Fabric Story - FMQ Challenge

I'm participating in Leah Day's FMQ Project.  This week I was to quilt a whole cloth to practice traveling.  I wasn't at first quite sure how this was FMQ, but Leah explained why traveling is one of the skills a free motion quilter needs to know.  So here's what I did.  Leah wanted us to practice on a whole cloth block, but I didn't want to start a new project.  Instead I pulled out my DDIL's quilt that I am slowly quilting for her and made the quilting pattern Leah provided as the pattern for one of the blocks.  This is a big quilt - there are 20 blocks and they measure 15" square.  I had to modify the pattern to fit.  I did this by taking off the outer side of the feathers.  My other problem was how to mark the pattern.  I couldn't put it up to a window and trace it as this quilt is sandwiched.  I decided to use freezer paper as I did for my UFO - see last tuesday's post.  Here's how it went.  I assembled the pattern from Leah's pdf.  I then traced it onto a piece of freezer paper where I would have a nice edge around the pattern.  Then I found the center of the block and marked the center of the fabric.  Before I ironed it to the square, I cut out the center and the inner hearts.  I then ironed the pattern onto the top of the block and followed Lean's suggestions for quilting the center.  I chose to break the threads between the small hearts.  Here is the center done.  I then loosened the pattern around the hearts and cut out the dead space between the intersecting square.  Picture 1


Following Leah's suggestions for how to travel around these, I then moved onto the feathers - again cutting out the dead space and cutting around the feathers down to the spine but not along the spine. In the photo you can see what it looked like - all frilly. I then reironed it flat and proceeded to do the feathers.
Once the feathers were done, I cut off all of those pieces and got ready to do the first outer line.  It wasn't as easy as Leah showed us because I could not turn that huge quilt as easily in all directions, but slowly it got done.  Then did the same for the outmost line of the spine.   

I then cut out the inner hearts from the larger hearts in the corner and reironed them back onto the quilt - I had labeled them to get them back to where they were.


 
And here is my finished quilting using Leah's pattern.  I'm glad I thought of cutting the pattern up as I went (of course leaving a little bit attached so the integrity of the pattern would remain), and the margin of the freezer paper helped to keep the pattern in place.  The paper was a cinch to remove. 

I'm linking to Leah's FMQ Project, Connie's Linky Tuesday Party, Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story and Esther's WIP Wednesday.  You'll find the buttons on the sidebar.  Do visit them to see how others are doing and their wonderful eye candy.



15 comments:

  1. Angie -- it is stunning ! You did a most wonderful job ! Thanks for sharing your process with us as well. I have been following Leah's posts but have not had too much time to sew these days.

    Love your progress.
    Karen

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  2. Looks beautiful and I think it is a great idea that you are doing this on a quilt top you already have! Great work!
    Quilting at the River Linky Party Tuesday

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  3. Wow, that is gorgeous!! Great job :)

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  4. this square is beautiful. Keep up the good work. It's very inspiring

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  5. It looks FANTASTIC. Your DDIL is very lucky!

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  6. Love your work - a great idè your outer line.....

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  7. A wonderful tutorial and it will help me a lot in the future. Thanks for sharing a beautiful centre. Cheers Glenda

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  8. I have a question: did you stitch around the lines rather than on the lines? Your block is beautiful. Now what are you going to quilt on the rest of them? :-)

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  9. You have done an awesome job converting this to an "in-process" quilt...impressive! That is looking so nice...will be anxious to see the finished project. Are there other 'whole fabric' blocks in this quilt?? The micro-stippling will be stunning on this! Hugs, Doreen

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  10. Very nice! Great idea to use the freezer paper - I've done that before with hand quilting. I never thought to do it with FMQ. Thank! ~Jeanne

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Thank you for stopping by. It's always nice to hear from you. I try to reply to each and every one of you, but sometimes life gets in the way. I hope you understand. Blessings.

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