beginner's guide to free motion quilting

I've been looking forward to Natalia's book - as a beginner quilter I figure I need all the help I can get :)

I love that Natalia has not only focused on quilting but has also included 6 quilt projects so you can make a quilt and practice the free motion quilting that you’ve learnt.

The book is in two main parts that include the basics of materials and tools as well as thread choices and batting. There is a section on techniques which includes layering and basting and also thread tension and setting up sample sandwiches to practice on.

Natalia then outlines different free motion quilting designs that suit all over quilting, background fillers, borders and sashings, custom quilted blocks, and also quilting designs for applique.  With more than 30 different designs there is a great range to choose from.

All of the designs are explained with photos of step by step diagrams of how to start the actual quilting and which way to continue the stitches – this is always helpful for beginners.

In Section two Natalia has included six quilt projects and then suggests the free motion quilting designs to use for each one so that you can practice what you’ve just learnt!  The patterns include the gorgeous orange slices quilt that is on the cover of the book.

Section three has all of the quilting patterns outlined in Section one so you can trace the patterns onto you quilt or you can practice drawing them before you start quilting.

With so many quilting designs, this is a fabulous book for a beginner and I’m fairly sure it has enough designs to suit all of the quilt tops that I make for the next few years and maybe more!

When I go to Queensland in a few weeks to join my family on the cruise I'm going to inherit my mum's Janome as she got a new bigger and better machine a few months ago.

I'm really looking forward to starting free motion quilting in a big way when I get back home in the new year as mum's Janome can drop the feed dogs, has needle down, and all the other little things that make free motion quilting easier !

With Natalia's book and Angela Walter's free motion quilting book I'm really hoping I can free motion quilt my very first quilt - fingers crossed :)

modern she made 2 received

we interrupt this program ....

I was going to post the beginner's guide to free motion quilting review but I received my package in the modern she made swap today so I just had to share it instead :)

I received a fabulous box of goodies from Teri Emerson who is know as 'craktpot' on flickr !

Terri sent me some gorgeous extras as well as the quilt - some chocolate (what all quilter's need), some cute scissors, a fabulous finger pincushion, and some fat quarters.  Teri also included the remainder of the sew stitchy charm pack that she used in my quilt.

of course, there was a mini quilt in there as well :)

its really colourful - I love the pop of colour in the binding and its been hand quilted as well

I love the big star on the back - when I saw the photos on flickr (and of course had no idea that the quilt was for me) I really loved how Teri did the star as a label as that's what I had thought of doing

but Teri's star label is nearly the whole back of the quilt - isn't it just fabulous !

I just love the little quilt that Teri has called "tropical sparkle punch".  Its based on Elizabeth Hartman's sparkle punch quilt along but Teri has used the colour in the background so that the stars are white !

can't wait to put the little tropical sparkle on my wall - with a name like that its really making me think of the south pacific :)

thank you so much Teri - I l.o.v.e. it :)

I'll return with normal programming tomorrow !