Good Morning, Quilters!
First– a quick reminder to sign up for Sulky’s FREE Webinar: “Love to Stitch-Machine Quilting Tips and Tricks”
A BACKWARD GLANCE
Last week I wrote about Diane Gaudynski and how her work inspired me to begin machine quilting--read more HERE.
I learned precision feathers, stippling and grid work and copied her style to the extent that I could.
Then I saw a Welsh quilt in a magazine…
WELSH QUILTING
The Welsh hand quilting tradition dates between 1850-1930. Most of the quilters were widows of men who died in the coal mines. They were amazingly creative, but perfection was not important.
Read more about Welsh Quilting HERE
and be sure to watch Jen Jones describe the history of the quilts HERE.
Her perspective on perfection and quilting is very interesting!
SHIFTING STYLE and a NEW MOTTO
Once I allowed myself to let go of perfection in machine quilting, I began to have more fun. The way I worked changed-less time marking and more time stitching. I allowed myself to doodle on the fabric. Even if the motifs weren’t perfect–they were fun to look at (well, some were…)
Remember my motto: If YOU have fun while you are quilting, that JOY will be reflected in your quilts!
ON COPYING A STYLE
When you first delve into machine quilting, it is necessary to copy a style-that is how you learn. As you quilt more, YOUR style will evolve. YOU will find a way to work that suits your personality, equipment, and work choices–embrace it!
What about YOU? Have you noticed a shift in YOUR quilting style?
Have YOU changed how you work over the past five years?
Are there some styles of quilting you have eliminated or embraced?
We’d LOVE to hear!
The Happy Quilter,
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
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19 comments
Christine
I so agree that the joy of quilting needs to come before the perfection. And perhaps ‘perfection’ will never be reached. Improvement, competency, individual style along with enjoyment and satisfaction should be markers of success.
kaholly
I often say, “I can make it perfect, or I can make it fun.” I usually choose fun!
Gypsybaker
Just love reading your blog and hope some day to advance to FMQ…my friend,
Vivian B., introduced me to your blog…she has learned so much from you. I
also love your column in American Quilt Society magazine. I appreciate art &
see art in so many quilts! Thanks again, Kate
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You can do it!! Vivian will teach you!
Rosemaryflower
I love this post. Honestly, personally…. I have become neater and not so sloppy. So I guess that means I am not perfect by any stretch, but I have elevated my standards.
Your blog is my favorite, I do not always comment, but just know, I always read.
I have learned to look at good work and try to reach that goal.
brendaintheboro
one of the best things for me was finding Craftsy,com. As I was mainly self taught from books ( I live in the UK) the internet has given me the chance to learn from some excellent teachers, including yourself. Recently, on the Quilt Show I discovered Laura Fogg’s work and have embraced Free Form Collage and the using free-machining on top of collage covered in dark coloured tulle. I am having great fun making small landscapes.
Mary
Thanks to you, I have come to love FMQ. I tend to quilt by space. It may be a block design, border design, or background design. So yes, I have changed from common straight line quilting to more complex. I tend to not strive for perfection, but to enjoy the process and the personalized look for each quilt I make. Thank you for your tutorials and inspiration.
GrrannyH
Done is better than perfect…
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Amen!
Brenda Perry
Love, love, love your blog (your Craftsy classes and your book)!! I have a question about the Sulky webinar. Please direct me elsewhere if you cannot answer. If I sign up, am I able to view it later? I want to see the webinar, but I will be away from home for my uncle’s memorial service on that date. I won’t have computer access until 9/1417. Thank you again for all your wonderful inspiration and instructions!!
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Great question! Yes! You will get a link to the webinar to view later!
Robbie Carpenter
I have just recently given up the idea that I won’t quilt a “real” quilt until I am good-better. I just said to heck with it and started quilting feathers around some applique on a quilt. It looked pretty good so I just kept going. I put it in the county fair only to make sure we would have plenty of quilts for people to look at and get inspired. Well, I won a blue ribbon and a champion in the class! I also got special recognition (and $25!) for outstanding adult quilt! Just goes to show, nobody is looking at the bobbles only the beauty of the finished product! JUST DO IT! is my new motto. Thank you Lori!!!
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Congrats!!! You are so right!!
Cindy Anderson
The video as well as your post is a wonderful reminder to relax and enjoy what I’m doing. So, so often I strive for perfection yet my attempts fall short. I think I need to make a change. Thank you for the wake-up call.
Chris Burbridge
Lori, I find your work very inspiring and I love the Welsh leaf pattern. While it’s hard to abandon that goal of perfection, the results of this kind of FMQ add so much more artistic value to our quilts. They have an organic and human-made quality.
I’ve been taking FMQ workshops (on-line and in person) over the last few years to try to improve my skills. Sometimes I just have to remember to breathe!
Karin
Funny, I just posted something similar to this on Instagram last night. I was inspired by one of your patterns but was very informal with it (not worrying about spacing or being uniform) to get the look I wanted.
I find I frequently default to spirals as a filler.
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What is your IG name?
Joan
I think that one of the things that prompted me to shift my style was discovering your blog! It along with your classes on craftsy have really helped me develop confidence as a domestic machine quilter. Thanks for that!
thebiasedge
I totally agree. When I stop fussing over perfection, I start to enjoy the quilting process.
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