Good Morning, (Focused and Organized) Quilters!
There are more than 100 tutorials in our FREE Library. Everything from beginner motifs to advanced patterns and from modern to traditional. There are whimsical motifs and classic borders…but up until now, there has not been The Most Popular Motif Ever–The Feather.
Why no feathers you ask???
Because I have really concentrated on original motifs and tutorials you can’t find else where. There are books and videos galore on fabulous feathers…
However, because so many of you have asked for a step-by-step photo tutorial… today I offer a very basic feather…
THE EASY FEATHER TUTORIAL
There are many, many ways to stitch a feather. Often one side of the feather is stitched, then a center design is created and finally the opposite side is stitched. (Three pass motif.) The Easy Feather is stitched in one pass–stitching a right petal then a left petal and back and forth up the center line. Each petal nestles into the petal below it-by echo stitching.
MARKING AND STITCHING
Begin by drawing three vertical parallel lines to serve as guidelines.
Begin stitching on the center line. Stitch up several stitches, then sweep to the right line. The sweep from right to left is fairly shallow.
Sweep the right guideline and immediately curve around.
Stitch down to the center line.
Taper up along the center line and then sweep to left guideline. Sweep the side one and curve around toward the center.
Continue to the center line just above the previous petal.
To form the next feather, echo stitch the right feather below it and curve around.
Echo stitching the previous “petal” gives the motif a very compact and neat look.
After stitching three or four petals that reach to the side lines, stitch a few smaller petals, then begin again with larger petals.
End the row of Easy Feathers with a vertical “petal”.
EASY? BEGINNER?
The Easy Feather is easier than other feathers, but it can be challenging to get the curve of the petal. While this is not exactly a beginner motif, I think every quilter should learn Feathers as soon as possible in their machine quilting career. Add them to your “doodle” list…be patient and doodle Feathers every day!!!
The GOOD NEWS–even imperfect feathers look nice! Don’t wait to add this motif to your quilts...Add a feather to every quilt–you can never go wrong with feathers!!
CRAFTSY’S NEW LOOK
Craftsy launched a new website over the weekend–all new look and all new functionality. It’s rolling out this week so be sure to take a quick peek…Try the scavenger hunt to win 5 free classes HERE.
And if you notice any broken links to Craftsy, be patient and check in with their wonderful customer service tab…
For 50% off Divide and Conquer Quilting and my second video, Creative Machine Quilting…try this link
More quilting all week!
Doodles,
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. 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!
