Top or Bottom

[meg_marsh]

I have been working on free motion from the front of the machine - finally. Spent the day practicing "Wonky Feathers" (Dawn R.). Per norm, I started from the top. What I am experiencing is the difficulty in working from place to place and seeing what I have done and what needs to be filled in. Do some of you start from the bottom and work up on an over all like this pattern so that you can see a little bit better? or do you just get the hang of it after endless hours of practice? I really want to start working from the front and it seems much harder than the pantos when it comes to just winging it!!

[peglu]

Meg, I think you will be surprised when you start working from the front of the machine. I found it much easier than I thought it would be. I needed someone to show me the steps of a few designs, and now I will ppp them until I get them down. I really like freehand. Goes much quicker than stencils, and I su** at pantos:D. Camp was awesome. I learned so much and had soo much fun. Hope you can go next year. I reserved a spot already.

[ramona-quilter]

Hi Meg, I have had a couple of feathers classes with Dawn Cavanaugh and she pointed out that most of us are top-downers of bottom-up featherers. I am a bottom-up feather person. After lots of practice, I can do them in all directions but I am more comfortable doing bottom up.

Peglu - I saw your photo on the Camp Mowana post, I just couldn't remember your handle. I bet you had fun at the retreat. I hope to get there next year.

[quiltmonkey]

I'm a bottom upper feather-er. I can (kinda) do them from the top down, too, but it makes the feathers look a different shape. I guess both ways are perfectly fine but doing them top down look different than going bottom up. You can even do them side to side from top to bottom or the other way. No rules. Only rule is to have fun. :cool: Just be creative. You might find a new way to do your own style.

[meg_marsh]

Shana & Linda,

Thanks for the info - you have given me the incentive to try the "Wonky Feathers" starting at the bottom of the quilt. My first go round (after lots of practice) is ok but I just felt like I was struggling when it came to filling in properly - more the lack of sight than the idea of doing the design. My "Wonky Feathers" aren't great but they are passable - but I want to do so much better. Not up to your fabulous fabulous feathers Shana - but maybe someday.

I really think you thought I was talking about the individual feather from the bottom or top when I was actually talking about doing the quilt from the bottom or top. I am just going to give it a try on this pattern and see how it goes - that is starting the quilt from the bottom. Again - thanks!!

[dtreusch]

I got the tip once in a class for getting the feathers to look the same top down or bottom up.

First quilt some feathers in the direction you are comfortable, bottom up for me. Now, PPP over the feathers in the other direction. It really helps to get the shape consistent in either direction.

Now that I think about it, I think the tip was from Karen McTavish.

Debbi

[SandraC]

Meg....If you can, how about a quick pic of your feathers this morning? This sounds like the feathers I'm going to try today for the first time!!! Would love to see how you're doing. Are these the feathers that you quilt a "hook" then 3 feather petals, then on to the next one? That's what I'll be trying. I'm really hoping for something that will be fast and fabulous!!!

Sandra

[SandraC]

Oops, just noticed that you are in California, so by the time you are up and about I hope to be well into this quilt! haha

Sandra

[IBQLTN2]

Meg

IF you want to work from the front of the machine and don't want to work upside down as far as the quilt is concerned load the top of the quilt on the takeup roller and the bottom on the top roller end. that way when working from the front you will be right side up when starting. Is this what you meant about where to start. Hope I didn't make it more confusing. Jeanne

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by meg_marsh

I really think you thought I was talking about the individual feather from the bottom or top when I was actually talking about doing the quilt from the bottom or top. I am just going to give it a try on this pattern and see how it goes - that is starting the quilt from the bottom. Again - thanks!!

Yes, that is exactly what I thought you were talking about...doing feathers from the bottom up...which is the way many of us do them....

I've loaded quilts so that they were quilted bottom to top, but the three layers were loaded the same way... So I guess you have totally confused me on what you are trying to do here.

[Quilting Heidi]

I prefer bottom up, which Jessica kept calling backwards because for her it is top down. I'm ppp'ing what I learned at camp and hope to push myself to do them in all directions.

[countrystitcher]

I took a class from Suzanne Early on her over-the-top feathers and hook feathers. She taught us to practice going all directions. I finally can do it - but it took many,many hours of practicing on paper. I am more comfortable going up and also to the right but it can work in all directions. I no longer have to turn my quilt to get all the feathers done. I had a wonderful thing happen last night - I got two phone calls one from a customer and one from another long-armer telling me how pretty my hook feathers were -- what a confidence booster! The customer had planned on selling his quilt, but now that it's done, he says he wants to keep it; he said he would never get out of it his work or my work.

Keep PPP feathers gals!

[ffq-lar]

Hi Meg,

If you are asking about feather construction, whatever works for you--you will perfect one style and then try another as you take classes or find a book.

If you are asking about feather design placement using an over-all design, I start from the left, fill the quilt-able area, and move to the right across the top. At the right end, you can advance the top and work back to the left or cut the threads and start back at the right side again.

If you are having problems nesting your designs, "an echo is your friend". Echoing will let you travel to the next area and "bridge" the gaps between design elements. If you start to echo, stay with it to make everything balanced.

Have fun--come on down to visit me sometime--- I have a wall of design books!

[jebm]

Hi Meg! When I do any kind of allover design and work across the top when I work the next area into what's already quilted (which would be above where I'm working), I have a great deal of difficulty seeing what I've done--I've turned lights off--used different lights etc. Still hard. If I'm reading the posts correctly I could load the quilt as usual--but start at the bottom (advance it until the end--and then start quilting there?) It sounds like a great idea to me! Is that what you do? Does it cause different kinds of problems? Jane

[meg_marsh]

I guess I have confused some of you - Heidi - you figured out what I was asking. I have included a picture. This has come out ok, but I did have lots of trouble seeing where I had to stretch and fill in due to not being able to see what I was doing. I am going to try starting from the bottom next time.

What I mean is that you load your quilt but most is loaded onto the take up roller & then you start the quilt next to the belly bar and as you complete areas you would work up toward the take up roller and then roll the finished part onto the bar closest to your belly. This would be the reverse as normal when you start near the take up roller and as you proceed, you roll the finished part onto the take up roller at the back. I can do the individual feathers pretty much any direction (maybe not the greatest feathers but they are definitely feathers) - it is the overall design that becomes difficult to see when filling in - stretching the feathers to the appropriate place to fill in the back ground.

Sandra - you have the right design in mind - it is quick (as long as you can see what you are doing) and fun.

[SandraC]

Thanks for the pic, Meg! I've just finished a couple of rows and I'm liking it!!! My only trouble seeing is that my thread colour really matches the border fabric so I've overlapped my sewing a couple of time but hopefully overall that won't be too noticeable.....well, back to it, I guess!!!

Sandra

[countrystitcher]

Very, very pretty feathers - you go girl!!!

Sharon

[sewlinzi]

I see what you are getting at and it makes a great deal of sense to start the feathering from the bottom end of the quilt then instead of moving the take-up roller forwards, you reverse to work up to the top end of the quilt.

Apart from visualising where to put the feathers I can do them either way after I did a lonestar and didn't want to bother turning and reloading.

I wish I could get a really clear blue pen to do some basic marking but the ones I can get are hopeless and don't show up at all on darker fabrics.

I'm going to experiment and see if my feathers want to start at the bottom of the quilt (they always start at the bottom of the spine!)

[andriko]

Hi Meg,

Feather, done in any way needs a lot of ppppppppp

You said that you don't see where you need to go when doing top-down. Have you thought about whether your table is high enough too? On Saturday I worked on a machine set up lower than my one. I faced a lot of difficulties to meet the lines of the feathers AND to see were I need to go. My machine is set so the backing bar is just over my belly.

Perhaps it helps, perhaps not. Just a though from my side.

Take care

andrea

[JBQuilts]

I'm experiencing something similar to this also. I think my table is too high and I have trouble seeing my path if I want to work my way up from the bottom and I find myself ducking my head trying to see where I'm going. I didn't have any guidelines for table height when I set up the table. I should have left the table at its lowest point, which would have put the back roller at about waist high. From the panto side I can't see the quilt at all.

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by JBQuilts

From the panto side I can't see the quilt at all.

Can you lower it?

That is without to much trouble...

I have an antique wooden table so I don't have a clue what you guys are going through, but I would say if you can't see your quilt, then you might just be a bit to high....:cool:

At times I bend over and look because I can't see also, so in my case I've thought about raising it some more....my belly bar is about at my waist or a smig higher. But I'm also 5'6".

[Judi]

Table height could make all the difference!! I am about 6' so mine is really up there. I have tried to work on lower set-ups and it just doesn't work for me ......

[meg_marsh]

Ok everyone - did my experiment today - another little quilt for charity - just love these little quilts - so much more fun than muslin which I still use but do get sick of.

Loaded the quilt and carefully pinned/rolled everything onto the take-up roller and started my stitching at the "wrong" end (lower left corner of the quilt). Also raised my table (thanks Andrea). A couple of things came out of this experiment.

I had to be much more careful with the batting and backing becoming to loose. Was very careful to check with each roll, and by the end there was about 1.5" of excess back that I pinned all the way across the top to keep it from sagging & therefore possible wrinkles/tucks. This was a bit of a pain.

Raising the table to a fairly high position did help me visually. You can tell that I am not used to working from the front of the machine.....LOL

Working the overall pattern from the bottom up actually made it easier to stitch - or maybe I am getting very used to this pattern. My feathers were larger and better spaced. I am still having problems with the sides and the final top area being nicely balanced and working hard not to get stuck in a 'corner' (PPP on this issue). Luckily, I was able to chop off what was bad and end up with a panto look.

So in the end, I have made the decision to load & stitch from the top down. May just change the stitching order/area on a pattern like this. Will have to figure out what works best for me. I know that in the book, Dawn starts this design in the lower left corner. Maybe should start in the lower left corner of the stitching area, not the lower left corner of the quilt. Then I would not have to worry about the back/batting.

Thanks everyone for all your responses and suggestions.

[quiltmonkey]

Meg, I start at the top and work my way across the quilt. Sometimes my feathers go left to right, sometimes right to left, sometimes turned upside down, etc. I fill the quilting space and then I roll to the next open space (working from top to bottom of quilt)

[Merryjo2003]

I quilt the quilt from the top down. After you do this a while, feathers go any direction. I just do whatever the space that needs filling dictates. Up, down, sideways.....it doesn't seem to matter to me. Sorry, I don't think that is any help, but I don't like any limitations, if that makes any sense. Sometimes I do the "bump" or formal feathers, sometimes not. Just have fun!