I'm sliding in under the deadline again. This time though I've spent most of the month thinking about free motion quilting and how to do feathers, among other designs. I won't show my work in progress items but this one, done a few days ago, actually looks pretty good in the photo!
Several years ago I bought a Juki for free motion quilting. I haven't done much free motion on it, but I have done a lot of piecing. It's a wonderful machine!
The challenge got me excited but I wanted more so I have signed up for two free motion quilting classes at Craftsy. This has been a wonderful experience! I highly recommend you check out their courses. Some are free and the others go on half price sale every so often.
My success with feathers so far has been the result of one tip: there are NO STRAIGHT LINES in feathers! After making the circle I was coming down straight. Disaster. Remembering there are no straight lines has helped me immensely. If you're having problems, remember that.
The other tip comes from Ann Petersen, the teacher in one of the Craftsy courses. She recommends using that nubby shelf paper (the kind I'll give out in my fusible classes) instead of gloves. It was like a light going on! I detest gloves because I'm always having to put them on and off. I've gone from hating to enjoying the process! She also advocates spray basting which has become my favorite method, even with large quilts.
As a teacher I tell my students to try the teacher's method first then explore other methods. As a student, I like to try many methods until I find that one that fits me. Rarely does one method meet every need.
Happy Quilting!
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