Friday, July 20, 2012

July fmq challenge - Tiles

July's teacher is Angela Walters her tutorial provides excellent information on free motion quilting tiles with filler designs inside.  Her written instructions and photos are fantastic.  At the beginning of July I drew out the pattern.
 
 
 
Then I went on vacation for just over two weeks.  The only thing I sewed was a pair of royal blue and white lace garters for Véronique's wedding attire.  We flew to Ontario to visit our  daugher and son-in-law.  Then we traveled by car to Québec to attend Véronique and Scott's wedding.  I finally got back to the July fmq challenge on July 18.  Instead of making a practice block first (which I always do) I quilted the tiles directly on to my fmq sample quilt!  Big mistake as I forgot how to do it.  What was I thinking?  Oooops!
I used a different fill designs in every panel.
Rainbow 100% polyester variegated thread and a Schmetz 80/12 universal needle.
There are two mistakes in this small 8 by 8 inch block.
 
The pink and purple blocks are the quilt top.
The unbleached white cotton is the back side.
It is much easier to see my mistakes on the back side.  The tile piece that looks a little like a hockey stick is not joined to another tile. 
The second mistake is on the tile above the heart-shaped leaf filler.   I'm undecided about whether or not to rip them out and quilt it again. There is approximately two square inches of very tiny stitches to rip out on both tile and filler designs. 
I really like the way the unique filler designs turned out. The round pebbles, vertical lines and the other designs give this block a lovely texture.  It is wonderful to run your hands over.
After I did my quilt block, I made an 11 by 15 inch practice block to quilt the tile technique again. 
This time I used the same filler design in all the tiles and varied the tile shapes.  The top is 100% off-white cotton sheeting.
 
 
The back side is 100% cotton pink flannelette.
Readers, when you are learning a new technique, do you always make a practice block?

Would you rip out the mistakes to fix the sample quilt or leave it alone?

Happy Stitching all!

11 comments:

  1. I love both of them! When I saw the first pictures I was thinking how beautifully done the FMQing was. The only one who is calling certain elements mistakes is you! If you dare pick out any stitches I'll have to come out your way and give you a good talking too Ha Ha!

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  2. Our July tutor says not to rip and tear - listen to your teacher, LOL!!
    Your pieces look great - I especially like the different-shaped tile outlines in the second one - there are so many interesting takes on this challenge ... happens every month, love it!

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  3. Tammy, leave it be and call it a learning lesson, but really very few people would be able to pick out the mistake I'd bet! It is very pretty and if I didn't have so much going on I would give it a try because I love the looks of the finished project. Take Care

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  4. Your tiling looks great, the paper practice really paid off. I agree about not picking out those stitches. The small details give the block some personality and once the whole top is completed they'll fit right in.

    I'm usually about 50/50 on testing designs on a practice piece vs jumping right in.

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  5. No ripping! Your pieces are beautiful. You will look back at the sampler quilt and see how far you have come. I too am enjoying the variety of interpretations.

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  6. Well done, I'm working on mine today.

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  7. Tammy, your quilted pieces are lovely. Don't rip out. I must say that I always, always do a practice piece and always draw it out on paper first. Well done!

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  8. Rip out mistakes? Nah! Not unless I were quilting for a show. Your pieces look wonderful. I always practice before I do the real thing, and I'm trying to discipline myself to draw the design first, too. ONeof these days....

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  9. I think your pieces look great, and I wouldn't rip them out!

    I try to practice first. I think it helps me shift gears mentally to then be able to focus on the task at hand.

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  10. Ripping out is a very personal choice. I kind of like the wonkiness of it. But, how does the flannelette work for you? Does it slide on your machine bed well? Or is there a drag? Lane

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  11. Personally, I wouldn't rip it out! I think it looks fantastic!!!!!!

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