Let’s Start a New Project!
Happy New Years! It’s a brand new year and a completed project, so it’s high time we start something new.
So here’s a quick video detailing what you can expect on the Free Motion Quilting Project in 2012:
Yes, I got my inspiration for this new project from Fluffy Sheep Quilting who held a quilt along last fall. Following along with that quilt along allowed me to see first hand what beginners are struggling with, and just how overwhelming this project can be.
I’ve also had a sincere desire to slow down on posting new designs and to focus instead on quilting real quilts on a large scale.
So that’s what we’re going to do! Every Wednesday I’ll post a video showing the design(s) we’re working on, and how I’ve used them, and tips on how to quilt them.
So what exactly will we be quilting during this quilt along?
Um…new designs right???
Yes, of course, but in a new way! This is an important question because so far I’ve posted designs only as I’ve designed them which means this project hasn’t made a whole lot of sense.
On any given week we’d have a beginner flower design, then an advanced pivoting design, then an intermediate echoing design. Yes, the new designs were nice, but learning them in this way was really disjointed and unorganized.
To fix this problem and make this project MUCH easier to follow along with, we’re now going to focus on a particular design type for two months at a time.
So for the next two months we’re going to focus on the Independent Design family.
I’m really excited about being able to focus on a particular design family because it will be so much easier to show you how they work in many areas of a quilt!
What will I be quilting all these designs ON exactly?
Well…I don’t really want to limit myself to just one thing. Some weeks I may just quilt designs over a simple practice quilt sandwich, some weeks I may quilt over a real live quilt, some weeks I may quilt on a small garment,, some weeks I may use some of the cheater cloth prints I’ve created with Spoonflower, and some weeks I may return to my good ole’ 4 inch square.
Essentially – I’m going to quilt on whatever is on hand. Whatever is ready. Whatever will stand still long enough to be quilted!
And I hope you will quilt along with me!
Exactly as I’m quilting on whatever comes to hand, please don’t spend an excessive amount of time creating new quilts or buying new fabric for this quilt along. Whatever you have on hand will be just fine.
And when you quilt along and post your progress on your blog, you can link yourself up to the Wednesday Quilt Along posts. This will work a lot like Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesdays with an added bonus:
If you have a question about the design or are struggling with a particular issue with free motion quilting, please post your question on your blog. On Thursdays, I’ll try to collect 5 questions to answer here on the project so you can get the help you need in real time.
Now for a few more things….
Because I’m sharing videos and lots of photos for the quilt along on Wednesdays, we will no longer have individual videos posted for each new design. It just seems redundant to post a short video on Monday or Tueday, then post another video on Wednesday.
So for simplicities sake, videos will be posted on Wednesdays from now on.
As always, if you’d like to get weekly updates for the Quilt Along as well as the newest designs published to this project, make sure you’re subscribed to our free weekly newsletter.
And finally here at the end, I’d like to share my mantra for this new year with you:
I seriously hope I don’t offend anyone with this statement, but it perfectly fits what I need to hear right now, and what I want to teach this year.
Because sometimes what you need to hear, and what you need to do is just shut up and go quilt. Stop worrying over the issues and just go get on your machine and TRY IT!
So I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited about this new project and what we will learn and share in 2012.
Now let’s go quilt!
Leah Day
This sounds very interesting! Looking forward to shutting up and starting to quilt 😀
Awesome! I was one of the participants in Fluffy Sheep FM Friday. Can't wait for Wednesday!
love your designs, but get lost when I actually sit down to do anything. cant wait
okay, new mantra – shut up and quilt.
got it. Okay. I will shut up now!
KATHY SAYS: Thanks again, Leah, for sharing with us all….I hope this year is a happy, healthy, prosperous, peaceful one for you….ok….shutting up now and waiting for Wednesday! :P…(whispering now—-I can hardly wait!!!!)
I'm excited. Just the push I need to stop watching you quilt and try something other than stippling. Thanks.
My head has been swimming so I can't wait for this project. Can I yell hooray once really loudly before I shut up!
This sounds great Leah. Thank you for the effort you are taking in putting it all together.
Love your mantra.
Looking forward to this new type of "lesson"! Keep us growing :o)
Yes! This sounds wonderful. I plan on following along but the bloging may be a problem as I have been experiencing disappearing camera issues. Oh family…..
Great idea! Count me in!
This is great 🙂
Hope to be able to join this and go quilting – I love it.
Happy new quilting year.
This is perfect timing. My resolve this year is to quilt the tops that are mounting up. I have been nervous to do anything more than a big meander so a quilt along sounds like a plan
sound like you have a great plan here . one that many of us will benefit from. Thank you for getting out of your 4 inch space ( even though we all love those as well ) and helping us all to "shut up and quilt " many a quilt should get done this year with this mantra 😉
This sounds good. I gave myself your beginners book and kit for Christmas and I'm really pleased at my first attempts. Roll on Wednesday!
I love your enthusiasm and thank you for sharing all your knowledge!
Fantastic! I've been machine quilting for many years and I find that when I take a beginning class, I learn so much more than I thought I would. Looking forward to getting to the quilt tops stashed away! Thanks!
Really looking forward to this! Thanks for helping us along the way! I need to definitely shut up now and quilt!
Oh, wonderful… My goal this year was to start with your book and practice all and everyone of your design to improve my skills (well, actually, to BUILD them…, but I'm being confident 😉 ) so this just the right thing! I'm definitely in! Can't wait!
OK!
Let's go kilt, Leah!
Great idea Leah, I often have trouble knowing how to enlarge a pattern to a larger quilt so I'm looking forward to 'quilting along'! Sounds like we'll all be learning together.
Hi Leah… Absolutely embrassed the shut up and quilt motto today. Got something out and quilted a stipple… Have only been doing practice sandwiches. Hey it wasn't one of my prized projects but hey!!! I love the way it turned out… and inspired me to get on with a bigger quilt I started a while ago. Bring on Wednesday. Great job !!
Caz
Looking forward to this project! It's just what I need and "Shut up and quilt" is my mantra for this year! Thanks!
Happy New Year Leah! This quilt along sounds so great. your designs have been such a help to my quilting. You are my guru! justbhad this conversation with my sisterinlaws today about how much time I waste hemming and hawing over what to do with the quilting..then I came home and read your shut up and quilt!! PERFECT MESSAGE!!
Hey Leah. Been looking forward to your changes. Couldn't be happier with what you chose. You are such an inspiration. I even started a small blog a few weeks ago. Great timing! Now I can follow along in the community and post my progress. Loving it! Thanks again,
-amy
This sounds awesome and like it would be the perfect addition to all of the designs that you already published. This large scale use of the designs are what I've been doing since my very first bed quilt. If you would like some input, or my method of using the designs on a larger scale, with photos, I would be more than happy to share how I do it.
Happy New Year
Great idea, Leah. After about 8 years of quilting, I'm still very unconfident about FMQ, and the tops are piling up, so this will be a great encouragement to finally stop avoiding and just do! I'm in the UK, so it might have to be quilt along Thursdays because of the time difference, but looking forward to it!
Thank you for taking on great projects. You have helped me the past few years gain confidence in my quilting. The smaller squares were great (mine were not always so small), they pushed me into practicing. Thousands of miles of thread later and I can see the difference in my quilting and my ability to create my own designs. I recently quilted a bed quilt, not an art quilt and it was really hard to relax and go big with my designs. You have found the natural progression of your project. Good Luck!
Bring on Wednesday…i will shut up now.
its informative..
I'm super excited about this quilt along!! Can't wait to get started on it all.
I am so excited about The Free Motion Quilting Project. That is the skill I really want to work on this year and, even though I have taken two workshops, I have only FMQed one project–a wallhanging. I hope to be more confident and skilled at this time next year. Thanks for initiating this.
Leah, Love your comment "Shut up and Quilt" My biggest problem when teaching sewing through "Home Demonstration" – now "Cooperative Extension" – was the "jumping the gun" questions and just common chatter. One time I stopped mid-sentence and the biggest talkers didn't realize I had stopped! Love the idea of this new project. Hope I can participate – Wednesday is usually my free day….
THIS is Fabulous!!!
Can't wait to play along ( when I can). I don't know how to link my blog, though….
Leah – Wonderful! I'm reading this on January 3rd but I intend for now on to come back daily. I'm exactly your target audience.
I've been doing your beginning designs. First I did in charity quilts picking a different design to do in each color of the quilts. I also have a QAYG project with plain blocks next to pieced blocks. I stitched in the ditch for the pieced blocks and got organized and started doing your beginning designs in order on the plain blocks. I'm still working on that one – but now also have a quilt where I have broken out of putting the designs in a block – but have instead put them in a section of the quilt.
Anyway, thank you over and over again for all your help.
I got most of my supplies including the change your life sewing table from you and will get more as I need things.
Now I will go get my notebook and once I'm home will Shut Up and Quilt.
Best wishes and thanks!
Thanks Leah, I'm ready and I love your mantra.
Leah, this is so exciting! I wish you guys the best of luck! xx
Thank you for taking us back to the beginning to help us build our skills!
Wooo-hoooo! Love this project and I can hardly wait to be part of it!
My version of "shut up and quilt" for 2012 is "step away from the computer and quilt".
Thanks Leah!
What a great idea, Leah! It was my goal for this new year, start FreeMotion Quliting with your book, but this is much better!!!
This quilt along will be very useful.
Thank you very much for sharing . I can't wait to start.
Best wishes
I am SOOOO excited! I am wanting to increase my skills in two areas this year, FMQ'ing and Using scraps/crumbs to make projects. I am so excited and so ready to learn, the trouble for me has been exactly what you said in your video: How do I take the stitches I learn and use them on a larger scale? I will be linking up!
Great idea, Leah! I'm psyched and hope to join in too!
THANK YOU! Great idea, I'm in and will shut up ;))
Yes I'm excited too! Thanks so much for doing this. I didn't participate last year, but I'm so ready and happy to this year.
Looking foward to FMQ this year with you.
Happy New Year Leah !
Thank you for this very exciting project ! I want to be part of your family !
I'm convinced – it's time for me to shut up and quilt. Thanks for all the encouragement to stop putting it off and just do it!
I didn't get involved last year. Shame on me. But this year, hey, count me in!!!
Yes! Shut up and Quilt! I love it! Fire up the Viking and get out the thread is what I am going to do.
M…
Leah,Thanks for starting a project like this. I am planning on making a number of lapquilts for my neices and nephews this year to give as Christmas presents. I was planning to machine quilt them and I think this will be a great place to get some new ideas and a great place to practice.
I will be with you…thanks so much for this Great Project. Kind regards from Germany
Kattinka
I already posted a "novel" on your other blog entry. So, I will just say on this one, Thanks, thanks, thanks! I cannot tell you how many quilt tops I have waiting to be quilted…my fmq is so bad that I have reverted back to my stand-by hand quilting to finish some of them up! Now I love hand quilting, but my whole goal has been to learn fmq, and get on with it!! Just like your "Shut up and quilt!"…just what I needed to hear!
Kan
This is fantastice idea! I will enjoy and learn at the same time. Maybe this will open up to my brain what kind of motion I need in my quilt. I'll shut up and quilt!! LOL LOL Love your site!!
I'm wondering if these quilt along videos are still available and where exactly I might find them?
Hi Wona – You can still find all the videos and posts linked up right here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/p/free-motion-quilt-along.html