Free Motion Quilting week at QUILTsocial

Last week I wrote about free motion quilting at QUILTsocial. I have been learning to drop the feed dogs and have some creative fun while completing projects. I am close to being a convert as free motion quilting really does take less time and is easier to do the more you practice!

My first post talks about getting ready for free motion quilting. In this case I'm using the PFAFF performance icon sewing machine so getting it ready is an important part of the process. But also, I had to get ready mentally and prepare myself for trying something new and knowing that I wouldn't get it perfect right away.

Getting Ready to free-motion quilt with the PFAFF performance icon

I surrounded myself with knowledgeable quilters and then I practiced. I know there are common problems and really just getting used to doing the motions of moving the quilt increased my confidence.

Practicing free-motion quilting with the PFAFF performance icon

Then it was time to put some play into my practice! I had purchased a panel with two Canadian maps on it a year or more ago with great plans to have pillows made for Canada Day. Well, I managed to get one done - and started enjoying the process of filling in the background of a project with free motion quilting.

Oh! Free motion quilting! Oh! PFAFF performance icon!

My project to put my practice to the test was yet another cushion cover - can you really have too many? I loved mixing the bold print with the solid blue fabric. Adding the hand look embroidery stitch that is built into the performance icon really helped make my vision for this project come to life.

Appliqueing a heart on a cushion cover using a decorative stitch

Then I had to go for it! I knew I had gained some free motion quilting skills and that I would never get any better if I didn't put them into practice. I'm starting to learn that I can explore using tools and techniques to help me create. I'm looking forward to doing more free motion quilting now and really hope my posts inspire some more quilters to practice and try it out too!

Free-motion quilting adds accent to heart cushion cover

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Modern Baby Quilt

Here's a fun, bold, happy project! A modern baby quilt is just the thing to make at the beginning of Spring.

This is my latest project over at QUILTsocial.

The first post gives the fabric requirements and cutting instructions:

This modern baby quilt steals the show

This project I challenged myself to use solid fabrics and let the stitches add the texure. Of course it was not that difficult to achieve using all of the stitch features of the PFAFF performance icon! I used my old favourite, floating stitches, as I put the blocks together.

Floating stitches on a modern baby quilt make all the difference

If you've been a reader for any length of time you know that I love the churn dash block. This quilt was inspired and is made with the units of the traditional block. I just played with placement of the units to end up with hints of churn dashes throughout. See those floating stitches?

HSTs and piecing a baby quilt top with the performance icon

The quilt top was designed so that I could use the radiant stitch feature on the performance icon. This was a new stitch feature for me and I was curious about how to make it work on a quilt. I didn't want to make a crazy patch quilt - which I think would be an excellent place to use these stitches - but I did want space to show off the stitches.

The modern setting is supposed to look like mountain sides. I was thinking about the song from The Sound of Music - Climb every Mountain - and I used the stitches to help me create a landscape. Trees, weeds, flowers, mixed with snow, rain, and sunshine. Even some lucky clover!

Radiant stitches on the performance icon add joy to a baby quilt

I also used a serpentine stippling stitch in some of the connecting hsts when I quilted the top to represent rivers and mountain streams. I know, it sounds silly, but making all of these different elements connect to a theme made it easier to choose what stitches to use, and which not to use on this project. 

In the end I also decided to use the leftover blue and green fabric in the binding and tested it to get most of it to line up with one of the blue, green corners. The rest of the binding is white which feels like a no-no - I guess I could blame it on the modern tendencies of this project!

I like this photo because you can see how I used different thread colors to help me create my imaginary landscape too. It was hard not to put radiant stitches everywhere!

Stippling stitches on the performance icon add whimsy to a baby quilt

Maybe you need a modern baby quilt in your life? Remember, you could always turn it into churn dashes by moving around the units ;)

If you like what you see, 

could you please go to one of the linked posts 

and leave your comment there?

 It will help more quilters find my project. 

Or pin a photo to one of your Pinterest boards :)

Thanks!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Rainbow pincushion and a lucky thread catcher

I'm very lucky to again being reviewing a PFAFF sewing machine over at QUILTsocial.

This time it's the PFAFF performance icon. Cue the angelic voices!

I have to admit that I had decided to purchase the PFAFF quilt expression 720 because it did everything I wanted and did it well. But when I opened the large box the performance icon came in and starting unpacking it, I fell hard! This machine does things I didn't even know I wanted - ugh! What a dream!

Of course it's worth noting that it is a lot more money than the quilt expression 720, but I think it would be money well spent. So, we'll see how the year goes ;) Just know that I can't resist sewing on this machine!

Heard enough yet?! You can read my first review of the great features on the performance icon and then my list of reasons why you shouldn't leave this machine home when you go out to sew.

Little things make a big impression on the PFAFF performance icon

Your big PFAFF performance icon? Don't leave home without it!

For my project I tried out some of the decorative animal stitches that I've only seen on this machine - seahorses! dolphins! - and made a rainbow pincushion.

PFAFF performance icon and its animal kingdom of stitches

I then made a lucky thread catcher to go with it. A small pouch for threads that can hang from the pincushion by using the attached ric rac. Go see - I think it turned out pretty cute.

Sewing a 'pot of gold' thread catcher

Regardless if you're looking to purchase a new machine or not, it's fun to read about features and to see what other machines can do. The performance icon can do a lot!

I hope you take some time to go see my projects and posts. Leave a comment or two for me over at QUILTsocial too!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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A Week of Stitched PFAFF projects

Last week was my turn again over at QUILTsocial. If you haven't checked it out lately, you should! There have been some great projects recently. Just in time for gift making season.

I'm still enjoying every stitch with this PFAFF machine! It's the quilt expression 720 and it makes coming up with new projects pretty fun. I focussed on using the different stitches to make some add on gifts -little extras that are homemade but don't take up a lot of time to make.

I used the Stitch Creator feature to edit the fish stitch and then used it to make this fun mug rug. Add a mug and sweets and you have a simple, personal gift.

The floating stitches are one of my favorite groups of stitches on this machine. I had to use some to make a gift. The trend of tone on tone stitching is something I wanted to try and so I used some floating stitches to create the base of this coaster. Then I added several more of the decorative stitches to fill in the coaster. This would be sweet to gift with some specialty hot chocolate and maybe some thread or yarn for a fibre-loving friend.

This one was fun! There are some really neat sewing related stitches on this machine. I decided to try out making a mini ornament with the sewing machine stitch in the middle and then I used one of the built in cross stitch stitches to make a little nine patch grid. Some red ric rac to match and it's ready :)
I made a Halloween one too - go check out the post and see the cute stitch I used for that one here.

Next I used a pair of stacked stitches to make a bookmark. Mushrooms! Another simple add on gift that just adds that personal touch. 

And last but not least, this mini dated gift tag. I love this poinsettia stitch and wanted to feature it in a small project. Adding the date makes this a versatile gift tag that could be used as an ornament too. I put it around a wine bottle for my photo op - a nice handmade touch to a hostess gift.

If you visit the linked words you will find the post with my tutorials for these add on gifts.  Leave me comments over on the QUILTsocial posts to let me know which ones you like!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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QUILTsocial week featuring PFAFF's quilt expression 720

It's been a busy week!

It was my week over at QUILTsocial to review PFAFF's new quilt expression 720. This is my favourite of their machines that I've tried so far. 

I tried some of the built in decorative and creative stitches with a sewing font and created this tea cup coaster for my tea-loving daughter.

You can read my posts from the week over here. Leave some comments too :)

With Joy,

Sarah Vee

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A Finish for the Finish Along Quarter 2 - Liberated Churn Dash placemat

There's nothing like a finish to encourage me to find the time to share here on my blog. I could show you piles of marked artwork and report card comments, but I don't think it would be the same :)

School is almost out for summer and I have been sneaking in a few minutes in my quilting space to quilt, trying to focus on  those things I planned to work on for the Finish Along Quarter 2.

I'm happy to report this placemat is finally quilted! 

I used the chance to review PFAFF's creative 3.0 as an opportunity to add some fun stitiching to it as well.

I used the sequencing feature to add my own words to the placemat between the fun pencils.

Then I used some of the built in stitches to add some more fun details - like the stitches around the FRIENDS patch.

Now all four of my placemats made with this fabric (Story, by Carrie Bloomston) are in use and making my dining room look a bit more jubilant with the arrival of summer vacation!

If you want to make your own Liberated Churn Dash placemats you can find my pattern here.

Now back to my quilting space where I hope to have my second Finish Along Quarter 2 project finished today!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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End of Summer in my Studio Space

I am revelling in the last week of summer. I caught the sun in my space one afternoon this week - all that white space! With autumn right around the corner, my cutting table is piling up with design possibilities and projects that I want wrapped up this year.

Last week I contributed blog posts at QUILTsocial.com featuring the new PFAFF Performance 5.2. What a great machine! This one has a bit more oomph when it comes to sewing layered seams.

Here's my first look review post.

I created a crazy patch potholder to test all the built in crazy stitches on the machine here.

Then I made a modern log cabin pillow cover and played with a few more of the decorative stitches.

We're heading out for a few nights of camping - had to check this off the summer to-do list still. First things first; prepping a block to take so I have something to handstitch!





Enjoy the weekend,

Sarah V.

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