Paths to Better Stippling/Meandering
01-26-2012, 03:06 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
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Paths to Better Stippling/Meandering
I figured out a technique for stippling/meandering that is working better for me, and I thought others who are struggling with this may be interested.
I've been FMQing for awhile now and feel pretty good at feathers and other designs, but stippling has baffled me from the start! Apparently I am so "Left-Brained" that I just couldn't meander... I would start out OK and then be "stuck" in no time, then I'd panic a bit, and it was over! So... I decided I was going to learn stippling no matter how much practice it took. For the past few weeks I've been following Leah Day's Wednesday quilting blog posts where she breaks down stippling into smaller components to get started.
The second week a light bulb came on for me! Leah recommends stippling in "rows", but I thought that looked a little too row-like for my taste. So I was sitting with my doodle pad and an idea came to me. "What if I draw a Very large, Very simple stipple line first (like in Leah Day's very first stippling lesson), then follow that to stitch my stippling along instead of stitching in a row!"
I've been FMQing for awhile now and feel pretty good at feathers and other designs, but stippling has baffled me from the start! Apparently I am so "Left-Brained" that I just couldn't meander... I would start out OK and then be "stuck" in no time, then I'd panic a bit, and it was over! So... I decided I was going to learn stippling no matter how much practice it took. For the past few weeks I've been following Leah Day's Wednesday quilting blog posts where she breaks down stippling into smaller components to get started.
The second week a light bulb came on for me! Leah recommends stippling in "rows", but I thought that looked a little too row-like for my taste. So I was sitting with my doodle pad and an idea came to me. "What if I draw a Very large, Very simple stipple line first (like in Leah Day's very first stippling lesson), then follow that to stitch my stippling along instead of stitching in a row!"
Step 1. First I mark a very large snake-like, u-shaped line on the surface of the quilt with a water soluble marker. (Refer to the blue line in the following drawing.)
Step 2. Then I stitch my meandering back and forth across that line to fill the spaces as evenly as I can while doing an irregular meander. (The red line in the drawing.) This way I can ensure that I will be able to work my way around the whole quilt top without getting stuck in a dead end anywhere and I have a path to follow that doesn't look like I just followed a straight line.
I got this idea from Leah Day when she was showing how she does stippling following rows across her quilt. That looked a little too "row-like" to me, so I decided to try following a snake-like line instead and I'm much happier with the results! This was the first quilt I did stippling on and I'm thinking that after I've had some more practice, I may not have to actually draw the first line to follow if I learn to visualize it better. For now, following a curvy line takes away the stress of having to figure out which way to go next.
I'm pretty happy with how the stippling turned out on this one and will be continuing to work on it until it gets easier. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t176738.html
Hope you find this info helpful.
Step 2. Then I stitch my meandering back and forth across that line to fill the spaces as evenly as I can while doing an irregular meander. (The red line in the drawing.) This way I can ensure that I will be able to work my way around the whole quilt top without getting stuck in a dead end anywhere and I have a path to follow that doesn't look like I just followed a straight line.
I got this idea from Leah Day when she was showing how she does stippling following rows across her quilt. That looked a little too "row-like" to me, so I decided to try following a snake-like line instead and I'm much happier with the results! This was the first quilt I did stippling on and I'm thinking that after I've had some more practice, I may not have to actually draw the first line to follow if I learn to visualize it better. For now, following a curvy line takes away the stress of having to figure out which way to go next.
I'm pretty happy with how the stippling turned out on this one and will be continuing to work on it until it gets easier. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t176738.html
Hope you find this info helpful.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 02-24-2018 at 12:12 PM. Reason: remove comment about moderation
01-26-2012, 03:14 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: God's country, ND
Posts: 606
Originally Posted by azwendyg
I figured out a technique for stippling/meandering that is working better for me, and I thought others who are struggling with this may be interested.
I've been FMQing for awhile now and feel pretty good at feathers and other designs, but stippling has baffled me from the start! Apparently I am so "Left-Brained" that I just couldn't meander... I would start out OK and then be "stuck" in no time, then I'd panic a bit, and it was over! So... I decided I was going to learn stippling no matter how much practice it took. For the past few weeks I've been following Leah Day's Wednesday quilting blog posts where she breaks down stippling into smaller components to get started.
The second week a light bulb came on for me! Leah recommends stippling in "rows", but I thought that looked a little too row-like for my taste. So I was sitting with my doodle pad and an idea came to me. "What if I draw a Very large, Very simple stipple line first (like in Leah Day's very first stippling lesson), then follow that to stitch my stippling along instead of stitching in a row!"Step 1. First I mark a very large snake-like, u-shaped line on the surface of the quilt with a water soluble marker. (Refer to the blue line in the following drawing.)
Step 2. Then I stitch my meandering back and forth across that line to fill the spaces as evenly as I can while doing an irregular meander. (The red line in the drawing.) This way I can ensure that I will be able to work my way around the whole quilt top without getting stuck in a dead end anywhere and I have a path to follow that doesn't look like I just followed a straight line.
I got this idea from Leah Day when she was showing how she does stippling following rows across her quilt. That looked a little too "row-like" to me, so I decided to try following a snake-like line instead and I'm much happier with the results! This was the first quilt I did stippling on and I'm thinking that after I've had some more practice, I may not have to actually draw the first line to follow if I learn to visualize it better. For now, following a curvy line takes away the stress of having to figure out which way to go next.
I'm pretty happy with how the stippling turned out on this one and will be continuing to work on it until it gets easier. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t176738.html
Hope you find this info helpful.
I've been FMQing for awhile now and feel pretty good at feathers and other designs, but stippling has baffled me from the start! Apparently I am so "Left-Brained" that I just couldn't meander... I would start out OK and then be "stuck" in no time, then I'd panic a bit, and it was over! So... I decided I was going to learn stippling no matter how much practice it took. For the past few weeks I've been following Leah Day's Wednesday quilting blog posts where she breaks down stippling into smaller components to get started.
The second week a light bulb came on for me! Leah recommends stippling in "rows", but I thought that looked a little too row-like for my taste. So I was sitting with my doodle pad and an idea came to me. "What if I draw a Very large, Very simple stipple line first (like in Leah Day's very first stippling lesson), then follow that to stitch my stippling along instead of stitching in a row!"Step 1. First I mark a very large snake-like, u-shaped line on the surface of the quilt with a water soluble marker. (Refer to the blue line in the following drawing.)
Step 2. Then I stitch my meandering back and forth across that line to fill the spaces as evenly as I can while doing an irregular meander. (The red line in the drawing.) This way I can ensure that I will be able to work my way around the whole quilt top without getting stuck in a dead end anywhere and I have a path to follow that doesn't look like I just followed a straight line.
I got this idea from Leah Day when she was showing how she does stippling following rows across her quilt. That looked a little too "row-like" to me, so I decided to try following a snake-like line instead and I'm much happier with the results! This was the first quilt I did stippling on and I'm thinking that after I've had some more practice, I may not have to actually draw the first line to follow if I learn to visualize it better. For now, following a curvy line takes away the stress of having to figure out which way to go next.
I'm pretty happy with how the stippling turned out on this one and will be continuing to work on it until it gets easier. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t176738.html
Hope you find this info helpful.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 02-24-2018 at 12:13 PM.
01-26-2012, 04:14 PM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: NE Wisconsin
Posts: 1,351
Brilliant! This will make fmq easier for a lot of us to get straight in our minds. I also would find myself "stuck" in an area and wouldn't allow myself to cross over an already stitched line--the quilt police might notice!
Thanks for sharing your insight with us.
Thanks for sharing your insight with us.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 02-24-2018 at 12:13 PM. Reason: remove font size too big to fit
01-26-2012, 05:09 PM
#6
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: In the middle of an Oklahoma wheat field
Posts: 840
I like your method. I also like to use stippling and had to come up with a simple idea/method to make mine. I think of loopy 3 arm cactus (Saguero). Just piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle - it works.
01-26-2012, 05:14 PM
#7
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Kentucky Wildcat Country Go Big Blue
Posts: 820
Thanks for posting this. I too can't get the knack of stippling but will definetly try this. I looks like it will be a lot easier to cross the marked lines this way. I can't wait to try it.
sassy granny
sassy granny
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