Sewing with Amy

Have you ever taken a class on line from Craftsy? 
I have done several. They have wonderfully talented crafters eager to share their skills!

After reluctantly sending the queen sized quilt I was making for my son off to be quilted... I decided to learn a new quilting skill for myself.

I have spent a good part of my sewing time this week hanging out with Amy Johnson.
Well, OK... so she is in her studio & I am in mine. But I talk to her each time my stitches slip and I mess up, so she might as well be here!

She has created a workshop to teach machine quilting with rulers on a standard machine using free motion. I really like her technique.

First I had to accumulate the supplies...
I needed to order a low shank ruler foot & splurged for the "bonus" rulers package. 

Then I had to clean up my quilting space enough to find my gloves, slider mat, & red hoop. (Somehow the red hoop had been flung across the room during a previous moment of frustration & buried & needed to thus be found)...

I have done all my quilting lately with my walking foot.
It is a long time since I have tried any free motion.

Anyways... Amy & I are off to a pretty good start. 

I think it took me an hour to learn to make a square :(

And even longer to figure out how to use the curved ruler!

so I decided to just keep practicing & practicing...

some rows look pretty good,

most... NOT

But, by the end of day 2,
I was a bit more comfortable sewing a straight line...

I was really pleased with the diagonal quilting in this square

Today I figured out... you cannot do this technique on a small sandwich. The ruler & ring stick to the mat and it all drags & causes very messy quilting that SHOULD have met my seam ripper! But, since it was only practice... I just kept going.

This was my attempt at diagonal stitching around an applique...

my batting was shifting & stitches skipping...

I SHOULD have stopped & started over... 

but didn't, so I am less than pleased with it :(

Anyhow's, that's it for this week.

Happy October:

My favorite colors!