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| Plan ahead! |
Now, I just start quilting when I know what design I want to start with. I don't have to know the entire plan... just the beginning step. In doing this I recognize the risk of making errors as shown in the "You had one job" pictures above! I may run out of thread, do things upside down, turn straight lines into wavy lines, etc.
I'm fine with that! After all the quilts I've made, I have learned that all of the mistakes I've made are mostly only noticed by me. Now I just quilt wherever I am inspired to do so...
I knew that I wanted to quilt curves along the navy blue diagonal chains, so I just started with that.
My approach is to do some thinking and planning. I'm not totally impulsive, but I do not make the entire plan or get attached to any specific idea or outcomes. I know many people like to quilt straight lines either in the seam lines or beside them, but I'm at a stage now of preferring to stitch curved lines using my free motion quilting feet.
I'm not sure yet about the inside of the star and the outside neutral pieces. I am hoping to figure out how to create a continuous line design to quilt both areas with only 1 start and stop.
What do you prefer to do with your machine quilting? Are you a methodical "plan ahead" quilter, a "figure it out as you go" quilter, or a "quilt by cheque" quilter?
17 comments:
I am a figure it out as I go quilter. I am using a domestic machine, and some ideas are just not practical. I love your comment that most of your mistakes are noticed only by you...good point!
I am quite impulsive, and not much of a planner, I guess. I am a terrible domestic machine quilter, however, so I prefer to hand quilt or quilt by check! I would love to have a long arm one day.
I am a figure it out as I go. I design quilts on the fly. Mao freeing.
I like that pink star in that quilt. I was reading the comments and had to laugh at the "quilt by check" comment from Julie - I am a planner and like to have a pattern that I understand and see in advance. I think that is why I always save Bonnie's patterns and then decide if I want to make them. I have so many scraps though that I have to get busy and use them or start to give them away and I really don't want to do that!
I own a longarm quilting machine and still, on occasion, "quilt by check"!! I'm not very artistic and haven't mastered the fine art of "fancy" free motion on The Beast. If my quilts require something more that I can provide, off they go!
I definitely figure it out as I go. If I had to plan it, I'd never get it done. I would have a mental block on what to do. I'd rather just do something...the rest comes as I am doing.
Your quilting so far looks great! I'm a seat of the pants quilter. Sometimes I do big, easy loose stippling to get it done fast, and other times I do detailed FMQ. I've learned that not only does no one else notice the little bobbles, no one else even knows the difference between plain and fancy quilting. Except other quilters, that is. I have one piece that will be a gift for the gal who introduced me to quilting, so that one has to be special :)
I haven't gotten brave enough (nor had enough time) to learn to do my own quilting. Your's always looks great. I'm a big fan of the right way to do something is the way that works for you.
The few times I decided to plan how to quilt a project only resulted in the continual postponement of the quilting, so now I just start and see where it takes me. I just finish quilting a baby quilt doing ruler work without the proper equipment (no ruler foot for my 30 yr old Bernina). Is it perfect? Heck, no, but no one else will notice and it won't be hanging in a show, and on the whole, I think it looks pretty good. But I'm so glad you decided not to give up sleeping in order to finish En Provence before Friday.
Pat
Love the "one job" memes. Knowing everything about a quilt before you start is no fun at all. It needs to help you out by telling you what is next as you move along. Flexibility is the key.
Every now and then I know exactly what I will be quilting before I even start. But most of the time I just begin ditch stitching and let the inspiration come as I work on it.
Great memes. You couldn't make that stuff up. :)
I generally have a plan, then figure as I go.
I spend a lot of time deciding what to quilt! Good to figure it out as you go. I love my En Provence! The colors are so me!! I loved using my Fairy Frost Stash.
Quilt by cheque is quicker and less stressful but I do like to say I have completed the whole job! So I think I am a plan ahead quilter. I have to know what I am doing before I start. Machine quilting is not my favourite thing so I plan for the least starts and stops!
I also make it up as a go along... get too stressed out otherwise! Your quilt is so pretty... xx
I pretty much figure it out as I go. Pretty quilt!
I'm with you, Kathy! I usually have a starting point that I've contemplated while sewing blocks into the top, but rarely have it all mapped out ahead of time. My method is I-T-I-S: I'll Try It & See! You are much more adventurous with your thread color changes--I'm pretty lazy about it. My quilts are very scrappy so a neutral thread is usually okay with me :)
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