Completed: Christmas Quilt!

I have another completed project today!  And yet again, it is woefully out of season.  But I guess that's what happens when you pick up WIPs eleven months later?

This Easy Bake With a Layer Cake quilt top was my first quilt top, completed last August.  I meant to quilt and bind it before Christmas, and even sent it to my mom's house for her to work on, but then she gave it right back to me!  To be honest, I never really knew how I wanted to quilt it.  There are so many angles and lines, so straight-line quilting wouldn't be a great choice.  I didn't know how to use the built-in free-motion quilting feature on my old sewing machine (the classic stipple), so waiting really didn't affect anything.  I knew I'd come up with something eventually.

My Bernina came with the Bernina Stitch Regulator, a fancy little foot that hooks into the machine's computer.  It reads the fabric and the sewist's motions to keep stitches as consistently-sized as possible.  For a newbie, this made things extremely easy!

Bernina Stitch Regulator

In action!

I used the BSR to quilt chains and stars going vertically down the length of the quilt.  It was definitely a learning experience--the machine would beep whenever I'd move things too quickly, and it beeped a lot!  I used a new 90/14 quilting needle to help with skipped stitches and I got the hang of it about four or five chains in.  I'm no expert, but I feel a little more comfortable now.

All the fabrics used are Dear Mr. Claus from Cosmo Cricket, a Moda line from 2012.  I really love the snowflakes for the backing--they're so simple!

Now I just have one unfinished quilt top.  I'll have some other projects to show you in the meantime, but I'm so excited to be done with WIPs!

Exploring Free-Motion Quilting

I feel like I'm stuck in a quilting rut.

Sure, I can piece just about whatever I want.  I've sewn curves, triangles; I've followed patterns and made my own.  I'm far from making perfect quilts and I'm nowhere near most of my fellow bloggers, but I'm at the point where I've dabbled enough to say I've tried and I have completed projects under my belt.

However, something I haven't tried is free-motion quilting.

The idea of quilting something by myself--controlled only by my own hands and not a stitch setting--is terrifying.  I'm not very liberated by complete control; while I love control, I don't like the idea of failing under my own control.  It's terrible, but the thought that I might mess up something I've pieced so carefully is what's holding me back!  I have the foot, I have the quilt tops, I'm just scared to death of having to unpick stitches.

Until I nut up and decide to just go for it, I'll be searching for inspiration.  There's no shortage!

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Ashley at Film in the Fridge is an endless source of awe.  This herringbone quilt is free-motion but doesn't have the typical squiggly look.  It's much more modern in its fresh take on straight-line or serpentine stitch.

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These raindrops are so creative and artistic.  It would take years for me to get to this point without copying someone else!

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Jeni Baker of In Color Order quilted these feathers on her grocery bag holder.  These were her "practice": they look pretty darn perfect to me!  Feathers and pebbles (above) would add a great touch to quilts with lots of edges and points!

Do you free-motion quilt?  I'd love to see your work!