Fine Line Quilting Rulers

I was very lucky recently to win a set of Straight Fine Line Quilting Rulers.  Linda from  Flourishing Palms hosted this amazing giveaway, sponsored by Carol from Accents In Design.  Originally there was a set of straight, which I won, and a set of curved Fine Line Quilting Rulers up for grabs.  I was so surprised and happy to have won!  A big, HUGE thank you to both Linda and Carol (hugs).

I was especially intrigued by these rulers as they are made not only for long arm quilters, but because of the handles for extra grip, it has made straight line quilting on domestic sewing machine possible too.  I was so excited and eager to try them out!

When looking back at my Asymmetrical Diamond Quilt I made last year, I think having those rulers would have made straight line quilting using a free motion quilting foot a breeze.  I wish I had these rulers then, not so much for the short straight lines, but for those longer lines.

I love the look of straight line quilting together with some other filler/meander designs.

I even combined quite a bit of straight line quilting in my Summer Solstice Quilt.  So there is no doubt how much I like the look of it, and the amount of interest it adds to a quilt.

So today I set out some time to try them out and to play with my new set of rulers.  I won a set of 6 inch, 8 inch and 12 inch rulers... I know, LUCKY ME!!! 

When visiting the Accents in Designs website, there is a section that discusses the features of these rulers, but if there is ONE feature I love most about these rulers, it has to be the resistance strip on the underside of the ruler.  If you have a good enough hold on the ruler it does not glide or slip over the surface of your quilt.  Because I don't own a long arm machine I have to do all my quilting on my little Bernina, and that is a huge bonus not having to worry about the ruler moving around while quilting those straight lines.  For the first time I got a 'long arm' look on my home sewing machine...

So here is what I did today;

What you'll notice, is that I placed the ruler to the right of the fmq foot.  I did start out by holding the ruler in my left hand, but found I had better control holding it with my right.  The accuracy of the lines are much more visible in the diamond variation I quilted in the image below.  The only thing I had to keep in mind was that the needle (obviously) is not right up to the edge of the ruler, there is a gap...  I just eye balled and aimed where I wanted to go.  It worked out beautifully!

...and because I just love to free motion quilt, I played around with some designs I was familiar with.  

* My posts delivered to you *

      


 

Disclaimer:  I was not paid to write this blog post. I wrote this to express my thoughts and my experience with the item/s mentioned.  All of the opinions stated are honest and my own.

Summer Solstice Quilt - Finished!

This is one of those TA-DA moments.  So be warned, I have LOTS of pictures to share :-) 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my latest finish.

I am really proud of this quilt, from designing, cutting, piecing, basting, quilting and binding, it was a fun quilt to make.  I mainly used the same free motion quilting designs throughout this quilt, which includes swirls, pebbles, some dot to dot diamond variations and in the border an arch/cathedral window type of design.  

The finial dimensions after quilting is 65 inches x 85 inches.

If you'd like to read up on the making of this quilt, it can be found HERE, HERE and HERE.  I designed this quilt myself and the pattern is available in my Craftsy Store, its also displayed on the left sidebar of my blog.

Source: Summer Solstice Quilt via Marelize Ries on Craftsy

* My posts delivered to you *

      


 

The Quilting has Begun

When I started piecing this quilt, I knew I was up for a challenge.  I knew it would be quite big, and I knew the day would come where I had to draw every bit of energy and courage to start quilting it.  My biggest concern was knowing I had to get this quilt into that small throat space of my little Bernina, which by the way is only 7½ inches (19cm) from the needle right up to the edge.

So as I was waiting for the backing fabric to arrive I literally prepared myself mentally for the challenge ahead.  I knew it had to be possible, I just needed to convince myself to take is easy, take it slow and to not rush it.  I had to have a plan, its pointless rushing into it, without knowing what free motion quilting designs I wanted on this quilt.  

I knew that I wanted to quilt designs that I was familiar with, had experience quilting and that was not going to drive me up the wall giving the fact that I have very little space to work with.  So I went with swirls and pebbles,  quilting designs I knew I was comfortable with, knew how to quilt and because I wanted to draw attention to the secondary designs of the blocks themselves.  I knew they would work, especially inside the white background.  The only thing I'm now a bit unsure of, and second guessing myself, is the swirls I quilted inside the border of each block.  Now that I am stepping back, looking at the overall picture, it does not really separate itself from the block, something I was aiming for.  

But I am halfway, and to rip out those stitches would be madness.  So I am going to carry on and hope that once I am finished it will all come together.

Together with all the swirls and pebbles I've quilted straight lines and some diamond variations I learnt from taking the Dot to Dot Craftsy class.  It sets of beautifully in the background and really makes the swirls and pebbles pop.  

I am no expert but if ever you have a large quilt to quilt on your home sewing machine, here are a few tips I know is helping me so far;

-  Take it slow, try to relax and constantly move and adjust the quilt to have the least amount of fabric inside the throat space of your sewing machine.  

-  Practice quilting designs going in different directions.  Quilting straight lines is NOT always possible stitching it forwards or backwards.  Learning to stitch from left to right and right to left is essential.

-  Don't overdo it, take a lot of breaks between quilting.  You wont tense up and you'll be a lot more focused with a clear mind.

-  One point I still have to work on myself; is to not look too closely at uneven stitches, when stepping back admiring your work, you'll see the final picture and NOT silly mistakes.

-  Listen to your favorite radio station or music.  

-  Finally, DO NOT quilt if you are not in the mood to at that moment.  Your quilt will get finished...

Oh, I have to just share this with you before you go, my husband is very supportive, always keep track of my progress and he really tries to comment or encourage me, and just yesterday he said:  "I like the soap bubbles you added between the swirls"... awe, so sweet!!

Thanks for stopping by!

* My posts delivered to you *

      


 

TEN UFO Sightings!

No, no!  ET has NOT landed.. but MY UFOs has!  You know those UnFinished Objects you ignore up to a point when you realize its either time to finish them or forget them completely!  Well I have ignored my UFO's for far too long now, and decided that this year I am going to do my very best and finish what I've started.  

So I am joining in this years' a lovely year of finishes hosted by Fibre of all sorts and Sew Bitter Sweet Designs.

The plan is, to finish off at least one, either old or new project in one month.  Now I have more than enough projects to keep me busy for quite some time, but there is at least one project that I am sure that I wont be able to complete in one month, and that is my one inch hexies quilt.  There are over 1500 basted hexies to piece together, so I am going to make it my goal to piece at least 50 together in a month.  This will not be part of the linkup I am sharing over at a lovely year of finishes but just a personal goal I want to set for myself.  If I dont make it, its okay too, I just feel that unless I push myself I wont finish at all!

So for January I am going to concentrate on my clam-shell crochet blanket.  I am close to finishing it, and to just get into the whole idea of completing something before month-end I am going to keep it simple.  I want to add at least another 10 inches to this blanket (at 47 inches wide), so it should be finished it no time.  

There is a catch though, it is summer, and with temperatures going up to 34°C (93°F) it is going to be,... well ... HELL, lol.

But I am hopeful, and I am going to get it done!

* My posts delivered to you *