I decided to jump on the #BraveQuilter bandwagon hosted by Julie @ Pink Doxies. Dot-to-dot quilting, here I come. Well...I had to do a lot of travelling in the ditch to get this quilted. Which was better than a million starts and stops. But, I was cranky the entire time while quilting.
And then I didn't like the quilting when I was done. The pinwheel motif at the intersection of the blocks didn't wow me.
But I managed a great photo shoot during our recent quilt retreat. Which made me happy. Thanks to Dena for her assistance.
This was my April OMG goal, as well as one of my Q2 Finish Along goals.
Linking up with:
Thank Goodness It's Finish Friday @ Celtic Thistle Stitches
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Congratulations on your finish Anja. Dot to Dot quilting is really hard...looking at it you would think it would be easy but it's not.
ReplyDeleteAhh, I'm sorry that the quilting part of the process is so frustrating for you! Like Lisa says, I think dot to dot is really hard and takes patience to get precision (which I don't always have... oops). The photo shoot is lovely and congratulations on the finish!
ReplyDeleteAnja, the quilting might not wow you but I think it looks great with this quilt. Right now you are seeing wobbles and cricks in the path but put it away for half a year and then pull it out and look at it. It still won't be perfect but you won't see the wobbles as you will see the overall quilt not the quilting. Trust me on this one. You may not like what you quilted still but it won't be bugging you the same way. If I could have done as well I wouldn't have computerized my long arm!
ReplyDeleteI agree. And also there is the "four foot rule": step back four feet and the wobbles are much less visible. Then there is the throw it in the washer approach. When it gets nice and crinkly you don't see them. You might guess I am not a perfectionist and you would be right. But I do keep working on improving. I love the colors of your quilt. Claire aka knitnkwilt.wordpress.com
DeleteAgree! the overall effect of the quilt is beautiful! don't be so hard on your quilting.
DeleteI think it is lovely. I enjoy quilting but often feel a twinge of disappointment at the quality of my stitches. I just keep working at it and slowly see a bit of improvement, I think the worst part of the process for me is basting the quilt. For whatever reason, I really dislike that process! Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! You did a great job with this finish, I always like seeing the different types of quilting you try out! Sometimes quilting is tiresome to me, I definitely rush it when I get impatient. But other times, I relish the quilting stage. It's like a coin toss with that feeling though!
ReplyDeleteWell kudos to you for persevering. I think once you get the ruler and get used to it you may change your mind, especially about dot to dot. I also agree, because I've BEEN there, that stepping back, both physically, you won't see the wobbles the same, and metaphorically, by putting it away for a while and then pulling it out in a month or so (it's such a great summery quilt!) you won't be as annoyed. Oh, I've shed tears, been grouchy, disappointed, the whole gamut...the longarming learning curve is a steep one.
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty quilt! Quilting is the only part of making a quilt that I love! The festival do to get to it.
ReplyDeleteThe last line is complete gibberish Mr.Autocorrect! Meant to say the rest I do to get to it - the fmq!
DeleteThe pinwheels add more fun, to a fun quilt! Love the colorway, and the stripey binding! Quilting has always been my least favorite of the process too, and I usually procrastinate my way through every part of it. I enjoyed reading the comments here, and took some of them to heart myself!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up Anja - your quilt looks GREAT!
Once you try quilting those same pinwheels dot to dot with a ruler you'll like doing them. I like the quilt and so what if there is a wobble here or there. How else are you going to improve we don't start at the we work our way to it. Hang in there you are doing great.
ReplyDeleteoops meant to say start at the top
DeleteOh, Anja. You hate quilting? You seem to spend a lot of time doing something you hate! :) I think the pinwheels in the intersection look fab!
ReplyDeleteHoney, it's gorgeous! And if you give it away, you just say, "Thank you for letting me practice on your quilt." XO
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I think this is beautiful! Love how you quilted it!
ReplyDeleteI think it looks great! It's hard to push through something when you are frustrated with it. I am currently still ignoring my Labyrinth quilt because I'm very mad at my feather borders. I think I'm almost over it and can finish. But you pushed through your frustrations and you have a finished quilt. That's huge! I just have a folded cat hair catcher on the back of my couch.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the comments about the 4 foot rule. It also doesn't help when we stare at it for too long. We're our own worse critics. The quilt is gorgeous and I'm glad you had the chance for such a wonderful photo shoot.
ReplyDeleteI put of quilting too. Sometimes I hope that they'll just get quilted themselves. But after I decide on a quilting pattern (the hardest part for me) and actually sit down to quilt I love it! I find it kinda zen. Here's hoping the same for you some day. Until then, keep plugging at it you brave quilter you!
ReplyDeleteHey, your FMQ was great - practice really helps. I practice on real quilts, too. You were a brave quilt. Congrats on your finish.
ReplyDeleteLooks good! Good for you for trying something different in FMQ. It's always scary (sometimes frustrating) but it's good to finish. The quilt looks great :)
ReplyDeleteAnja, I applaud you! FMQ is not the most rewarding process in the beginning, but it does get better with practice. Lots and lots of practice, and learning to relax with our wobbles and whoops. I remember how long it took before I felt comfortable sitting down to do it, and happy with what happened. Then I got my long arm, and the whole process started all over again with a different set of skills! I hate to say it, but going back to my domestic one day to do a quick small piece, I once again found I was starting at zero. I almost cried! But working through some practice pieces helped immensely, and I slowly found it was coming back. It takes a lot of different skills to all come together at the same time to make FMQ work, and is such a step past SLQ. It's like like riding a unicycle vs a tricycle, and a unicycle is way more exciting! You go, girl!
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking up with #BraveQuilter this month. It's lovely to watch you grow!
Julie @ Pink Doxies
This turned out great in the end! I’m visiting on behalf of the FAL hosting team – thanks so much for joining us!
ReplyDelete