Day 278 – Feather Fans

Do you love feathers? Do you love Paisley? Let’s try combining the two together to create Feather Fans!

Since I know ya’ll are really wanting more videos, more info on using the designs, but my Janome Horizon Update post is still one of my #1 posts on this project so I figure it’s finally time to share with you exactly how I use that machine and what I think of it.

And just for fun, I’ve been searching for the perfect beginner free motion quilting machine for under $500, and I think I’ve finally found it. Keep an eye out for a post on that machine later this week!

Difficulty Level – Intermediate. This is a really fun, easy way to practice making feathers! Best of all, the echoes really hide your mistakes so even if the feathers aren’t perfect, the design will still look great.

Design Family – Pivoting. This design basically works by creating soft feather shapes springing from one point, then pivoting and echoing the feathers multiple times. Because of the way it’s created, Feather Fans can work in all areas of your quilts and I think this would look fantastic stitched on a larger scale.

Directional Texture – All Directions. The more your feathers twist and curl, the more movement this design will have. Play with swirling the feathers in multiple directions to see how it can change the design.

Suggestions for Use – Ethne asked in the comments of the Poll post for suggestions on designs to use in modern quilts. Because the focus of those quilts is typically the fabric or piecing, it makes more sense to cover the quilt with an all-over design. I think Feather Fans would look terrific quilted over the surface of a bright, cheerful modern quilt.