Caper Quilt Along Week 5: Quilting Ideas
Welcome to Week 5 (Our last week) of the Caper Quilt Along!
Hey Hey Quilter Bees! YOU MADE IT! You are here and you are ready to begin quilting. Whether you quilt by check, on a domestic, or on a long arm, let’s talk a little about quilting motifs and ideas for your lovely finished quilt top!
FIRST! This is NOT a quilt you want to become an Unfinished Finished Object (UFO)! People are going to be totally wowed by this quilt and you are going to feel so much pride showing it off - and THAT. IS. APPROPRIATE! You earned it.
I have learned over the years as a teacher that the quilting step throws quilters off and becomes a barrier to completion. We spend a lot of time “learning motifs” but we don’t spend time learning how to hold our bodies, move our hands, and navigate our speed. To help students I wrote and illustrated a little workbook to go with a class that I teach on Free Motion Quilting. It uses drills to help you find your perfect posture, speed, and hand position.
TIPS & TRICKS
TIP No. 1: Ultimately, think about your quilting is the thing that holds all your layers together. It has a purpose - so if it frightens you to quilt your own quilt, remember - the goal is to hold it together - function!
TIP No. 2: You don’t have to get fancy to make your quilt shine. Plain quilts will often have fancy quilting. People who prefer quilting will often add fancy quilting motifs because they enjoy it. For the Caper Quilt - the Quilt Top is the “fancy” part - the controlled improv is what we want to shine. It is perfectly OK and honestly, perhaps preferred, to use a simply repeat motif.
I HAVE MOVED TO SIMPLE WAVY LINES ON ALL MY CONTROLLED IMPROV QUILTS. Why? A couple of reasons…First, I want the quilt top to be the focus. Second, it is faster and easier. I actually think wavy lines are easier than straight lines. If I get a straight line “off” only slightly it draws my eye to the mistake. Wavy lines make the brain pull it together without any one part of the quilting standing out.
THE TRICK: Don’t cross over lines. Keep your waves next to each other at varying distances and don’t cross over them. The crossover will draw your brain to that spot.
TIP No. 3: With Wavy lines, keep the waves subtle not over pronounced.
TIP No. 4: If you are on a domestic machine, you can start with lines farther apart to get the quilt done. Then you can go back and add more waves and different distances in between. This is also a fun time to change the color of the thread like I did above.
TIP No. 5: Wavy lines give GREAT texture and they feel “soft and fluffy” as my children say. They aren’t harsh thick quilting that feels rough when you lay under it.
TIP No. 6: If you choose a motif other than straight or wavy lines, think about the movement of the motif. In the quilt above, I used a box in a box motif that is random, because again, when you try to make it too perfect and mess up your brain finds it. If you intentionally make it random, then mistakes blend in. The square in a square motif is great for Caper because it doesn’t disrupt the movement of the diagonal on the quilt itself.
THANK YOU!
I just wanted to thank you all for being here for the full Quilt Along! I have so enjoyed seeing all your quilt tops in the Facebook Group! You are wonderful Quilter Bees! Until next time! BEE Quilty Happy!
POST YOUR IMAGES
Show us your pretty stacks! It will keep you moving forward on the Quilt Along! Plus HSTs are so lovely in little piles!
Use #caperquilt #jitterywings #caperquiltalong so I can see them!
Still Need the Pattern?
JOIN THE FACEBOOK HIVE GROUP
The HIVE Group is BACK! While I am not a super fan of Facebook, as I launch this new Caper Quilt Along, I must be honest that the most fun I ever had in a quilt along was the All the Good with the Facebook group. So, here we are! Welcome!
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The Jittery Wings HIVE group is a place for quilt encouragement + support! A place for all-level quilter bees. While we all have our favorite ways of doing things as quilters - and humans, there is no one way to quilt - or live. Here we strive to teach new skills without being quilt police. Here we make new quilters. As you are working on quilt patterns - specifically, but not limited to my Jittery Wings patterns - post your images, ask questions, pat yourself on the back for a finish or for learning a new skill. We can't wait to see your makes!
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NOT ON FACEBOOK? That is totally okay. You can tag me on IG using @jitterywings or send me an email for help. I try to respond in 1-3 business days as I often travel for my day job.
Weeks of the Quilt Along
April 16th: Tutorial on Color Choices
May 7: Begin Cutting Fabrics
May 14: Make your Half Square Triangles
May 21: Quilt Layout Using Color Theory for Controlled Improv
May 28th: Quilt Ideas
