Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Month 3 of 8 QAYG (Quilt As You Go)

Completed center of the block






































The center part of the design began with a template and design that we had used last month. Then we added some straight lines to fill the space. I like that the lines are different widths as that little bit of surprise adds to the quilting.
Back of the center of the block
It is difficult to see the design from the front so I'll share what the back of the project looks like!


Simple outer area corner design







































The outer part of the design also used the same template. What was fun about this month was that we made the simple design more complex with just some additional stitching. I was surprised at how easy it was!
Corner design with added complexity






































Can you see how much more interesting it was to stitch another serious of shapes? Those lines are chalk marks which will brush away.
The design of the center in the outer area
The center of the outer area also had some added complexity.

This month, I tried to quilt this assignment like it was a huge quilt. In other words, I worked on quilting in any direction rather than turning the project like is demonstrated in the video that accompanies the lesson.

What I learned is that the angle in which I see when I'm going to be stitching on one direction is not the same as when I stitch in a different direction. This changing viewpoint sure makes it difficult for the stitching lines to meet when I'm completing a design.

I also noticed that the layers stretch a bit as I quilt which also makes it challenging to use reference lines to keep the design in the parameters that I originally marked! At this point, I'm not sure how to fix the viewpoint; but, at least I have identified one cause of my designs stitching a little off. It's hard to fix a problem if you haven't identified why it happened. Since I have one cause, I should be able to figure out a fix!
The design made a little more complex

Finally, I stitched this design in one hour increments with stretching breaks every 15 minutes.



















Finished back of block so far
What surprised me was how the quilting made the block scrunch. I would have thought it would have been a uniform amount; but it wasn't. This stretching probably is part of the culprit to why I've a hard time getting the points to line up.

I also learned that I could have pulled some on the pin that holds the template in place. This pulling could have moved it from a 90 degree angle which would have also affected the point alignment. Hmmm . . .more thought is required! Seeing this example sure makes previous quilt projects with wonky section make more sense!

I will be adding more quilting to this block; but, the directions are that this will come after we finish the quilting for month 4!

My body is still in recovery mode. I can raise and lower my arms; but, they fatigue quickly.

10 comments:

Kat Scribner said...

Especially love that corner design. Great ingenuity!! I am experimenting with rulers, love it, such fun.

Nancy said...

Very cool block! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on possible causes of problems. It'll help when I get back to trying to master ruler work.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Kat, thanks for stopping by. It was great practice to add more quilting to the design. It is good to keep experimenting!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Thanks, Nancy. I'll keep practicing. It will be interesting to find out how to quilt the next section! I hope I can apply what I've learned or think I've learned!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

It sounds like a real challenge! I get the sense that maybe using the template is not the best approach in this specific case. What do you think? --Monica

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Monica, I accidentally deleted your comment. I think that I need to pay more attention to the angle of my vision because when one is free motion quilting, one needs to be able to quilt in all directions!

Monica said...

No worries! What I mean is that maybe it's better to accommodate the method to you, rather than accommodating yourself to the method!

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Monica, Yes, I totally agree!

JoJo said...

Way cool looking. I'm so behind now. Getting an icky cold and having lots of work has taken a toll on all quilty fun projects. If I can just get this order done by Friday, the weekend will belong to me! At least my coughing has slowed significantly.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Thank you, JoJo! Bummer about that cold hanging on. Your project will look totally cool too. I look forward to seeing it!