Practice the quilting with Hard Candy

So, I do not like my actual quilting, ever.  So, I decided that I would work on practicing this while at the same time, hoping to create a few gifts.  Well, while I believe that I will keep this one for myself (quilting is hideous), I did manage to learn a few things.  Slow down……  That is a big issue for me.  I totally need to slow down.

Until you get much better, use thread that is not so noticeable.  Duh.  The thread I used on this, was so pretty on the spool, orange/yellow/brown.  However, it is so noticeable on the piece that every little mistake (and there are tons) shows up, and I see every one of them.

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I actually like the back of this quilt better than the front.  Probably because the awful quilting is less noticeable.  I also liked the fat quarter that I used.  Never knew what exactly what to do with it, but this sort of worked.  You can tell that it was not quite big enough, but it still looks ok.

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So, my geometry skills also suck.  Weird thing about that is that I am a math/science person all the way.  The only math I did not like was Geometry, which is totally weird because I love quilting and it is geometry.  I did not have enough acorn Fabric to make enough pieces at the full length.  So, I figured that I would just shorten them a bit and make a smaller topper.  Well, that would have made total sense if you shortened the correct end.  Duh, again.  I shortened the small end, which just made the hole in the middle bigger.  So, besides practicing my quilting, I need to brush up on my Geometry and maybe give back that MBA to the university.

 

More Rock Candy practice to come.

 

Happy Sewing

 

Happy Quilting

18 thoughts on “Practice the quilting with Hard Candy”

  1. Be kind to yourself. Your quilting adds texture to the piece which is beautiful. Learning can be so frustrating at times, but your work is lovely. I like the shape of the runner, it’s so fun to see something which is not the usual shape, it’s original, unique and creative!!

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  2. I think if you’d used a matching thread the quilting would have been fine, but I also think anyone else would look at it and not see what you see. They would be amazed by your skills. We are always more critical of our own work. I love to hand quilt and for me, that’s the best part of making a quilt. It does take a long time, but I’m in no rush. Looking forward to seeing more.

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    1. I don’t think it looks terrible! I would not return it if it were a gift to me, that’s for sure. I think you did a great job and if you put it away and take it out in a few months, you won’t be able to find most of what you are thinking of as glaring errors. I know this from experience. =)

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  7. I think the quilting looks great too! But I know what you mean, I can’t get my stitches to look like individual stitches the way I want. It seems like no matter what I do to the tension, either the top thread or the bobbin thread just sits on top in a line.
    Lately I have had better success — I am using a 90/14 embroidery needle, pre-wound bobbins, wool batting, and 40 weight tri-lobal polyester thread in the top. The bobbins don’t come in many colors, but they have made a huge difference in how smoothly I can stitch. I still have issues but the stitches look so much closer to those I have in mind! I just sit and ooh and ah over the back. 🙂 Maybe if you change some of your supplies you will be able to get the stitch of your dreams too!

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  8. YOUR QUILTING IS NOT HIDEOUS! No one is forced to say anything here, so when I say that, I’m being honest 🙂 Your stitches are fairly consistent in length, you’ve covered the surface in a balanced way with no big empty spaces that don’t fit in with the scale you are working with, and you need to look at the overall effect, not the little spots where you wish you had done a “better” job 🙂 We ALL have those, and it is a constant challenge to keep reminding ourselves that we’re doing this for fun, not to be perfect, because perfect is impossible, and we don’t learn to FMQ by picking everything out. We are NOT machines, we are humans 🙂 I’m also learning the difficult practice of not pointing out the mistakes I know are there in my own work, and just accepting that I’m doing my best work that I can do at this time. You will get better and better the more you do this, but you must not be so hard on yourself. We are our own worst critics and others looking at our work – unless they are judges in a competition – are appreciating the overall texture and design. Our eyes see imperfection. Their eyes see beauty in a handcrafted item 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I do know that i am my own worst critic. I have in my head that if you are giving a handmade gift it should be as close to perfect as possible or it looks like a handmade gift. Not sure why i think that because that is the point of a handmade gift. Then there is comparing to others that gets me.

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      1. Ah, yes, the comparing to others. It’s something we all struggle with but really need to let go of because quilting is like any other kind of art: our work is unique, it isn’t going to be like anyone else’s, even when we try to imitate what we see them do. We learn our own rhythms as we stitch; we have our own way of expressing our creativity. I totally understand the struggle, I fight it myself! But do fight it because we need very much to appreciate ourselves and the work we do, whether it is a simple stitching pattern or an intricate and detailed one. We’re not just looking at pictures of what we want to do, we’re sitting down and doing it, and that’s something!

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