"Oh My Stars" guild Challenge offers possibilities for exploration, learning and development

My guild's annual Guild Challenge for 2018 was called "Oh My Stars." My entry, which won a 3rd place prize, was inspired by Australian aboriginal fabrics [M&S Textiles Australia] and aboriginal Dreamtime designs. 

2018 Choo Choo Quilters Guild Challenge by Veronica Hofman-Ortega.

Challenge Requirements
The Choo Choo Quilters Guild Challenge is presented to guild members at the beginning of the year. It allows a good 7 to 9 months for members to contemplate, plan and execute their piece before the big reveal in November. The requirements for the 2018 Challenge were minimal... and the size was quite manageable:

• Design: the quilt must have at least three different star patterns.
• Size: minimum of 12" on any side; maximum of 45" on any side
• Must be quilted and finished.

With about a week before the deadline, I realized my "Stars" solution had been traveling with me since February—samples of English paper pieced [EPP] hexagons using Australian fabrics. (See this blog post.) Using these blocks in a guild Challenge would give them a purpose, I thought, and they could be showcased in a finished piece. My EPP sample blocks included two star designs so I just had one more star variation to come up with. (The three star variations can be seen in the photo above.)

English paper pieced [EPP] stars using Australian fabrics
from M&S Textiles Australian. 

The Process

The EPP hexagon stars were hand pieced and the blocks were hand stitched together. I experimented with a few layouts and block placement on a background. The circle patterned fabric was chosen for the background because circles are a major design element and symbol in the Dreamtime designs, and the lime green was the complementary color to the reds and oranges in several of the stars.

Auditioning layouts of the stars.
(Note: fabric colors are not accurate due to inside lighting conditions.)

Once the layout was determined, guidelines for the quilting were drawn on the background with a chalk marker. 

Guidelines for quilting are marked.

The quilting techniques include walking foot quilting, free-motion quilting and rulerwork. The English paper pieced star blocks were appliquéd to the quilt after the background was free-motion quilted. The stars were then ditch quilted with a 60 wt. polyester thread.  

Background free-motion quilting.

The quilting designs were inspired by the motifs in the Australian fabrics and the story of the Dreamtime designs.

Detail: free-motion quilting.

For the backing, I used a leftover piece of a 110" wide backing [Westrade Textiles]. The color and value of this fabric made it easy to choose a bobbin thread to match the color of the top thread that was used for the quilting. Here are views of the quilting from the back.

Back detail.

A facing was used rather than a traditional binding. The same 110" wide backing fabric was used for both the backing and facings.

Back detail: free-motion quilting and quilt facings.

The finished piece: 26" x 38.5"

26" x 38.5" finished size.

Quilt Stats

• 80 wt. soft poly thread for EPP hand piecing hexagons (DecoBob from WonderFil Threads);
• 50 wt. cotton top thread (Konfetti from WonderFil Threads) for quilting; 
• 60 wt. poly top thread for ditch quilting (Bottom Line from Superior Threads); 
• 60 wt. poly for bobbin (Bottom Line); 2-1/2 bobbins.
• 13 hrs. quilting: walking foot (curves and circles); free-motion for background and fillers; ruler work for ditch and outline quilting.
• fabrics from M&S Textiles Australia (pieced hexagons), Art Gallery Fabrics (background); Westrade Textiles (quilt backing and facings)

Why participate in a guild Challenge?

One of the things that my guild does during our Challenge Reveal is to have each Challenge participant give a brief explanation of their piece before the prizes are awarded. Their explanation could be about their inspiration, their thought process behind meeting the Challenge requirements, the trials, roadblocks and successes of the creation process, the materials used, or any pertinent information they feel contributes to the "story" of their Challenge entry. I think you can always learn something from listening to another person's creative path to solving a problem—especially when we were all faced with the same problem to solve.

One of our newer members commented that she could never enter a piece in a Challenge. Quick yet gentle encouragement came forth in response.

• Guild Challenges are a great way to experiment with new techniques and concepts in a safe environment (in the presence of your fellow guild members who support you and your endeavors).
• You can learn from working on your own piece as well as from what others present.
• What better way to try new things than a Challenge? You will become proficient and gain confidence by doing.
• Challenges keep your brain active as you problem solve and research solutions to make your vision a reality.
• The Challenge Reveal is a "quilt show" we give to ourselves as a guild. It's a well-deserved treat for the entire group!

Congratulations to all the Choo Choo Challenge participants! Well done.

Point Taken: Peppered Cottons and FMQ ruler work—Part Three

After quilting my Point Taken quilt, I knew this quilt would benefit from blocking. See Part One for the fabric selection and Part Two for the quilting and ruler work on this quilt.

Point Taken: back view.

After submerging the quilt into room temperature water, it sat for several minutes to let the water absorb into the fabric and batting. The quilt was then removed, squeezed and rolled in a terry towel. The damp piece was laid out on a cushioned board, measured and maneuvered, and pinned in place until dry.

Wet blocking.

You just have to wait for it...

Point Taken: blocked and bound.

The blocking evened out the surface of the quilt and made the trimming easy.

The backing fabric is a quilting cotton, Primitive Basics by Blank Quilting (color: forest). This tonal blender shows off the FMQ and ruler work and the olive green color complements the colors of the patchwork of the quilt top. The binding is also a Peppered Cotton (color: begonia leaf).

Point Taken: back view.

Below are detail views of the completed quilt.

Point Taken: detail. The dimension of the prairie points can be seen here.

Point Taken: detail.

Point Taken: detail.

The finished quilt is 26" x 25.5". I would have liked a better [evenly lit] full view photo, but I was finishing the binding in a hotel room and not in my studio. I had to drop the quilt off at Mountain Creek Quilt Shop and thought Terri would prefer a quilted and bound quilt sample—rather than just a quilted one. So it goes...

Point Taken
Finished size: 26" x 25.5"

So that is the story of my latest completion. As I am often asked, the Quilt Stats are listed below. They tell the "other" side of the story. I hope Point Taken gets you inspired to get out your pretty threads, drop the feed dogs, and let the colors dance upon your patchwork. Let the music begin...

Point Taken
Finished size: 26" x 25.5"

Quilt stats
Finished size: 26" x 25.5"

Threads:
WonderFil Spaghetti, 12 wt. cotton
WonderFil 50 wt. cotton Tutti variegated and Konfetti solids
Aurifil 50 wt. cotton (solid colors)

Bobbin thread: 60 wt. Bottom Line #613 sage

13.75 hours free-motion quilting
3 bobbins

Point Taken: Peppered Cottons and FMQ ruler work—Part Two

This is Part Two of my rendition of the Point Taken quilt. See Part One for the fabric selection and quilt top assembly. With the quilt top complete, it was on to the decisions about quilting.

Point Taken quilt top.

This step began by cracking open the sketchbook and doing sketches. I opted to quilt down the prairie points making the blocks look more like a "square-in-a-square" block pattern. I needed a quilting design that would skim the edges of the points and also take advantage of the center space.

Ideas for quilting from the sketchbook.

Long-arm quilters generally don't embrace quilting quilts with dimensional items (prairie points, flat piping, etc.), but on my domestic sewing machine, I just opt for a closed toe free-motion foot and go for it. My Janome 6500 also has the capability of adjusting the height of the presser foot. I increased the clearance between the foot and the bed to accommodate quilting over the multiple fabric layers of the prairie points.

Sketching quilting options.

With a few remaining charm squares, I made and sandwiched a block to check/balance thread tension, practice the free-motion quilting designs and free-motion ruler work, and to insure my FMQ foot cleared the thickness of the prairie points and at the block intersections where many fabric layers converged.

Practice block for FMQ designs and rulerwork.

The FMQ on the prairie points was done first. Another WonderFil cotton thread, Tutti color #34 called Box Turtle, a 50 wt. variegated, was used for the free-motion. The colors of Box Turtle are lovely together—sunflower gold, a dark dusty raspberry, and a gunmetal gray that sometimes looks like a deep forest green. And they melded perfectly with the shot cottons. It was interesting to watch the colors from this variegated spool change and complement the fabric colors as each motif was quilted. In this quilt, the variegated thread definitely enhanced the quilting.

The Box Turtle colorway of WonderFil's 50wt. cotton thread really enhanced
the quilting on the shot cottons.

In preparation for the free-motion ruler quilting, I changed over from the regular free-motion foot to the ruler foot. Since creating my "Defining Contours" class, which includes an introduction to ruler work using a domestic machine, I look for quilts to practice and improve my skills using rulers and acrylic quilting templates (the curved ones are trickier!).

Free-motion quilting with a ruler and the ruler foot.
Please ignore the worn out quilting gloves. I use them a lot!

During my travels, I've picked up several acrylic rulers, with a nice collection from Steve over at Sew N Vac Superstore. This Point Taken quilt was a good, manageable size to work on ruler skills. (And, I absolutely adore quilting on Peppered Cottons because the quilting shows up so well!)

Curved ruler work using acrylic templates.

My goal was to superimpose a larger quilted motif over the quilt rather than do block by block quilting. I think this was achieved.

The on-point central quilting motif brings a cohesiveness to the composition.

The arc motifs on the center medallion were echoed in the corners.

Free-motion fillers and ruler work.

A change in size of several motifs added variety.

The quilted arches in the center motif are echoed in the corners.

 Free-form feathers in the border contrasted with the geometric shapes made with the ruler work.

Free-form feathers run around the border.

Before trimming and adding the binding, the quilted sandwich was blocked, which I will document in Part Three.

Point Taken: Peppered Cottons and FMQ ruler work—Part One

Shot cotton charm squares... prairie points... ruler work... and free-motion quilting with variegated cotton threads...

Point Taken: detail.

... my version of "Point Taken" is finished. 

This Point Taken pattern is by Deb's Boutiques and More, one of the independent pattern companies I represent. This quilt was finished at the end of May, and is on loan to a quilt shop. I haven't had the opportunity to post about this quilt until now. So, here is Part 1 of a photo documentation of the process of making this quilt.

Point Taken, 26" x 25.5"

The Point Taken quilt includes 3-D prairie points. Prairie points are not only fun to make (you're missing out if you've not done prairie points at one time or another), but for me, they offered opportunities for threadwork and color play—in addition to the intended dimensional aspect to the quilt top. Originally, this pattern was intended as a baby quilt so baby could play with the dimensional fabric triangles. Remember that a pattern is a jumping off point for you, the quiltmaker, to take it in another direction if you choose. I did.

Two packages of Peppered Cottons [by Pepper Cory] charm squares were used. The outside border on my quilt are 2.5" x 5" rectangles (a 5" charm square cut in half). The original pattern uses a different border treatment.

Peppered Cottons charm pack

The process of auditioning, choosing and harmonizing the colors of the prairie points with the color of the background squares was inspiring. Pepper Cory, the fabric designer of Peppered Cottons, has chosen a wonderful color palette for this blender collection, so you can't go wrong. However, this is an wonderful exercise for studying how colors "react" with one another depending on the combination—warm vs. cool, analogous, complementary, tints vs. tones, light vs. dark. The possibilities (and the fun) are endless! The combination of the different colored warp and weft threads—inherent in a shot cotton fabric—also adds richness and resonance to the composition.

Spaghetti 12 wt. cotton thread by WonderFil.

For the decorative stitching on the prairie points, I used a "showy" 12 wt. cotton by WonderFil Threads, called Spaghetti, and lengthened the stitch length to 2.6mm. Most of the thread/fabric color combinations were contrasting as you can see in the photo below.

Point Taken quilt top

Be sure to use a larger needle to accommodate this thicker thread—a minimum of a 90/14 or possibly a 100/16 size. Try a topstitch or universal needle. The Peppered Cottons are not densely woven, so you just need the larger eye for the thread size. I recommend doing a thread stitch-out.

Now that the top was together, it was on to the decisions about quilting. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the process in my next blog post.

Free-motion quilting doubleheader in Huntsville

Free-motion quilting on display at
Huntsville Sew and Vac, Huntsville, AL

The quilts and samples were hung...

two classrooms were ready...

the feed dogs were dropped...

and the anticipation and excitement leading up to a 2-day adventure in free-motion quilting at Huntsville Sew and Vac [Huntsville, AL] was rewarded with a classroom of Huntsville area quilters eager to learn and full of questions and ideas (and, by the way, the weather was perfect—pleasant and mild).

Day 1 was my class, Intro to Free-motion Quilting on a domestic sewing machine. This is my most requested class and Donna, the shop owner, has invited me to teach this class for 3 years now. We introduce beginners to free-motion quilting and prime them for more advanced techniques that I offer in several other classes. A good number of the students in this class had dabbled in free-motion (or were return students from previous years), so were also in my Defining Contours class the following day. Yep, they signed up for a doubleheader!

"Defining Contours," my new free-motion quilting class.

Day 2 was even more fun for me since Defining Contours is a new class offering. Students came to class with an "inspiration word" which we then highlighted through several free-motion quilting techniques—machine trapunto, micro fillers and ruler work.

Machine trapunto, "Imagine."

One of my favorite parts of this class was hearing students tell the story behind the word they chose for their project. When I teach, I like to build in opportunities for personalization and student's self-expression into my classes. We talked about creating meaning in our words by using our own handwriting—not computer technology—to create an original composition.

Free-motion quilting in "Defining Contours" class.

Inspiration words that students chose were "Imagine," "Create," "Grace," "Faith," and "Joy," among others.

Free-motion quilting in "Defining Contours" class.

The class kits, provided by Huntsville Sew and Vac, included fabrics from the Blue Bird collection (by Jennifer Brinley) and Peppered Cottons (by Pepper Cory) from StudioE Fabrics. Peppered Cottons is a wonderful fabric for showcasing the micro fillers and ruler work on this project. Blue Bird provided a lovely frame around the word and also offered bird and flower motifs for additional trapunto—if the student desired.

Free-motion quilting in "Defining Contours" class.

The painting and basting classroom was filled with laughter and chatter as students prepared their quilts for quilting.

Trimming, and basting.

The larger classroom provided plenty of wall space to hang examples of how a colorwashed effect can be achieved through the choice of thread color. Students used 100 wt. InvisaFil thread by WonderFil for their Defining Contours project. For the ruler work portion of the class, students were introduced to the Sew Very Smooth rulers with the "Tacky Technology" strip which helps prevent the ruler from slipping during the stitching process.

The classroom at Huntsville Sew and Vac with examples of
free-motion quilting and threadwork.

All of the students got their trapunto work complete and were on their way to defining the contours of their inspiration words with micro fillers and ruler work. Free-motion quilting micro fillers is not a fast process, but the results are so worth it! There is an investment of time with these techniques but if you like free-motion quilting, you will enjoy this journey.

So, that is a wrap of my doubleheader free-motion quilting classes this past weekend in Huntsville, Alabama. Judging from the round of applause at the end of the second day, I think everyone hit one out of the park! I can't wait to see photos of the class projects. (Please send them to me, Huntsville quilters!)

Tucking in the sewing machine for a good night's rest.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the new places we went for dinner while in Huntsville. The first night was at the Po Boy Factory, just down the street from Huntsville Sew and Vac. After a full afternoon and evening of hanging quilts and preparing the classroom, it was dark outside and we were all tired so I didn't take any pictures. However, I can recommend the shrimp basket and deep-fried pickles... and the homemade bread pudding is gooey, melt-in-your-mouth goodness!

Homemade pizza and wine for dinner.

The second night was homemade, build-your-own, artisan pizzas at Chez Spivey. Chef Reggie does a fabulous job with the pizza oven! Thanks again to Donna Cagle, Sherri and all the staff at Huntsville Sew and Vac for their hospitality and to the Huntsville quilters who joined me for a two-day adventure in free-motion quilting. May your bobbins always be full!

Quilters: Do you have a word for 2016?

I was reading Upstate Lisa's blog post about how she considered and found her "word for 2016." She chose "Happiness." A fine word, and a great choice. While I don't really make New Year's resolutions, choosing an inspirational word to start off a new year is kind of a cool idea.

If you're a quilter, however, it's not just a matter of choosing a word, but quilting it!

"Defining Contours," a free-motion quilting class using micro fills and more.

Are you up for this? Quilting your New Year's inspirational word?

"Defining Contours," my latest free-motion quilting class, fits the bill. I'll be teaching it in Huntsville, Alabama at Huntsville Sew and Vac on Saturday, January 23. Contact the shop or you can register on-line (eeeeasy).

When I was developing this free-motion quilting class, I didn't consciously consider the "word for the new year" concept but I think it's very apropos for January, and the start of the 2016 year. Here's a peek into the class...

The "Defining Contours" class sample features
Meadowlark and Peppered Cottons fabrics from StudioE Fabrics.

My class sample (above) features one of my favorite blender fabrics—a quilting-weight shot cotton that is fabulous for showing off your free-motion quilting—Peppered Cottons by Pepper Cory [for StudioE Fabrics]. Have you ever done free-motion quilting on a Peppered Cotton? Luscious. See this blog post and this post and you'll see why I chose this fabric.

100 wt. InvisaFil thread by WonderFil.

The thread we'll be using for this free-motion work is InvisaFil [by WonderFil Threads] and it's perfect for the micro fills that will define the contours and elevate your word... right... off... the... quilt.

Class kits have fabrics from the Blue Bird collection
by Jennifer Brinley for StudioE Fabrics.

Meadowlark, one of Jennifer Brinley's earlier fabric collections for StudioE Fabrics is shown in my sample above, but students taking the class will receive fabrics in their class kit from Jennifer's new collection, Blue Bird, along with a coordinating Peppered Cotton.

The associates at Huntsville Sew and Vac have kits prepared for the class and the store has any other supply you might need... so don't worry about hunting for the fabrics and specific supplies. Attendees just need to bring the basics and their favorite FMQ (free-motion quilting) tools. A supply list is available upon class registration. (And you'll want to get it sooner rather than later because there is a little pre-work for the class.)

"Defining Contours," a NEW free-motion quilting class.

Are you ready to quilt up your 2016 word with me? Join me in Huntsville, AL on January 23 and we'll get your New Year started on the right foot—with a free-motion foot!

Is it "Modern"?

Background fills and ruler work.

I like making quilts.

I make quilts for several reasons… because I am inspired… because I enjoy the process… because I like the tactile feel of the fabrics and threads... the 3D texture that is created from the stitching… the creative release… the sense of calm that comes over me when performing the rhythmic tasks involved… and the sense of accomplishment I get upon finishing.

Throughout my quiltmaking journey, I have marched (and danced!) to my own tune. I have made quilts in many different styles: traditional, reproduction, art, improvisational, and possibly in the new category of "modern" (which I must say seems to be a moving target as to what qualifies).

I joined my local modern quilt guild (MQG) chapter in order to learn more about this new quilting genre. And, my quilting friends and I have had discussions on what is or is not considered "modern." What we've concluded? It keeps evolving.

So, this is my latest finish. Do you think it's "modern"?

Finished size: 28.5" x 28.75"

This quilt features:

• a charm pack of black and white fabrics,
• a shot cotton background [Peppered Cottons by Pepper Cory], color: paprika,
• I used the Creative Grids hatchet template by Rita Fishel to make the blocks—'cause this tool is too darn fun! 
• and I also started experimenting with ruler work on my domestic machine, so the tonal background of the shot cotton was a good canvas on which the quilting would show and I could gauge my progress and success level.

Hatchet template ruler by Rita Fishel for Creative Grids.

Here is a detail of the quilting. It's all free-motion work—including the straight lines. I used a machine quilting ruler (not to be confused with a rotary cutter ruler) for the straight lines (a.k.a. ruler work). 

Detail of free-motion machine quilting. 

Quilt stats: This project was started in January of this year (2015) and finished in December. My logbook indicates 14 hours of quilting as of mid-February. Unfortunately I failed to continue to log progress as I did it in bits and pieces as time permitted.
Top thread: Aurifil 50 wt. cotton.
Bobbin: Bottom Line (Superior Threads) 60 wt. poly.

It's a hatchet job.

You could say it's a hatchet job.
But do you think it's modern?