Quilt Along #15: Sharp Stippling

 

Just like with Stippling, start Sharp Stippling by quilting a row of very simple wiggly V shapes:

 

Gradually add bends and extra wiggles to add more complexity with the next row:

 

Now work on blending several rows together to create a random, sharp stippling texture:

 

Notice that this works exactly the same as Stippling!  Work a row from left to right, then from right to left, and see how easy it can be to bend and wiggle this design over your quilt.

 

The very nice thing about the sharp points of Sharp Stippling is they give you a great place to stop and reposition your hands and your quilt.  Just stop in a point, make sure the needle is in the down position, move your hands or reposition your quilt as needed, then begin quilting again, smoothly transitioning from a slow speed to higher speed as your hands return to their normal movement.

 

But also be mindful as you stitch these points that it’s very easy to create little knots in these area.

 

This happens when you stop moving your hands, but continue to run the machine, stitching 2-3 times in the exact same place.

 

This is actually surprisingly easy to do, so much so that it can be habit forming.  If you have to, come to a point, then stop – take your foot off the pedal, then start stitching again to avoid resting for too long in one point.

 

Now a bit about the quilt I was working on in this video.  This is Batik Beauty:

 

You can get this quilt pattern for free by signing up for our Weekly Newsletter right here.

 

If you want to create this quilt top to follow along with me the next few weeks, you can, or you can work on any UFO quilt you have laying around the house.

 

For me, Batik Beauty is such a UFO!  It’s been laying around pieced and basted for so long I had to question whether James had been born when I pieced it.  Luckily, I remembered him drooling on the ground when I organized the blocks, so at least it’s not been floating around the sewing room for more than 5 years unfinished.

 

I realized last week that creating brand new projects for this quilt along, on top of projects for myself and family was just plain silly.  From here on out, you’re going to get videos of what I’m actually working on – real projects that are being quilted, or having more quilting added to them.

 

So this week I quilted that center green block and hopefully demonstrated that it’s really not that hard to squish a full sized quilt into your machine.  The block had already been stitched in the ditch, which meant the pins could be taken out, and the only thing left to do was fill it with 3 rows of Sharp Stippling.

 

If you happen to have a quilt like this ready, this would be a great project to work on simply because each block can be filled with a different design, on a large scale, so they quilt up quite easily and quickly.

 

Please don’t feel pressure to create this exact quilt if you don’t want to.  Practice on a small quilt sandwich of plain fabric, a charity quilt, or any project you have in progress!

 

Now it’s time to link up and share any last questions or issues with Stippling!

 

 

 

Instructions for Linking Up Your Blog:

1. Write your blog post. Publish it on your blog.

2. Copy the link of the specific blog post. This is not just the link to your blog itself (www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com), but the link to the specific post: https://freemotionproject.com/2012/01/quilt-along-2-quilting-in-rows.html

3. Click the blue link up button above and paste your link into the box.

Keep in mind that you’re posting your progress from LAST week on THIS week’s post. This way you have time to watch the lesson, play with the ideas, then post your progress to the next quilt along. I hope that makes sense!

As always, any questions you have, please post them in the comments below or on your blog and I’ll answer 5 tomorrow on Question Thursday.

Time for me to shut up and quilt,

Leah Day