jmoore

I found this post interesting and helpful... I just took a FMQ class Saturday on my DM and had my first experience with feathers. Our first attempt was on a pre-drawn panel and that was difficult enough. I found when I drew my own spine and then went down one side I did okay, but going up the other side was wonky... so then I tried it the other direction. Clearly, your brain is more comfortable in one direction than another but the class certainly gave me the confidence and motivation to work on feathers.

Anael, your feathers are wonderful and I hope to get the hang of it as you make it look easy.

Anael

You will jmoore, my first feathers looked hideous. It took me quite some time to get them halfway right

feline fanatic

As many of you know, I quilt on a LA not a domestic but when doing feathers (my favorite motif) I always, always, always mark the spine. I like swirly switch back feathers better than straight feathers so I do one side then either tie off or travel down the spine or echo and do the other side. I also, can only make feathers going from bottom to top but I can do them facing in any direction, side ways upside down on a diagonal but I must always travel from the "bottom" of my spine (even if the bottom is on the top!). This is my own shortfall. If you can travel from the top down that is awesome. I also use the hump and bump method of making feathers. I have made hook feathers and puff top feathers too, they are fun. Quilt E do what ever is most comfortable for YOU! There are no strict rules about how you make your feathers. You need to do what feels best to you and gives you the results you like the most. When I first started, I drew them on paper a LOT. Now I can make feathers as easily as signing my own name.

linmid

Are you talking about doing the feathers with a domestic machine or a long arm.

IBQUILTIN

Wow Anael, your practice piece is beautiful. I'll bet you could do feathers in your sleep after that one. Great quilt

QuiltE

Thanks Everyone ... for continuing the discussion. I hope this thread has helped others as much as it is helping me. I am getting so many ideas, that now my head is not just hurting but might burst! Totally anxious to get back to doing some more feathers, but not likely til the weekend (why do we have to WORK? .... now there's another ponderable!)




Anael ... WOW! WOW!! WOW!!! Those feathers are amazing, and so inspiring! Thanks for posting the pic, as you have given me some more feather design ideas. Any more pics of the other styles of feathers on that quilt?

JMoore ... glad that your first class went so well! My first, several years ago was totally disastrous, partly me and partly the teacher (attitude: my way is the ONLY way!). Honestly I had no desire and left there with a total hate-it attitude! Thank goodness, time heals, and I got re-interested. I would say it has only be the last year that I started to get serious on trying to make it work for me! So patience ... and practice and you will soon be feathering away like crazy!

FFanatic ... as always some very helpful input. Guess What? I am with you ... I discovered I could do them from the side too! And glad I am not the only one that works with the bottom at the top! Though you have left me with some new unknown definitions. What are .... switch back feathers? hook feathers? puff top feathers? ... I know, that tells me what style they are, but, I have no clue. By chance do you have any pics? or can give us a link where you posted a previous example?

LinMid ... I have been doing my FMQ on a DSM. However, my understanding is that the techniques are much the same, whether DSM or LA. FelineFanatic that posted earlier is a LA'er.

pumpkinpatchquilter

I mark my spine with a marking tool, travel up one side, then stitch down the spine line that I marked (so there is no backtracking) and then back up the other side.

works4me

Thank you for starting this thread QuiltE. It is giving me a lot of information for when I am ready to start FMQ. Mind you, I'm pretty sure I will be starting with flames instead of feathers.

feline fanatic

Here are some photo examples for you.

This is a switch back feather. Some also call them Amish feathers. They branch off and circle back against themselves
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Here is a sample of Puff top feather. It is the blue border
[ATTACH=CONFIG]509697[/ATTACH]

Here is a modified version of the hook feather only I swirled it at the end. In this example you can still see my marking line in the spine and also my mark for the center of the border.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]509698[/ATTACH]

I don't seem to have a sample of the hook feather. But if you google images of "Hook feather quilting" it will come right up.

QuiltE

W4Me ... I can see you doing flames, using all the same techniques as feathers! After all, they are kind of the same, just pointed ends .... aren't they?

FelineF ... My goodness!!! Thank you for the gorgeous pics and more inspiration. I googled and yes, it sent me off looking at even more to dream about accomplishing. I really appreciate it all.


Finally some pics ... but put your imagination hats on! After 174 pics, I still have none that really show what I did. That being said, I am pleased with my results, just wish I could show it to you.

You can likely see safety pins on one end and one side. This marks the feathers that I did where I went up one side of the spine and then down.
The side/end without the safety pins were done left to right all along the spine.
Both sections, the spine was sewn in place before starting the feathering.

The ends were done with a triangle fill of continuous feathers that then wrapped around the border of the end and down the side to meet up with the other section. Thread colour was well matched to all the fabrics, a variegated Sulky blendable. Which is why you see blotches of pink in the pics.

That well matching thread and the fine print of the border has sure done its job of hiding the FMQing in the pic, even though you can see it IRL, quite easily.

Don't look too closely at the centre quilting which was done last spring when I quilted the quilt that the fabrics are from. This runner was used as a practice piece for it. I know a lot of people have practice sandwiches they pitch later. For me, I try to make them something usable, even if I know I will not be happy with the quilting. The good part of it, from spring til now, I can definitely see that I have improved some ... yes, a long way to go.

So here's the pics ... IF you can see enough to give me some feedback and critiques, I am open to that! Thanks for looking (and enduring!)