this quilt, I used Gutermann cotton thread in a light warm tan to match the natural Essex cotton/linen I used for sashing.

Because free-motion quilting takes so much thread, I like to fill a number of extra bobbins before I start.  (For this quilt I went through four.)  I always use the same thread and bobbin color.  It's more forgiving of slight irregularities in tension (i.e. you won't see little dots of the back color on the front and vise versa).

 

For my scrappy quilt, I used Gutermann polyester thread in white.  I should probably mention again the importance of using quality thread.  I've found that the Gutermann 100% polyester does fine with my machine but, when I've tried to use other poly threads (Dual Duty XP comes to mind) it's been a disaster.  If you're pulling your hair out trying to get a good stitch, try switching to a higher quality or just a different kind of thread.  It might make all the difference.

 

Here's another example of a quilt where I matched the thread to the sashing used.  I'm showing several examples of this because I think it's a good strategy for choosing thread color, since it keeps the sashing looking plain and sharp.

 

Here's an example of white thread used over bright colors.  Because the sashing and areas of most of the prints are white, the thread actually blends pretty well with the brights.

 

The above quilting was done with Coats and Clark cotton quilting thread.  It's not my favorite because I like my stitches to be less pronounced but, if you want your stitches to show, it may be a good choice for you.

Regardless of whether it's the "regular" cotton thread or a cotton designed specifically for machine quilting, I've found cotton to the be easiest and most forgiving thread to quilt with.  If you're a beginner, I would definitely recommend starting with cotton.  Keep in mind that you need to buy thread designed to be used in a machine.  Thread labeled as being for "hand quilting" has a waxy coating that you don't want to put in your machine.

Most traditional quilters prefer cotton because it is the same fiber being used in the fabric and, usually, the batting. This can lead to more even wear over time.

 

I do my quilting in a meandering pattern with no sharp angles and without crossing any of the lines.  Free-motion quilting is sort of like drawing with thread so, if you haven't done it before (and especially if you're not accustomed to drawing) you may find it useful to practice drawing a quilting pattern on a piece of paper first.  

A lot of people refer to the style of quilting I use as "stippling."  As I understand it, stippling means that none of your stitching is more than half an inch apart.  By that definition, what I do could definitely be described as stippling.  None of my stitching is more than about half an inch apart.

 

Once you've figured out what kind of pattern you'd like to use for quilting, you may want to practice on a "mini quilt sandwich" before moving on to your quilt.  My mini sandwich is about twelve inches square.  If you're not sure about your thread color choice, making a patchwork mini sandwich with your scraps can be a good way to audition different threads.

 

Because your feed dogs are lowered, the only thing moving the fabric will be your hands.  I described the process earlier as being like drawing.  The twist is that, with free-motion quilting, you move the quilt/paper instead of the needle/pen. 

Begin by manually lowering your needle, pulling the bobbin thread to the top.  Holding the tails of your thread and bobbin, make several stitches in the same place, creating a "knot" of sorts.  Move the quilt sandwich, stitching in your chosen pattern just an inch or so away from where you started.  Pause, making sure your needle is in the down position, and trim the loose threads.

 

Continue stitching, filling in your quilt sandwich in your chosen pattern.  You'll notice that your hands are not only in control of the shape of your stitches but also in their length.  If you move too slowly, your stitches will be too small and tight but, if you move too quickly, your stitches will be too long and loose.  Part of the reason for practicing on a mini sandwich like this is to get a feel for the right balance between pressure on your presser foot and the speed with which you move the sandwich. 

 

I've seen the suggestion that you should do free-motion quilting "as fast as you can."  While I do find that working more quickly than slowly results in a good even stitch and nice curves, I think it's important to keep your speed in check.  If you start going too fast, your stitches can easily get out of control.  I suggest practicing on mini sandwiches until you've figured out a rhythm that works for you.

Once you're ready to work on your quilt, take a little time to prepare your quilting area.  I suggest using the largest table you can and cleaning it first to make sure no dust or lint gets on your quilt as you work.  One of the keys to moving your sandwich around easily during quilting is making sure that all of it stays on top of the table.  If any of the sandwich hangs off the edges, it can weigh things down, making it more difficult to move.  You can either fold the sandwich, as in the photo above, of just bunch if up in a pile on the table.  I tend to start with the quilt folded and unfold/bunch it on the table as I work.

 

This is a pretty low-tech diagram but, hopefully, you can get some idea from it the order in which I do my quilting.  I find that, with anything larger than a baby quilt, the center is the most difficult part to quilt.  As such, I try to work in a circle around the center.  I find that the trick is to quilt in even swaths across the top.  If I don't make an effort to keep quilting in an even-ish swath, it's much easier to end up with little unquilted nooks and crannies that are difficult to get back to without either stitching over already quilted lines, often bunching the fabric slightly. 

 

Start quilting the same way you did on your mini sandwich -- by making a few stitches in the same place, quilting for a couple of inches and pausing (with the needle down) to trim the loose threads.

 

Continue quilting, turning your sandwich over periodically to make sure your stitches look good on both sides.  (You don't want to finish half the quilt before you realize that you have a thread tension problem!)  If you do have a tension problem -- for instance if your stitches are loose and loopy -- take a deep breath, take your sandwich off the machine and pick them out before moving on, possibly with a different thread.

 

You can see in this photo how I've rolled/bunched the quilt on either side of the area that I'm quilting.

 

Even after you perfect working on your mini sandwiches, it may take some time to get a feel for moving your whole quilt around.  Some people like to wear gloves (either the kind designed specifically for quilting or just yellow dishwashing gloves) to help them get a good grip on the fabric.  I prefer to work without anything interfering with my hands, so I usually just hold the bottom of the sandwich on the left side of my needle (as shown above) . . .

 

. . .and the right side of my sandwich with my right hand.  (Note: I am right-handed.)  For whatever reason, I find it easier to control the sandwich when I have one hand on top and one underneath. 

This is yet another instance where you'll need to figure out what works best for you and go with it.

 

Unlike with regular sewing, where fabric is pulled away from you as it works its way through the machine, I prefer to pull my sandwich toward me as I quilt.  I'm not sure if this works for others as well, but I find it easier to see what I'm doing if I start at the bottom and work my way to the top, as shown in the above photo.  I talked earlier about keeping the whole sandwich on the table at all times.  The one exception I make is when I'm pulling the sandwich toward me and end up with a lot of it in my lap.

 

As you're quilting, be sure that you're taking out safety pins before you get too close.  (You don't want any broken needles if you can avoid it!)  I keep a little bowl nearby to collect these as I work.

Depending on the strength of your table, you may find that free-motion quilting causes a lot of vibration and/or movement of items on top of the table.  If you have anything, especially a beverage, in your work area, you might consider placing them on a different nearby surface before they march right off the edge of the table!

 

If you're doing an allover pattern, you will probably run out of bobbin thread several times during quilting.  When that happens, take your sandwich off the machine and trim loose threads.

 

Replace the bobbin and return your sandwich to its former position.  Place your needle in the down position within a couple of stitches, but not right at the end, of where your bobbin ran out.

 

As when you started, make a couple of stitches in place to secure and then quilt an inch or two away.  Stop, with your needle in the down position, trim threads and move on with your quilting.

Be prepared for free-motion quilting to be physically strenuous.  It can take a surprising amount of work to shift your sandwich around just right.  If you get tired or frustrated with it, walk away for a few hours.  There's no reason you need to finish your quilting all at once.

It took me a little less than two hours to quilt each of my mod sampler quilts.  This is a much improved time over when I started using free-motion. 

 

Once you're finished with your quilting, square up the edges of your quilt using a ruler and rotary cutter.

 

Don't be discouraged if your first attempt isn't perfect.  Free-motion quilting on a standard machine can be tricky and it will probably take a few projects before your stitching looks exactly how you want it to!

Another thing to keep in mind is that, while you will have been staring at your quilting stitches for hours, the recipient of your quilt (unless he or she is also a quilter!) is less likely to pay them any attention.  I find that, when I'm upset with the way a project looks, walking away from it for a day or two is usually the best policy.  

Making the Quilt Sandwich

  

Start by laying out your batting on a clean, smooth floor.  Spread your quilt top on the batting, smoothing out any wrinkles.  You may need to actually crawl on the top of the quilt to do this.  Trim batting to within about two inches of your quilt top.

 

Starting from the top, carefully roll your batting, as shown.

 

Continue rolling until you have a batting tube like this and set it aside.  Don't worry about pinning the batting roll.  The natural tendency of most battings is to cling to fabric, so your roll should hold itself together without any help from you.

 

Now spread your quilt back on the floor, right side down.  Starting at the bottom of the quilt, use a strip of  painter's tape to secure the edge of the quilt back to the floor.  Move to the opposite (top) side and, pulling the quilt back ever so slightly toward you, tape the center top to the floor as well.  Repeat with the left and right sides and each of the four corners, each time pulling very gently, but not stretching, to make sure the quilt back is completely smooth.

 

Bring back the batting roll and, starting at the bottom, slowly unroll the batting and top onto the quilt back.  You have several inches leeway on all sides, but want to make sure that a) all parts of your quilt top are "inside the edges" of the quilt back, and b) your rows are perpendicular to the sides of the quilt back and parallel to the pieced row on the quilt back.  If you see that you're off, don't hesitate to re-roll your batting and start over.

 

Depending on the width of you top back fabric, you may have several extra inches at the top of your quilt.  Don't worry about that for now.

 

Once again, smooth out your quilt top and batting.  I usually do this by starting at the bottom and crawling up the center of my quilt, smoothing as I go.  You want to make things smooth, but be careful not to warp your fabric as you work.  If you notice that your smoothing is making your blocks wonky, ease up a little bit and work them back into a nice gridded shape.

 

Once your fabric is arranged the way you want it, use curved safety pins to secure all three layers at the center of each block.  If you're new to free-motion quilting, you may also want to place pins at the intersections of the sashing and around the edges.

 

Placing these pins is awkward at first, but it's something you're likely to get the hang of with practice!

 

Once you've placed all of your pins, use scissors to trim through all layers about two inches from the edge of your quilt top.

 

You'll want to handle your quilt sandwich with some care.  However, if you've done a good job with smoothing and pinning, you should be able to flip your sandwich over and have the back be as smooth and even as the front.

 

March Fabric Focus

 

This month's Fabric Focus is on Moondance by Jenean Morrison.

 

My project is a Weighted Pincushion Organizer.

 

Hop on over to Sew, Mama, Sew! to read more and download the pdf tutorial.

Choosing Fabric for the Mod Sampler Quilt

I have no foolproof formula for picking out fabrics.  I just encourage you to know what you like and seek that out.  I suspect that part of the reason people have trouble choosing fabric is a lack of confidence.  Most of us make decisions about colors and prints all the time.  We decide what clothes to wear and how to decorate our homes.  If you're feeling overwhelmed by your fabric options, stop to consider what you like.  What colors have you painted your home?  Do you wear mostly solid colors or prints?  Know what you like and, if you're not finding it, look somewhere else.  Nobody wants to spend hours working on a quilt with fabrics they don't really like!

The Mod Sampler is based on six pairs of fabric (12 total fabrics).  It will be most successful when six of the twelve fabrics (so half of each pair) share a particular characteristic, while the other six (the other half of each pair) share another.  Ideally, there will be some contrast between the two halves.  Some examples are: light/dark, color/neutral, warm/cool, print/solid, and multicolored print/monochrome print.

I've put together several groups of fabric that I think would look good for this project and I'm just going to talk through different ways that I think each could be used. 

This first example is for a monochromatic color scheme using light and dark pinks.  Take a look at the prints I've chosen.  They're all small to mid-sized prints that are color-on-color or color-on-white/ecru.  Notice how there are no sharp angles in any of the prints. Notice also how the solids that I've paired with each print vary.  Some of these pinks are more orange and some are more violet.  This will make for a more interesting composition. 

For the Mod Sampler, I could use the 12 prints (six light and six dark), the 12 solids (six light and six dark) or any six solids with any six prints.  I would use a white or ecru sashing for this one and, whichever prints or solids I ended up using, I would use two of the lighter choices for the back pieces and one of the darker choices for the binding.

Here's an analogous color scheme using greens and blue with a little bit of yellow.    Instead of dividing these by color (which would be difficult since they're all multicolored prints) I've divided them by type of print.  One group is geometric/tile/scrolly prints and the other if floral/botanical prints.  I've also picked out two sets of solids, one is all blues and one is greens and a couple of yellows. 

The options for this set of fabrics are pretty much the same as for the first group: Use the 12 prints, use six prints with six solids or use the 12 solids together.  I would choose sashing for this one based on how bright I wanted the finished product to be.  If I were looking for a very sharp, bright look, I would go with white.  For a more subdued look, I would choose natural linen or a neutral colored cotton.  Since most of the prints are of similar value, I would probably choose one geometric and one floral for the two back pieces.

Rainbow color schemes are always fun for me.  This one uses six colors and pairs a light and dark value of each.  I've shown an example above of how this can be done with prints or solids.  Of course, you could also pair six prints with six solids, as I've described in some of the examples above.  If I were pairing solids with prints, I think I might go for more contrast by pairing the dark solids with the light prints and vice versa.

A rainbow color scheme would also be a great way to make the scrappy version of this quilt.  You'd just need to gather scraps in six different color groups and make one set of blocks using each color.  If you wanted to keep some uniformity among your scrappy blocks, you could use the same solid for each set of six but use a variety of print fabric scraps on each.

This is another one where I would choose either white or neutral sashing depending upon how bright I wanted things.  For the backing, I would pick two different colors but keep them the same temperature (e.g. pink and orange or blue and violet).  For the binding, I would probably go for "bright but light" like the light yellow or light aqua.

I think the very simplest thing you can do for this project is to focus on two colors that you love.  In this case, I've paired red prints with aqua prints.  Most of the prints are small to medium sized and most of the prints are just red and white or aqua and white.  There are two exceptions (the Flea Market Fancy print with the espresso eyelets and the Lotus Wallflower, which is quite a bit larger than the other prints) but that just helps to keep the composition interesting.  What you want to avoid in a composition like this is adding fabrics that have too many other colors.  Make sure your fabrics read "aqua" and not "aqua with yellow flowers and little ducks" (or something like that). 

I would use white sashing for this one, two of the aqua prints for the backing  and a red print for the sashing.  Note: I would not suggest making binding out of gingham or plaid unless you cut it on the bias.  (The fabric requirements for this quilt contemplate making straight-grain binding.)

I have been hoarding black and white prints for a while now.  I love the way they look with bright colors and I think they could be used with this pattern paired with either bright colored solids or monochromatic bright prints.  I would definitely use white sashing for this one.  The back, I think, is a little trickier.  I would probably end up choosing two of the black and white prints with lots of white background and then using a bright color like chartreuse or hot pink for the binding.

Another easy strategy for this pattern is to buy fabric from a single collection or designer.  This layout uses prints from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party and Good Folks.  I've again separated them by type of print rather than color and I've selected both a deep and a light set of solids.

This is a set of fabrics where I would definitely not use white or off-white sashing.  If you look at these prints you'll notice that there's almost no white in them.  If I wanted something bright with a lot of contrast, I would choose a solid color like gold, tangerine or teal.  I think a natural/neutral sashing would also look great.

Because I cut most of it up into little patchwork pieces, I don't usuallybuy the larger scale prints from collections like this.  The back of the quilt, however, would be a good place to showcase large-scale coordinates that you haven't used in your patchwork blocks.  (And there's no problem with using those large-scale prints in your blocks!  It's a matter of personal preference.)

Of course, you don't have to use quilting fabric at all!  I'm a big fan of vintage linens and think they would look great in this quilt either alone or paired with some light, bright solids and white sashing.

Color Basics for Quilting

You can probably tell by looking at my work that I'm a big fan of color.  I can't stress enough how important I think a working knowledge of color is to the quilting process, so I wanted to make sure I talked about it a little before I moved on to selecting fabrics.  This is by no means a comprehensive discussion of color theory, but it does cover some of the basics.  Hopefully it's helpful!

 

The Color Wheel is a tool used to demonstrate color relationships.  It's sort of like a circular rainbow featuring the Primary Colors: red, yellow and blue, the Secondary Colors: orange, green and violet, and the Tertiary Colors (e.g. red-violet and green-blue) that fall between each Primary and Secondary colors. 

It's hard to make a truly accurate color wheel with fabric swatches but, since fabric is what we use to make quilts, I wanted to show things in those terms.  If you're struggling with choosing colors, I encourage you to purchase an actual color wheel from an art supply store, or a color tool designed specifically for quilting, and take it with you when you're buying fabric.

Some industries, notably printing, use cyan, magenta and yellow as their primaries.  Still others use red, green and blue.  Without getting into a long discussion of why that is, I want to mention that, for our purposes, the traditional color wheel is the best reference.  (If we were dying the fabric ourselves, it would be another story!)

 

The red fabrics above are all about the same Value and Intensity.

 

Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.  If we were mixing paints, we would change the value by adding white to make Tints or black to make Shades of a color.

 

Intensity is a way of describing the brightness/vibrance or dullness of a color.  If we were mixing paints, we would add a color's Compliment (more on that in a moment) to make it more dull.

 

A Monochromatic Color Scheme, uses just one color.  The different levels of Value and Intensity in the fabrics above keep this Monochromatic composition interesting. 

 

Analogous Colors are the colors next to one another on the Color Wheel, in this case blue-green, green, and yellow-green.

 

Here is an example of an Analogous Color Scheme in those same colors.

Complimentary Colors are the colors directly across from one another on a Color Wheel.  The most basic are red and green, blue and orange and yellow and violet.  These colors contrast with one another nicely and make some of my favorite color schemes.

 

Here's an example of a Complimentary Color Scheme using blues and oranges.

And here's a more subtle Complimentary Color Scheme using pink and light green.  (Note that red and green are still complimentary, even in lighter Values.)

 

Reds, oranges and yellows are considered Warm Colors, while greens, blues and violets are considered Cool Colors.  In general, warm colors "advance" or appear more prominent in a composition, while cool colors "recede" or stay in the background.

 

This composition is made entirely with Warm colors.

This composition is made entirely with Cool colors.

 

Neutral Colors are the ones that don't appear on a Color Wheel (or at least not on a basic one).  On their own, they can make a calm, quiet composition.  Black and white aren't truly colors, but they can also make an interesting composition when used on their own.

With neutrals, and even different black dye lots, it helps to pay attention to the temperature (i.e. whether it's Warm or Cool).  In general, grays and blacks are going to be more cool than beige and browns.  Look closely though.  Sometimes you'll see a really warm rosy gray or sharp bluish brown.  

 

Neutrals and Black and White often look best paired with a brighter color.  Notice how, in all three examples, a Warm and Cool color have been paired: the cool gray with pink, the vibrant red with a sharp cool black, and the warm chocolate brown with a cool springy green. 

 

Here's an example of a composition pairing neutrals (grays) with bright reds and yellows.

 

Here's a more subtle composition using neutrals, pale pink and pale aqua.

 

Sometimes it's fun to use as much color as possible.  The composition above uses all the colors of the color wheel, as well as black, white, gray and brown.

   

One "trick" I like to use to keep a multicolored composition focused is to choose one color to specifically exclude.

 

For instance, here's the same group of fabric swatches, with the violets gone.

 

And here's the same group without any greens.

 

Here's a composition where I've employed that strategy.  It uses vibrant red, orange, yellow, green and blue, but no violet.

 

If you're having trouble coming up with color schemes on your own, you might consider an interior design book like this.  (I'll admit that I find most quilting books stuffy, so I usually go for fashion or interior design books if I'm looking for inspiration.) 

Do you have color tips and tricks?  Share them in the comments!