Have you ever taken just ONE project to a guild retreat? NO?
Me neither...but there's a first time for everything.
Gulp.
There was a two hour drive between me and my sewing room.
If I'd forgotten anything crucial, I would've been dead in the water.
I needed to get my squirrel finished, but wasn't feeling terribly motivated. Eliminating options seemed like a good way to force my hand.
After frittering away my Friday evening visiting, lounging, playing on my phone, and testing threads on a practice sandwich, I realized it was indeed a good strategy. Saturday morning I finally settled in and got to work.
A free motion zigzag secured the applique and quilted the project at the same time.
It was fun controlling zigs and zags to create expressive "fur".
Cheeky came home almost finished...all he needed were his whiskers and some facing, so I carried on and finished up on Monday morning. Yay!
On the following weekend, I facilitated Part Two of a Fab Art workshop in Fairview. Each project started with a pattern, but people weren't restricted to the layouts provided by the designer.
It was exciting to see how ideas developed (and projects changed) to suit the needs of their makers. Can you spot the pieces that will be table runners instead of wall art?
I'm always impressed by the "can do!" attitudes of these wonderful ladies. There is nothing they can't do - and do well! Thanks so much for inviting me!
Studio time has been disrupted lately with one thing and another, but as things are smoothing out again, I'm getting back to work in a serious way! This client quilt was Fresh off the Frame today.
A few little critters add whimsy to this garden path . . .
. . . and a floral filler in the borders continues the theme.
The floral design also captures fabric and brings it back under control.
Borders tend to get puffier and wrinklier as quilting is added to the body of the quilt, so the border quilting can be extremely important, structurally speaking.
To illustrate - here is the BEFORE shot of the borders.
And here is the AFTER shot. Much better!
River walk today - reflections on the water were absolutely captivating, and the water was alive with birds of all sorts. Beautiful to watch, and lovely to hear after a winter of silence. Spring is in full swing, and I'm thankful!
Have a wonderful week(end)!
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
P.S. I'm also on Instagram under my blog name, FreshofftheFrame - see you there!
Me neither...but there's a first time for everything.
Gulp.
There was a two hour drive between me and my sewing room.
If I'd forgotten anything crucial, I would've been dead in the water.
 |
| "Cheeky" by Carole Gold FreshofftheFrame.com |
I needed to get my squirrel finished, but wasn't feeling terribly motivated. Eliminating options seemed like a good way to force my hand.
After frittering away my Friday evening visiting, lounging, playing on my phone, and testing threads on a practice sandwich, I realized it was indeed a good strategy. Saturday morning I finally settled in and got to work.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
A free motion zigzag secured the applique and quilted the project at the same time.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
It was fun controlling zigs and zags to create expressive "fur".
Cheeky came home almost finished...all he needed were his whiskers and some facing, so I carried on and finished up on Monday morning. Yay!
On the following weekend, I facilitated Part Two of a Fab Art workshop in Fairview. Each project started with a pattern, but people weren't restricted to the layouts provided by the designer.
 |
| Fab Art Workshop in Fairview Sponsored by the Fairview Agricultural Society FreshofftheFrame.com |
It was exciting to see how ideas developed (and projects changed) to suit the needs of their makers. Can you spot the pieces that will be table runners instead of wall art?
I'm always impressed by the "can do!" attitudes of these wonderful ladies. There is nothing they can't do - and do well! Thanks so much for inviting me!
Studio time has been disrupted lately with one thing and another, but as things are smoothing out again, I'm getting back to work in a serious way! This client quilt was Fresh off the Frame today.
 |
| Client quilt FreshofftheFrame.com |
A few little critters add whimsy to this garden path . . .
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
. . . and a floral filler in the borders continues the theme.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
The floral design also captures fabric and brings it back under control.
Borders tend to get puffier and wrinklier as quilting is added to the body of the quilt, so the border quilting can be extremely important, structurally speaking.
To illustrate - here is the BEFORE shot of the borders.
 |
| "Before" FreshofftheFrame.com |
And here is the AFTER shot. Much better!
 |
| "After" FreshofftheFrame.com |
River walk today - reflections on the water were absolutely captivating, and the water was alive with birds of all sorts. Beautiful to watch, and lovely to hear after a winter of silence. Spring is in full swing, and I'm thankful!
 |
| Peace River, Alberta FreshofftheFrame.com |
Have a wonderful week(end)!
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
P.S. I'm also on Instagram under my blog name, FreshofftheFrame - see you there!
Cheeky looks great! I really like the "fur" you added. :) Long arm quilting borders can definitely be tricky! The flowers look really nice and definitely were a good choice for the client quilt.
ReplyDeleteThose whiskers added the final touch of sassiness to Cheeky. :) He looks so wonderful Carole! I do a wiggle stitch with my straight stitch sewing machine to create a sort of free-motion zigzag too. It looks much better for natural subjects that need something other than a hard line.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed teaching part two of the class! Are the two brown quilts on the right the table runners?
Loved seeing the before and after for your quilted border! Your client must have loved her dragonfly and frog surprise.
The Peace River is well named.
Cheeky looks exactly what his name is! great job.
ReplyDeleteCheeky is wonderful and I love what you did with your client's quilt.....especially the frog.
ReplyDeleteLight bulb moment: I have a table runner with appliqued leaves, except they are just held down with interfacing right now. It has been sitting for over a year waiting for me. Maybe I'll try sandwiching it together and have the applique stitching serve as the quilting. Might be too intricate on the maple leave ridges, but I'll try! Fun critters on your client quilt :)
ReplyDeleteYour squirrel is too cute! And I always love seeing close-ups of your quilting.
ReplyDeleteCheeky is fantastic! (Toting a bunch of sewing paraphernalia sounds like a lots of work to me)
ReplyDeleteI love the frog :-)
Wow ~ your quilting totally tamed that border!
That river view is going to be so green soon!!! (you should share a picture every week from your walks ;-)
DeleteCheeky looks amazing, and perhaps I need to get better at eliminating options! You do get some interesting client quilts, and I LOVE that quilted frog!
ReplyDelete