Thursday, December 6, 2012

DECEMBER FMQ CHALLENGE

The last lesson in the FMQ challenge is by Patsy Thompson and it is on borders.  This is a really helpful lesson and the video is so good!  We had to practice 5 different borders on a whole cloth.  Below is my practice piece.  Each border  (which are kind of hard to see - sorry) is different and the first 2 from the middle out, are only 1/2" wide.  Then there are 2 one inch borders and the final feather border is 2".


Luckily, I had a quilt ready and it has 3 borders, so it was perfect to use some of the ideas for it.  The yellow and brown borders are each 1 1/2" wide and the final wide border is 4 1/2" wide.  Patsy's video covered the instructions on how to do a feathered border.  She is such a good teacher and it was pretty easy to do.

This picture shows the borders from a different angle as well as some of the blocks.  The center blocks are done in an overall pattern.

Here is a view of the overall pattern on the back.

Another view of the back.

This view of the front shows the yellow border a little better.  I used a variegated thread for the yellow and final border.  The rest of the quilting was done with Essential Pro in Cocoa.  I used Essential Pro Natural on the bottom.  I still have the long sides to quilt and when it is all quilted and bound I will take a picture of the whole quilt.

I am lacking two months of the challenge and I have decided not to make them up due to lack of time.  I do want to thank SewCalGal for hosting the challenge, and all the quilting experts that shared their expertise with us.  It has been a huge help to me.

14 comments:

  1. Very nice job, Ruth. I love that overall pattern--is that one of Patsy Thompson's designs? You've done really well with it.
    Your feathers look wonderful. I need to practice this month's challenge.
    The experience all year has been so helpful--pulling me out of my comfort zone and making me try things I might have put off for years! : )

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  2. I am so impressed with you free motion quilting, just gorgeous. Like your Christmas holiday header.

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  3. WOW!! I am very impressed too - your quilting is amazing! Good for you!

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  4. OMG, Ruth! Pretty as the quilt is I think your practice piece is gorgeous!

    Liri

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  5. So lovely! Great fun to practice and see improvement. That is the key to machine quilting.

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  6. beautiful stitching! congrats on doing the challenge. It has been fun watching the progression

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  7. Not only is your quilting incredibly beautiful, but your dedication to the year-long series of lessons is amazing. You have proven that determination and practice do make "perfect"! ---"Love"

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  8. Your quilt and the December sample are both so pretty! This has been a great learning experience for all of us, and I think the December tutorial by Patsy Thompson is one of the best!

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  9. OMG! That practice piece is just amazing. And your quilt looks awesome. Your FMQ is just fantastic. Great job!

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  10. Quilt and Sample are beautiful

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  11. Your feathers (and other motifs) are amazing! You've come so far this year - you're a pro now!

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  12. Beautiful work. Your practice sample is wonderful.

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  13. Both your pieces look really lovely - awesome work! - neat that you had a 'real' quilt ready to continue the practise on.

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