Tuesday, October 11, 2011

quilting

I just finished quilting my (20!) blocks for my machine quilting sampler quilt.

A few reasons I love this project...
You get to play with all kinds of different quilting patterns, not to mention thread colors! I love to machine quilt, especially when things are going well, LOL!
You get to use up leftover batting pieces. Who doesn't have a plethora of those lying around?
You get to use stash. I have plenty to use....and solids? Twist my arm!
Then, when you are all done, you get to wrap up in a beautifully textured quilt. This one is going to have a LOT going on. I can't wait to wash and dry it and see how it feels. Maybe I'm getting a little (just a little) ahead of myself. I still have to trim the blocks and then join all these babies together.

The downside of this project...

Too much time to think of new projects to work on, or shoot, even variations of this one! Can you imagine a quilt like this done will all pebble quilting in cool colors? Mmmmmmmm. Sign me up!


These two blocks are new-to-me quilting designs. They are my favorite of the bunch, at least at the moment!
If you are looking for some free motion quilting inspiration, Christina at A Few Scraps has a LOT of fun ideas to try. They really helped me out when I was down to the last few blocks. Thanks so much, Christina!

50 comments:

Alli said...

Your fmq is fantastic! I hope one day I'll be able to do mine as nicely. :)

Kimberly said...

How awesome! I really need to step out and try a different approach to machine quilting... you just may have inspired me!

Sara said...

I think I am with ya on the solids and FMQ thing! The texture is so interesting!

Vicki said...

And you get to use wonderful words such as plethora!
Love the leaves and flowers in the top picture

mammafairy said...

Love all the different designs, the plain colours really allow your quilting to shine through. Contrast colours, contrast textures- its going to be amazing.
(I think I have worked out how to comment now!)

The Newfie Quilter said...

I love your sandwiches..... but how do you put them together? I have never done a quilt as you go.

Suzanne said...

Great job on the FMQ. Christina has been coaching me for a while. She is so inspirational and so are you!

claudey said...

Great quilting patterns! I like the one that's like open rectangles on the orange. Cool!

felicity said...

SUPER fun! I love Christina and her work - she rocks.

Lucy | Charm About You said...

I love this!! The last one is my favourite! I need to try that :)
I would also love to know how you put them together?!

fabrications2B said...

yes,, please share your further construction info!!! Looks FAB!

LindaSue said...

I love Connecting Threads too! Found them several years ago and bought a bunch of the thread you mention. Probably 20 or more. Love all the colors.

Jessica Christensen said...

I am definitely in a rut in the fmq department, but then, I'm also trying to finish a marathon, so I've been going with quick and easy favorites. This inspires me to do more interesting work. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

That's pretty cool! Looks like you are on a roll with machine quilting. I know I'd like to get into that, but I still have a ways to learn with quilting at all.

Thanks for the share!

Esch House Quilts said...

These are so great! I am hopeless at FMQ. I hope that when I get a new machine (one of these days), I'll have better luck and be more inspired to practice.

Lynne said...

Oh I have block envy! I want to see how you put these together. I always practice my FMQ on small pieces and do ok, but then when I go to a large quilt, I'm intimidated! Aaaagh...more practice!!!!

Mary Jo said...

This is a really cool looking quilt. I would love to do one like this sometime but I am very curious about putting it together. What fun to play with fmq on small peices. By the way finish up Fridays sound good!

LindaSue said...

Just finished your blog. All the way back to your first post. Now I am going to go back thru it again and make notes on the things I want to go back too. LOL

It has been a great read.

The Vegetarian Hunter said...

These look great. How are you going to join them together? Will it be like a rag quilt?

Angela Nash said...

That does look like a super fun project - and a get-out-of-the-rut project. Can't wait to see your samples all joined up - and just how you're going to do that as well!

Thimbleanna said...

Wow CrazyMom -- you really ARE crazy! Those look like some pretty cool samples -- I especially like that last one with the little loopies -- I don't think I've ever seen that one before!

Anonymous said...

Yes, please share how you plan to connect these and keep a nice flat quilt going!

Anonymous said...

This is awesome and interesting! Can't wait to see the finished product!

Debbie said...

This is wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!! Can't wait to see it done!

Kate R said...

This looks fantastic - I can't wait to see it all pieced together! I did some small fmq projects last year, but have yet to venture into a quilt size project. This might be a good in-between step for me!

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

Those ALL look so good. You are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Wow Amanda these all look great! I can't wait to see it all together. I, too, hope you post how you join them. Nancy

Deborah said...

Just became a follower of Christina. Thanks for the link!
Love your blocks!
Deborah

Christina said...

Your stitching is ever so lovely. And this is going to be a beautiful quilt! I'm kind of thrilled you found my little project helpful, thanks for saying so!

bethanndodd said...

Yay! They are all so awesome! I must try my hand at FMQ soon!! SMiles~Beth

Dedra C said...

These blocks are all beautiful! I can't wait to see how you connect them.

Live a Colorful Life said...

*sigh* I NEVER get tired of solids. And when I worked at my LQS, the consensus was that solids were "flat" and added no life to a quilt.

sonia said...

Wow! I still have so much to learn! Thanks for the great tips! I wish I had more time, you always come up with ideas i'd love to try!

DLS said...

Love this quilt. Your machine quilting is great. Anxious to see how you put it together. Hope you post pics!

Vivian said...

What a great idea! I've always resisted doing samples because I hated the idea of them being "wasted". But how great to set them up, stitch them and then put them together as a quilt. Love it and what away to stretch your skills and knowledge!

Josie McRazie said...

They are beautiful! I just have a question, or two ( I am VERY new to quilting) how in the world do you hook those cute little guys together and is this a project that a biginner can do> I think it would be a great way to get my feet wet in the different FMQ! Thanks for the inspiration!

Denice said...

Can't wait to see the finished product. Love all the different variations of machine quilting.

gramt said...

YOU are my all-time favorite blogger. An inspiration to me every day! Love your work and your fresh ideas.....thank you so much!

Lee said...

Wow! After attending Allison's FMQ class at Sewing Summit and trying many of these patterns, my hat's off to you - these are amazing!!

Miranda said...

Oh cool. I'll have to check out her blog. I really wanted to FMQ the quilt I just finished but I couldn't get it to look right on the wrong side..really sad because it looked totally cool on the right side.
Yours look great!!

Sherron said...

How fun! Will you please (pretty please) show the method you are going to use to piece the squares together? I have tried a few different QAYG methods on sample quilts and I'm anxious to see what your prefered method is.

amy smart said...

I LOVE your fmqing. Gorgeous! I also love the word plethora.

KendasCrafts said...

I love this idea and your quilting is amazing! How are you going to attach the squares together?

quirky granola girl said...

your fmq blocks are flat out gorgeous!

Doris said...

AJ, your quilting is looking amazing! My faves are the leaves and the dahlia-like flower....

Besides your book reveal, what's new?

Emily said...

Oh these are so amazing!!! Thanks for the inspiration!! I just added them to my pinterest board for FMQ!

Kritta22 said...

How are you gonna put these together? What a great idea!

audreypawdrey said...

These are all so beautiful, and I can't wait to try it out! I am trying to decide if I want to do solids or use the opportunity to finish up one of my swap quilts...

leigh said...

I love the leaves! And I've been meaning to tell you about a flickr group I started in the summer for modern free-motion quilting ideas. It's a bit easier than wading through the other one.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1640577@N24/

jacquie said...

i never thought to actually use my machine quilting samples...i've thrown so many away. Pretty smart you are!