Living This Creative Life

I have two favorite quotes. The first one is by Emile Zola, "If you asked me what I came into this world to do, I would tell you that I came to live out loud". I don't know who the second one is by, but it goes like this, "If you're not living on the edge then you might as well jump". Both of these sentiments sum up my personal philosophy of this experience we call life on earth. Enjoy!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Block #8 in the Machine Quilting Challenge

Remember that it will be easier to stitch out any new designs if you doodle them first.

I love this design because it has a South American, Mola sort of look to it. It's gender neutral and is great on both traditional and artsy quilts.

Today's stitch-out includes both straight lines and curves. I began with a flower in the center to show you how this stitch can be made to fit around other objects or blocks. You can stitch some sort of design in the middle of your block, or just jump into the 'combs'.

Some stitchers call this design Combs while others call it Bubble E's. Either way, the first thing you need to do is to decide on a size for each of the design repeats. I chose 3/4". You could choose 1", 1 1/2" or whatever you want. This measurement simply means that each comb or E is about 3/4" square.

Begin in one corner of your block and stitch the first comb/E by making a series of vertical lines that curve on the top and bottom to form the next line, one moves up the next down and they're all linked by curves or u-turns at each end. Make 3-4 passes or enough to fill up your chosen measurement and form a square. Now, look at your first comb/E. All of the remaining combs/E need to be the same size as the first one is. Moving either top to bottom or left to right on your block, make the next comb/E only this time move the lines horizontally. Continue making combs/E's, alternating vertical then horizontal until you have completed one row. Make sure when you finish the last one that your are positioned so that you can move down or over to the next row. You can shorten or lengthen the design to fit in and around the object in the center of your block.

I hope you enjoy stitching this design,
See you on Monday,
Heather

1 comment:

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi there Heather,
Martha told me about your machine quilting challenge...it's great! I have a Gee's Bend type quilt top that would make a nice function lap quilt and a stitch sampler with your 21 designs. I'll send a photo when it's done
Cynthia