Free Motion Quilting Adventures

I haven't been quilting for long, but I decided recently that I was ready for something a bit more creative than just stitching straight lines. I've seen free motion quilting on quite a few blogs, and I've decided I'd like to give it a try. Everything I've done so far has been quilted using straight lines like this mat. It's a lovely clean look and I'll do it again in future - I just want to build my skill set further.

I've been doing a Craftsy course - Free Motion Quilting A Sampler with Leah Day. I am loving it! I am part of the Craftsy affliliate program (so I may earn a small commission if you use my links) because I think their classes are such a great service. As much as lessons at local quilting stores are excellent, sometimes that traditional format just doesn't work for me. My husband works really erratic hours and I can't commit to being somewhere every week at the same time. Being able to access my classes anytime at home on my laptop or ipad is brilliant! And also - the prices equate to about $3 per class. Can't really beat that.

I've done a few practice pieces but I feel like I need to try something properly, so I stitched up some scrappy pieces and random charm squares into this little quilt top. It will be a doll quilt for Anna's toy cradle.

You can see evidence of past projects in amongst that colour bomb - see if you can spy some Cuzco, Joel Dewberry, Lotta Jansdotter, Half Moon Modern and Lucy's Crab Shack! That little quilt will be a perfect size to do some practicing with. I'm thinking some basic loops and swirls. Not too detailed yet!

Here is one of my practice attempts so far (it's a bit of a mess).  So strange to be doing the work for the feed dogs. Your hands start to hurt very quickly! You can see I've followed the class instructions - starting with straight lines, moving to wavy lines, then going to repetitive designs.

I'll keep you updated with the dolls quilt - wish me luck! I'm looking forward to having a bit of fun with it. I really like Leah Day as an instructor, she is really clear and gives great tips - just little things that I wouldn't have guessed if I tried to learn on my own.

I've also just signed up for Creative Quilt Backs with Elizabeth Hartmann, which is a free class - a great way to see if Craftsy classes are something you'd like. They have several free classes. I adore Elizabeth's blog Oh Fransson - she is a bit of a quilting rock star, so I'm looking forward to that. I also have plans to sign up to Beginner Serging. I only use my overlocker to finish seams and roll hems, and I'm sure there is much more versatility to it. I'd like to be as comfortable with my overlocker as I am with my sewing machine.

In the meantime, I plan to get quilting with this pretty thing. Even though it's completely random, I think the colours work quite nicely together!

It will also be a nice little project to practice further with binding. I'll definitely make my own in some fun bright colours.

Have you tried a Craftsy class yet? I'd love to hear your experiences. If you haven't, you can check it out here - it's a good idea to sign up so you can receive the newsletters, they often have great sales where you can pick up classes for bargain prices.