I’ve been a fan of Angela Walters and her blog for a while now. I watch every episode of the Midnight Quilt Show as soon as it comes out, because the patterns she uses are a neat blend of modern and traditional that draws me in. When I saw the Town Square pattern used in this episode, I knew it would be perfect for practicing free motion quilting.
The top came together easily. I decided to use the Grunge layer cake that had been calling me. I think it was a perfect choice.
When it was time for free motion quilting, I based the patterns I used from what I could gather from the episode. (Sometimes she puts out quilting diagrams, but this was not one of those times) Rather than using my walking foot, though, I decided to turn it into a lesson in using straight rulers. Yes, every single one of those lines was done with a ruler, even the wonky ones. By the end, though, I became fairly comfortable with them. I definitely like how the lines turned out much more than I like the swirls. By the time I finished, though, I actually liked those, too.
Thread choice was tough for this one. I wanted the free motion quilting to show, but not dominate the piece. I pulled out mainly neutral colors, because I didn’t want it to clash with the variety of colors in the fabric. After auditioning several (dozen), I settled on a copper thread. That seems to have been the right choice. This was a fun quilt to make, and it was even more fun to quilt! It will make a good gift for someone, if I can bear to give it away! I even like how the back looks.
When you are looking for inspiration, where do you go? Is there a quilt blog you turn to? I read about a dozen (that’s a post by itself!), but I’m always looking for more. Maybe a video series you watch? Or something completely different?
