Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Fearing Feathers No More

Okay, so if you have been hanging out here for any number of time, you now that I love feathers but have been super afraid to quilt them.  Every time I tried to draw them they came out crazy weird and just not so pretty.  But I have been determined to conquer my fear and have tried them a few times with results that were okay but not that I was particularly pleased with.  Like this border on my Stars quilt.  You can't see it to well, but what you can see doesn't particularly have much of a feather shape and the overlap, well I won't even go there :)



So, when Angela Walters put out her Craftsy Free Motion Quilting with Feathers class  I thought it might be just the thing to get me over my fear.  I signed up and have been squeezing in bits and pieces of time to watch all of her Feather lessons.  I learned so much!!!   Like that the way I was practicing them was way harder than it needed to be :)  Mostly, I learned to just relax and have confidence.  Angela is a great teacher that way!!   I have been practicing on paper for quite a while just waiting for the right quilt to test out all my paper practice on.



And then came Playing the Scales.  It was perfect.  The up and down motion of the quilt created the perfect rows to make feathers in and the fabrics are so big and bold I knew it would blend like crazy.  (In fact, I had a really hard time trying to get pictures that actually showed some of the quilting :)
I quilted feathers going left to right in brown on the high volume keys and feathers going right to left in white on the low volume keys.


And how about some close up's.  Sorry, it is still kind of hard to see them.  But oh, these were so much fun to quilt going up and down and up and down.  It really was nice to have the fabric be my guide of where to fill in.  It really was perfect as there was one less thing to try and figure out.


And after a few tries, I even managed to figure out how to quilt the spaces where the feathers curve in on each other.  There are a few that look not quite as as good as this and some that look even better, a good average I figure ;)


And by the end of the quilt, my backtracking was hardly noticeable and I was doing a far better job of staying right on the lines.  It's amazing what practicing on a whole quilt will do for you ;)


In the end, I am totally ecstatic with the end result.  Of course they are not all perfect, and I know they can only get better with more practice.  But I can honestly say, I Love Quilting Feathers!!!!  I am not afraid anymore.  And oh, that feels so good!!!   I am just so happy.


Thank you Angela, you are an awesome teacher !!!  Now bring on another quilted Feather project :)


linking up to Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story ;)
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20 comments:

  1. I am signed up for her class but haven't had the time to take it yet. I think I really need to do that because I am so afraid of quilting feathers! Yours turned out beautiful though, so excellent work. Keep practicing though I hear that is how to learn!

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  2. I have that class as well, and can't believe how easy she makes it! I'll have to say, my very first practice feather was better than I could even imagine! Love what you did on this quilt, even if I can't see it too well. Opens up lots of ideas!

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  3. Congratulations on overcoming your fear. This looks like the perfect quilt to practice on. You can see them, but not so much. I'm sure they look great.

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  4. Congratulations Melissa! Feathers are so much fun, Angela's class is just awesome!
    I learned a ton using after taking her "FMQ feathers" class.

    Great to know you love it too!
    Your quilting just looks awesome!

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  5. a huge congrats to you. Sometimes taking that first step is the hardest and you conquered it. Your quilt looks lovely.

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  6. Your quilt is lovely..and the feathers heavenly. Congratulations on your success!!

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  7. They look fab, well done! I really must get round to actually sitting through the Craftsy classes I've purchased!

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  8. Congrats Melissa - your fearless feathers look wonderful.
    After weeks of doodling feathers, I too quilted my first feathers on a real quilted project. I posted a picture on my blog today if you get a chance to look:)

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  9. I learned how to do feathers from her too:) Great teacher!!! I have taken all 3 of her classes and they are all good!!!!

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  10. From where I sit they look great!!! You're right, practice, and lots of it, is the only way to get it down!! I signed up for her class too but am working on finishing the one I'm taking from Leah Day first. I have to work on a home machine, but I figure that I'll pick up some good tips from the Feathers class anyway. I love them too, but like you, when I've tried drawing them, they don't turn out very well. Congrats on your lovely finish!!! Hugs, H in Healdsburg

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  11. Congrats Melissa :). Gorgeous feathers :). Your quilt looks gorgeous :).

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  12. It looks great Melissa. I need to sign up for this class too. Did you use your domestic machine or a long arm?

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  13. Way to go! I love these moments in life when fear or dread becomes joy and happiness. :-)

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  14. One day I will conquer my FMQ fear! Love that quilt!

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  15. So great! Perfect quilt to practise on.

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  16. Looks great! I am glad you found a way to achieve your goals. Feels good, doesn't it? I don't do feathers (not my thing) but I have been doing a lot of ruler work and you are correct. An entire quilt of practice does improve your skills!

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  17. Yippee for you. They look great.

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa