A Machine Quilting Quick Challenge
Good Morning, Quilters!
One of my favorite artists is British collage artist and lithographer, Mark Hearld (Born 1972). I just love to pour myself a cup of coffee and page through his illustrations.
One of my favorite books is Mark Hearld’s Workbook a large collection of his works as well as notes on his methods and inspirations.(Amazon Affiliate link-fun to check out this link as MANY of his works can be seen through Amazon’s “look inside” feature.)
I also love books he has illustrated like Outside Your Window –a collection of charming poems and stories about nature and the seasons.
THE CHALLENGE
Earlier this month, I gave myself a one week challenge to quilt an eight inch square each day inspired by one of Mark Hearld’s collages.
To keep it simple, I used pre-cut 8 inch squares and one spool of thread (Aurifil 28wt cotton). I allowed myself 20 minutes each day. No pre-drawing was allowed. Just sit at the sewing machine and stitch.
As you can see, some are better than others, but I thoroughly enjoyed each day’s exercise.
What about YOU?
Do YOU have a favorite artist you’d like to try stitching?
Does YOUR child or grand child have a book with great illustrations?
Have YOU ever given yourself a quilting challenge?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Happy Stitching,
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!PS…If you like these motifs and tips, be sure to check out my book, Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 .
Beautiful, no practice tho? Guess that’s the reason you are the professional. I’m inspired by these illustrations and will need to purchase this book!
These are so wonderful, Lori! They brought a smile to my face! Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re amazing, Lori! Lovely work and freehand! A very inspiring challenge. Thanks for sharing!
Your projects are amazing! What a fun way to improve skills and expand creativity.
These are beautiful, Lori. You are such a creative talent. Have you ever tried a dinosaur? I am making a very basic, plain bedcover for my grandson’s new dinosaur themed room. He is 2 and crazy about T rex. My daughter wants a plain modern bedcover, but she said I could try some fancy stitching. EEk! Any advice?
Don’t let your daughter push you into something you are not ready to tackle. Find a dinosaur coloring book that is aimed at young children, not future dino- ologists! Try a motif or two as Laurie has suggested, but do a bit of sketching first to get the sense of where to start and stop.when you complete that simple quilt, you will be confident and ready to sprinkle a dino here and there in the blocks. Use your walking foot for straight line fillers, or other techniques you have learned from Laurie. I know it will be a family keepsake!
I think they are all fabulous! What a challenge though – and a great way to improve skills! Love the hare best.
I have never even THOUGHT about trying to stitch pictures in the style that you have done here. Quilting to me has always been about repeating patterns as opposed to drawing with thread so this is something totally outside my box. I really would like to try it someday. I am curious what you are going to do with your practice pieces? PLEASE don’t let them sit in a box somewhere. They are precious!
I need to visit the children’s section at the library!
I like the frog most best. I have an 80-year-old friend who would just love that book. The artwork is amazing, and not just for children I think.
Your stitching is just awesome! How about some Charlie Harper?
THIS is amazing. I love the idea, although I would have to allow myself to pre-draw – I don’t think the way you do, yet. I’ll have to sift through my bookshelves.
Jennifer, I agree. I would have to draw at least an outline. Knowing me I’d wind up with a head where a leg belongs!
You are so very talented… I’m amazed each time I see your work. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and knowledge. You truly are an inspiration to all.
Those are gorgeous!!
I would love to do something like that, but I struggled so much with your butterflies that I’m gonna need a LOT more practice before I take on something like this!
Still, it’s good to have a goal, right? 🙂
Lori, have you tried using a walking foot? You can’t make tiny curves with it, but I think you could make a butterfly outline with some straight lines on the wings.
Wow so impressive, wonders never cease! Are these done with one continuous thread?
Fabulous quilting, Lori! I could see those pieces put together with thin sashing strips for a wall hanging.
LOVE it! Great idea. Beatrix Potter characters is what I would try..AND I’m a new Grandma as of 1 month ago ❤️ Wish I could add photo to this to share what’s outside “my window” this morning! 2-3” of snow! Big deal here is Oregon. Still missing the midwest!
I’m in Oregon too!
Where about’s? I’m in suburb of Portland
Lori, those sketches and your quilting is marvelous. I just keep trying different motifs that you’ve presented. You’re so talented. Thank you for guiding us!!
Good morning, Even if I practiced for years, I wouldn’t be able to just sit and draw as beautifully as you do. I was quilting an appliquéd cat quilt earlier in the week and tried my hand at drawing a cat (posted it on my Instagram with credit to you for doodling and quilting), but it turned out to be a Scotty dog! LOL! You are amazing and my favorite quilt artist! THANK YOU for always, always inspiring and for letting sit down with you and my cup of coffee!
It would be fun to see your squares sewn into a fabric book!
What a great idea! And the result is charming. Kari’s suggestion of a fabric book is a nice finish to collect the work.
Nazdar Lori. Great work, you have great talent.
Aha…I love my collection of children’s books… and I just finished assembling 20 12.5 X 12.5 inch and a few 10 X 10 inch sandwiches for practice. I especially admire Tasha Tudor’s art work. What a challenge ! Talk about jump start !! When you say, ” Jump!” we need to ask, “How high?”and today tells us how high… Love it!! But Lori, have some mercy.. forgo Dr Seuss for awhile, OK?
Tasha Tudor! Loved her! Had a corgi after I learned about her books etc.
What a great idea! But I would have to cheat and do some doodling 1st! Speaking of doodling- I know I’m out of practice because I tried a few fmq patterns of yours without doodling the other day and OMG! They were rough! Definitely need to get back into regular practice!
What a super challenge! My husband has a book of beautiful owl illustrations – I may have to borrow it and have a go!!
Just wow! I’ve been watching my grandson, now 8, with his school drawings. He did one in the last month that caught my eye for reproducing in quilting. It’s a cat. I asked him if I could quilt it, he excitedly said Yes! I’ve heard you should get the owners permission. He then told me what the assignment had been, to draw a cat as if it were an x-ray. The way he drew it started to make sense and it also made me laugh at how he envisioned the bones linking together. The cat has many segments that he filled in with doodles, many used in quilting. I have stitched the outline and the internal segmenting, now to fill it! And then on to copying illustrations in quilt.
Wow, would love to see your grandson’s drawing and your quilting from it. Great idea.
I’ll post it on Lori’s Flickr Inbox Jaunt group page once it’s done.
Genius.
wow that is so impressive. Never thought of trying that
These are fantastic! I’ve requested this book and some others from the local library.
Thanks for the inspiration.
OMG
Adult coloring books have fanciful drawings to stitch. I love Johanna Basford, a Scottish “illustrator and ink evangelist”. I’ve stitched some drawings from “Enchanted Forest”.
HOLY WOW!!
Oh my! There are so many favorite artists out there: Maruice Sendak of Where the Wild Things are and many, many others. I especially love the art of Annemeike Mein of Australia. I have a book of some of her work, and in it, she shows how she draws her creations before stitching them. She is one of Australia’s National Treasures. Thank you for stirring the creative muse in each of us, Lori!
You are an amazing thread artist. Beautiful work, thank you for inspiring us✂️
Amazing! You are so talented, Lori! Thank you for sharing that talent with us. I’ve learned so much just viewing what you do. I catch myself drawing in the air when I can’t sleep at night. 🙂
This is such a super idea! Wonderful job sewing your pictures <3
Looks like you had an absolute “ball” with this self-challenge and you certainly came out a winner! A great treat for people like me, I call us “outside my window” persons.
Your little scenes are so lovely! They are just adorable. I actually liked this challenge idea so much I sat down and drew some animal scenes myself. Some ducks swimming with turtles and roosters strutting around flower pots. I wanted to practice a bit before doing it on the machine. They are not great – but much better than I thought they would be. And I love that you put the date on there too. So I practiced that also.
Lori, these are treasures. Mark Heald is one of my favorites too. What a wonderful idea and tribute to him these little quilts are. You are an inspiration. Thanks.
What a great idea for a challenge! Love your little quilts!
Beautiful drawings and your FMQ is spot-on! Wouldn’t Beatrix Potter’s art look good, too?
OMG! Done in red thread, this would make the most beautiful child quilt. Especially if you used their favorite book for the blocks, awesomeness.
I am so inspired by these~regardless of how complicated, the idea of using an 8 inch square and 20min only and doodling away is a GREAT one. I am saving it to remind me that the main thing I have to do is practice practice practice!
Oh! Lori! How wonderful and I want to say that he has definitely caught my eye! Well done!