Paper Piecing and Free Motion Quilting

I had tried paper piecing about a year ago but wasn't really that interested at the time as I was just trying to figure out how to use my machine. But summer before last our quilt group had a challenge called "Walk Through My Garden" and I had fallen in love with all the oriental cotton that we had gotten in that season and began to collect them for what I envisioned my garden to look like once I got around to it. Needless to say I never got to my summer garden challenge but I did collect about 30 different fabrics just in case. A couple of quilt group meetings ago a friend of mine brought some of her books to sell and I happened upon "Just Can't Cut It!" by Pamela Mostek and bought it for a steal of only 3KD (kuwait dinars). I knew I had to have it because the first page is entitled "Confessions of a Fabric Lover"! That is so totally ME! After hemming and hawing over which pattern to do first I decided on one called Japanese Jewels to try using some of my previously bought fabrics. The problem I had before with these fabrics is that they are just so beautiful that you couldn't bring yourself to cut them but this pattern seems to take care of that for me. The blocks are 13" finished so you get plenty of each fabric to see in the blocks. The other thing I absolutely love about paper piecing now is the accuracy of your lines. This is the first block but there will be nine (9) total with black sashing inbetween so that they look like window panes.

My other adventure lately has been back into free motion quilting. Now that I can safely say that I have all the toys I could want there is no excuse for not using them! (Well until bernina comes out with their version of the QBot anyway!) I loaded my Bernina 830 onto the quilt frame and decided it was best to just go for it. Here is a picture of my first attempt at just doodling and trying to imitate things I had seen before.

Here is my first attempt at free-hand feathers. Not too bad I think but still lots of room for improvements.

And here is a pattern I saw on a duvet in a store and thought it was somewhat interesting for a whole cloth quilt if I ever decide to make one.


I am under the wire to get my project quilted for the Dubai International Quilt Show in February. The submission date is the middle of January and I still have to hand deliver it there. So, as intimidated as I am, I must go for it and hope that I get it right. We have Cheryl Ollsen from Vancouver coming over in January to conduct a quilt design and free motion class so I am hoping to learn a lot from her but unfortunately, it will be too late for this show.