Day seven… we’ve been doing this for a whole week now! You might think I would run out of things to say, but then you wouldn’t know me very well…
I do have so much fun making the DVDs and… I just keep talking!!
Both DVDs were taped on the set of Quilting Arts TV at KS Productions In Solon, just outside of Cleveland OH. Everyone there is so good at what they do. That just helps everyone who takes part in any of their tapings be their very best selves.
I drove the 400 miles to make my DVD but there were lots of other quilters there too, taping season 1700 of QATV with super host extroadinaire, Susan Brubaker Knapp and Susan is our guest today.
One of the funnest things about the tapings is spending time with the others. You can see Susan third from the left at dinner, just after I’d finished my day’s work.
I was so tired that evening!! And no, I took the picture. You can stop looking for me, I’m not in it.
Susan is best known for her beautiful whole cloth painted and heavily stitched quilts. I’m looking forward to catching up with her again in just a week when we will both be teaching at Road to California. I hope she enjoyed the video although I don’t know if she learnt anything new… We’ll see?
Today’s placemat shows a combination of clamshells, flames and my puzzle piece motif, all great all over cover stitches on the right project.
I have the flames going top to bottom on my placemat and that’s usually the easiest way to stitch them but if you had them going side to side across your quilt they become waves. Add a swirl if you’re feeling ready for a new challenge.
When I started out to learn how to free motion quilt I tried stitching on some pre-printed panels to make little quilts for my guild’s philanthropy program. The problem with some panels is that if you start stitching around the motifs you’ll end up with too much stitching in some areas and a whole ocean of open space in others. A jigsaw puzzle gave me inspiration for a new way of getting the job done.
This…
becomes this!
An all over design that doesn’t detract from the picture and is excellent practice for keeping your stitches even and your line smooth!
I hope you’ll try it sometime.
For today’s featured image I’ve chosen a little piece I stitched using a purchased stencil for the birds. It shows the wavy line, pebbles and stipples. Looks snowy to me, sort of suitable for today. We got a couple of inches Monday night. January in Illinois!
Here is the blog list again. You can see Susan’s link down there on the 13th. That’s today! She has a giveaway on her site… TWO DVDs… go and see, and don’t miss another chance to be a winner!
Remember to come back here and leave me a comment. You can leave one a day if you want, for more chances to be a winner. I’ll be drawing at least three winners from all your comments on the 17th.
And if you’re not lucky, or you just know you can’t wait? The DVD or digital download is available at the Interweave store by clicking on the widget at the right hand side of the page.
See you again soon!
Another day, another great blog. Absolutely love the puzzle pieces for quilting. Can’t wait to see what you have for us tomorrow. Your video will be a valuable addition to anyone’s quilting library. Books, TV quilting programs and videos are my source of learning as I’m disabled and unable to attend classes. The digital age has certainly opened the doors to so many opportunities that I (or others) would not have had access to in the past. It’s a great time to be a quilter.
Love the puzzle pieces…would be great for a kid’s quilt.
Thanks for the chance to win!!
Would love to add to my FMQ skills. The puzzle motif looks interesting. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Loved the puzzle quilting – will use on a future project.
Love the featured image – a quilt in it’sown right. The jigsaw is such a wonderful idea and actually looks do-able (by me!) – thanks
Oh, I wish I’d seen puzzle pieces before I finished quilting one of my Christmas gifts . . . it would have been perfect! Thank you!
Once again you have shown us a really unique form of FMQ. Love what you do and hope to gaIn Some ability in this area. I imagine that winning the DVD and seeing how you do it will bring a lot of inspiration to the winner. Hope it’s me!
The puzzle pieces look so much easier using your technique. Love the birds at the top of the blog! Thanks for offering the opportunity to win your DVD.
Love the feature image! Love the puzzle pieces, I’m going to have to try that! Thanks!
Ha! I used to live near Solon, Ohio. That puzzle piece stitching is quite clever.
I absolutely adore your creativity! You are the kind of fiber artist I aspire to be! I learned to embellish my own work with your beaded edge technique from Quilting Arts with Susan Brubaker Knapp. Your felted applique is just divine! I would consider myself fortunate, educated, and on a grand adventure to win your DVD. Happy stitching, Catherine!
Another day, another great blog. Love your approach to machine quilting. I know that I will learn so much from your DVD Catherine. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a possible winner. Betsy
Another great design to learn! This is so much fun and adds a little excitement to my day. I love birds in any technique and this one is so nice. Thanks again!
Love the puzzle piecing idea. Time to practice!
Beautiful! Love the birds!!
Today I have been practicing your puzzle pieces…it takes MORE muscle memory for me to learn this. Thank you for all of your creative ideas!
Ready to learn more!
You are such an artist. Love, love your creativity.
Love the jigsaw puzzle quilting, a pattern that has been staring at us since childhood!
I like the puzzle pieces motif, I haven’t seen that one before. I can’t wait to win!
Puzzle pieces is an awesome quilting design, but how did you get it so exact? Mine would be all sorts of crocked.
Wow, each day’s designs get more and more interesting to me. I am really ‘getting the bug’ to work at improving my skills!
Another great post today! Cdahlgren at live dot Com
Love the puzzle piece quilting!!!! churcae(at)auburn(dot)edu
Love the image today. Ready to try it.
So much fun! I feel myself getting braver by the minute!
I like the puzzle piece motif! I’ve never seen anyone do this before.
I really like that jigsaw quilting. Would like to learn how to do it!
Love the puzzle quilt!!!
Thank you, again, for sharing your thoughts about free motion quilting. It has been interesting reading everyone’s blog each day. I liked how you combined several different quilting techniques in the placemat…I had not considered doing something like that.
Love the clamshells and the flames quilting design, thanks for a chance to win the DVD and the wonderful lamp.
I am new to your blog and look forward to learning from you!
Love the swirls! Yikes! I am so inspired by these designs!
I first saw you on QATV and enjoyed your segment so much. Your work is inspiring! (I really like the birds at the top of this blog post–what a fabulous idea!) Would love to win the DVD!
Love it!
Who’d thunk – puzzle pieces stitching. I am amazed at this world of quilt stitches I am just discovering.
http://www.thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com
This blog hop is so much fun! I’m a brand new quilter and am learning a lot. I’ve never seen a puzzle quilting pattern before. I love it! Would love to have the DVD to learn some of these skills. Thanks for doing the blog hop and the giveaway. 🙂
I am going to give the puzzle pieces stitching a try.
Jo N.
I am very interested in your quilting…I am always at a loss as which way to go when finishing a quilt. This gives me so many new ideas. Thank you.
I would love to try all your ideas that are on this DVD.
Good Morning from Canada.. I tried free motion and gave up due to just thinking this is not my type of quilting. Frustrated complicated books I had take out from library. But Catherine I have been inspired and motivated to want to tackle this again. Your d.v.d sounds very practical and do-able with the creativity and inspiration of an Artist. Pick me I would use your dvd well not to just collect dust on my shelf. I’m a minimalist.
I am determined to learn and improve my free motion quilting skills this year – very daunting for me but I am so inspired by what I have seen and read on this blog hop so far.
These puzzle pieces look fun. I will have to give them a try.
Love the puzzle quilted piece.
Thanks for the great blog hop, love all the information. Also, thanks for a chance to win your DVD, it sounds awesome.
Love the unique patterns.
Thank you for the chance to win the DVD.
I like your placemat concept in learning the different techniques. It would be fun to learn and then it’s a conversation starter at the dinner table. 🙂
Love the puzzle stitching.. Thank you for the giveaway 🙂
Love those birds! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the puzzle pieces and for showing an example.
Am loving this Hop! so many great Projects & lots of Encouragement for us new to FMQ folks! thanks for chance to win this great Give-a-way too! 🙂 I love the Puzzle quilting too…such a fun one! great for Kiddo’s quilts for sure! ( I live about 2 hrs from Cleveland…)
I so want to perfect that puzzle, it’s a great look!
I like hearing about the behind the scene happenings and the great new ideas, Thanks!
I love to free-motion quilt and am always looking for tips and new ideas! Your quilting looks great!
Pick Me…pick me…thanks for the chance.
Puzzle pieces, why didn’t I think of that? I will need to keep my eyes open for quilting inspiration. Thank you for sharing.
I have never seen jigsaw puzzle quilting before. What a genius idea! More practice!
Love the little birds. I hope you show something similar on the DVD.
I love puzzles and trying it in a small space is a great idea for me. Thanks
Imagine the possibilities
So glad to have found your blog, can’t wait to try these new free motion ideas!
I like the jigsaw pieces – I’d love to try this one!!
I love all the information you share. As someone who has too many tops unquilted and has the desire to do them on my own, there is no such thing as too much information. Thank you for sharing.
I just love the feature image quilting. The birds are so pretty! I’m having such fun exploring your guests’ blogs. Thanks so much for the introductions.
I love the puzzle quilting! It makes the panel look great! The birds are great, too! Thanks for more designs.
The jigsaw puzzle quilting is mesmerizing, a real show-stopper, and definitely will refine one’s abilities. Thanks for posting and thanks for winning chance!
I would love a chance to win the DVD. I am always looking for new ways to free motion!
The jigsaw puzzle design is so cute!
I would love to win this DVD. I’m experimenting with FMQ and you have great ideas on your blog.
I love coming here every day to see the featured piece. LOVE the birds. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. 🙂
I cannot leave this page without a comment!! How absolutely gorgeous ~ ~ your birds and the sky and sun, and all ~ ~ completely captivating. and the puzzle idea is brilliant. Very nicely done, Catherine.
You are offering up so many great ideas for FMQ! No doubt your DVD is packed!
Thanks for a great teaching tool
I’m so glad I got to meet you in December at Aurora. Such a talent!
Quilted puzzle pieces … very clever! I’ll be looking at everyday shapes around me in a whole new light! Thanks!
That DVD sounds just like what I need. This will definitively be on my list.
Love those puzzle pieces. Dad has asked me a couple of times about a tessalation quilt and they would be a fun way to quilt it.
Nice blog post (again!) and I learn every time I read one of your post. Lovely work.
What beautiful quilting on your whole cloth piece on your header…and love the puzzle pieces. Your DVD sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing the giveaway!
Oh my goodness, your puzzle pieces are amazing! Such a clever design. Thanks for all the great ideas.
Love the puzzle design, now that I will definitely have to practice that one for awhile.
The puzzle is ingenious ! Who knew?! I can try that.
Thank you.
Love the puzzle idea. Will have to try it. Thank you for sharing all these ideas.
Love the puzzle pieces, but did you have to do each one completely to know which one to do next to it? Looks mind-boggling to me!! Thanks, again, for the chance to win cool stuff!!!
what a gifted quilter you are! I think I could learn a lot from you, would like to start following your blog.
I do like real puzzles.But it sems to be as much fun to have them stitched.
Cute puzzle design!
I really like the puzzle design, and also the birds at the top of the page.
I’ve enjoyed reading your thought process on deciding what machine quilting pattern to use — the puzzle pattern looks ideal for not being a distraction to the piecing.
Puzzle pieces! I would have never thought of that!
Bonnie Hunter sent me. I find many new ideas for quilting. Thanks
Love the puzzle pieces idea. Great Idea!
Wow! That’s it. Just wow.
Each design you post is more amazing than the next. Such talent! Best of luck with your DVD!
What wonderful filler ideas! I can’t wait to see more!
I LOVE the puzzle pieces quilting… I have never seen that before!
Love, love, love, the birds! Will definitely have to try the jigsaw puzzle.
I understand ‘tired’! I just returned from caring for 2 granddaughters while Mom was having baby brother. I took along some hexies to EPP but was so tired by evening that I just went to bed! I, too, have a panel to use to practice my FMQ on. I love your idea of the puzzle pieces and know I’ll use that idea on it; thank you.
I tried using a puzzle quilting design while hand quilting and what a bugger. Only did the horizontal lines and thought each year when I pull it out I’d do a vertical line or two. Your technique would be the cat’s meow to get it done. Just lovely!
I also appreciate the negative spaces you are teasing us with. Great concepts!
I really like the flames!
Great Idea with the puzzle, Thanks
Didn’t get to read each blog entry on the proper day. Hope I can still add this comment even tho it’s not that day! I want to win that DVD!
I would love this! Thanks.
I enjoy following your posts almost as much as I enjoyed your class on African embroidery. You are a true delight!
Really like you’re quilting samples and would like to learn more, Have lots of quilts to finish and you have terrific ideas!!
Your creative stitches are so inspiring for me to try something different!! Love the puzzle and clam shells – now I have to practice to boost my confidence!
I need to try the puzzle stitch.
oh today is the day, hope I’m not to late. 😀