nora123 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 ok so I have been PPPing feathers for a while. They are not consistent. How fast should I quilt to get them to look good each time. I am working with the s/r on and a 9 stitch length. I also make my spine with a marker that fades after a while so I plan on doing a length of it and then coming back to do the feathers. Any advise would really help. Thanks guys. Nora Millennium Washougal WA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollyrw Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 I use a 10 or 11 stitch length. The faster you go the smoother the feathers will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagecl Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 It sounds like you are doing well with your feather practice. Don't forget to ppp with paper and pencil or dry erase board. You can practice with paper and pencil watching TV or talking on the phone. Doddle with a purpose:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 I use at least an 11 or smaller stitch. The smaller the stitch the smoother it is to stitch. The only thing you can do is ppp! Do lots of drawing like Cheryl said. I am horrible at drawing but now I can stitch them without thinking too hard about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Take a good look at other peoples feathers. Are they consistent? Really? or do they just fool the eye enough. I often have mine hanging up in the workshop when I teach, and students will swear blind I quilt identical consistent feathers until I point out the variations. Have you tried drawing (sewing) the feather from each end? Tried the bump bump feathers and ones built on both sides at the same time? It make a huge difference to some people. I am a top down one side then the other. Personally I get better feathers faster, but then I do most things pretty quick so that may just be me. The things above are what my students usually find make the most difference. Ferret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Oh I would also try turning the regulator off, but again that may just be me. Although I am pretty sure at least one dvd I have has someone who does exactly that. Could be Myrna, who has a great feather dvd "Fowlproof feathers". Other than that practice Ferret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 My "bump-bump" feathers look like anything but a feather; however, I can freehand them quite well. I usually try to not have the feathers touch each other, but on occasion they do and even then, they don't look too bad. I agree with the shorter stitch setting--I'm usually at 12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Doodle with a dry erase board. While you are watching TV, while DH is driving... You can get BIG board at the lumberyard, and have them cut it down to share and it's way cheaper than the office store. I drew mine on the quilt until I got comfy. I DO NOT quilt the spines. But I doodled, doodled, doodled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 If my feathers looked as good on fabric as they do on paper I would be a true artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmyhogan Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Originally posted by JustSewSimple If my feathers looked as good on fabric as they do on paper I would be a true artist. AMEN !!! Practicing is making them better for me. I run with a high stitch rate for ease but with it at about 9 if the feathers are large and I want them to really show up (like when doing them with metallic thread) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmoore1223 Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I'm in the club that can draw them much better than I can quilt them. I get to take a class with Karen McTavish next Wednesday and I'm so excited! Wish me luck, I hope I don't drool too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Nora, What type of feather are you trying to do? Just wondering. I love doing the bump-bump feather, but since learning to do them, my brain won't let me do anything else PPP is the key. Then some how it just clicks. You will get it. And like Ferret said, no one really does perfect feathers. I was just looking closely at some feathers in Unlimited Possibilities magazine....there were some inconsistant feathers - but overall the quiltig was beautiful. You will get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Something to bear in mind is that some days you can do them with your eyes shut and other days they look like home made sausages or is that just me? For Lent I am going to give up feathers! I did some on a show quilt yesterday that are atrocious... far too much to frog out so I've ordered some gold ric-rac... I was also going to use a ruler then remembered I have taken off the thread cutter so my extended base won't fit any more so the plan changed again so when the show entry says "Beginner, Intermediate or Professional?" I'm going to add another option that says "Overambitious Eejit!" LINZI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carla Halvorson Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Have you guys ever looked at the website http://www.thequiltingschool.com/? If you click on the free content tab, there are tons of free videos that you can watch. One is on "Feather Frenzy", which is really informative. It's a Linda Taylor thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sams Mom Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Ferret kind of talked to this. One of the best things you can do, is hang some of your feathers on the wall and walk away from them. When they aren't 'in your face', they probably look pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhend Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 My trick...NEVER use contrasting thread and show the quilt from a distance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Originally posted by sewlinzi For Lent I am going to give up feathers! LINZI ROFLMAO!! Linzi... you are too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April W Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Can you really give up feathers for 40 days??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Originally posted by April W Can you really give up feathers for 40 days??? I can give them up...only because I can't do feathers anyways. So if Linzi really can't give them up...then I will promise to quit doing feathers for her for 40 days!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Absolutely! I might swear off them forever. Every time I think they are flowing smoothly and I'll do them deliberately I lose it entirely - wait until you see what weird alternatives to feathers happened on my RWB quilt. It involves ricrac! LINZI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Linzi, you are too funny :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Linzi, you crack me up. Oh, we are into Lent. So does that meant that we will be seeing lots more gold rick-rack from you? :D Nora, I know that I struggled with feathers for months before I got my rhythm going on longarm feathers. The machine does move easier at a high stitch length but that makes mistakes harder to rip out. Just a thought. I do mine pretty fast now except for the hump-bump feathers which I really have to slow down for to do good backtracking. I also like the Jodi Robinson feahters which have that wonderful built-in echo. For me, the quilt dictates the style of feather I use in a quilt. I like my wonky longarm feathers - I can do them in my sleep and I am a bottom-up single spine feather quilter. I have to practice when I switch from one style to another because the mechanics of the feathers are different. For example there is no backtracking on the longarm wonky feathers. And I can quilt feathers like crazy but my drawing is truly bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Linda my drawings look a lot like yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebm Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Ditto- whoever said quilt those feathers, put them up and look at them like you would a quilt! You'll be amazed! I honestly think that everything looks better OFF the frame! I just figured that out recently. Back and front both! And you don't have to be a mile away on a galloping horse either! I can't believe the difference it makes getting it off the frame!! I bet your feathers are so good you'll think someone else quilted them! You go girl!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJDavis Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hi, What is the hump,bump feather? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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