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Formal Feathers Challenged


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I've been practicing today. I really want to use a simple border from Sherry Roger's Formal Feathers book on this quilt that is going on my machine next. I'm now on hour 3 and I keep catching myself doing them like I used to--re-tracing the C part of the feather rather than the end. How long does it take to train the old body into this new direction????? ;) I see some improvement so I'll keep working. I love the look of her feathers and it's easier to fit them into a given space than my old way.

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Did the paper and pencil thing for hours yesterday, going over and over pages I had copied to trace. I always do better on the machine so have some crudy muslin (50 cents a yard) and I keep those odd end of roll battings for practice. Slowly, but ever so slowly improving. 3 1/2 years of doing them one way makes it hard to change. About time to get back at it. jeri

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Hi Lynn,

Usually you have a photo editing program that comes with your computer, my HP has several. Usually if you right click on your image a window pops up and ask you to OPEN WITH and it list the photo editing programs..I love Photo Impressions it's easy to use, I think it might be HP's program. Any way choose Edit and Resize, I usually reduce by 50% of normal.

Good luck,

Hester:cool:

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You can go back and edit your post, delete these pictures and enter the resized ones. If you haven't downloaded Google's FREE photo editing software, Picasa 2, I would HIGHLY recommend it. I have several programs and found this one was so much easier and faster and more user friendly. I showed my 89 year old Dad and he was "off to the races", saving pictures that were way too dark. He had taken them of family in Australia and was SO disappointed in the results that he was ready to delete all of them. We were able to turn ALL of them into good pictures with Picasa's easy tools. What's great about this program is that it doesn't overwrite your originals!

Here's a direct link. http://picasa.google.com/

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Well, 6 hours ppp yesterday and a couple today I think I have the 3 inch formal feathers border down!!!! That doesn't count the paper and pencil PPP. YEA!!!!

I ended up just playing with some freehand feathers toward the end of the fabric I was working on using the same technique of backstitching the top of the feather,----I love freehand playing and it finally sort of clicked. I loaded a new practice piece with the batting I will use on this quilt and the thread I will use rather than a contrast thread and leftover bobbins and tried it out again. It works!!! It looks good!!! Most of the quilt is beached muslin so it was easy to dupilicate the fabric also. I think it's a retraining muscles to do it differently thing. . I'll post a photo when it's finished, with all the detail in the blocks the borders will be a few days. The quilt is a beautifully done --- old fashioned ladies with parasols embroidered and appliqued so it's SID, stipples, piano keys on the outside border, and trying to keep it sort of traditional. .

New quilters pay attenton :D I have had nearly 4 years of quilting experience on my machine. Don't get discouraged, with some practice it will come around. I was just feeling challanged and a bit frustrated by the difference in technigues. It feels so good when it all clicks. Keep your practice "quilts" and look back to see how far you've come. A friend of mine who is afraid of freehand keeps talking about my freehand feathers. We are doing a play day this week and I'm taking her one of my practice " quilts" from learning feathers. My DH uses them for this and that. jeri

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Lynn,

WOW awesome job!!! feathers absolutely terrify me.

Thank you so much for the encouraging words about practice and time. Somedays when I visit this site and see all of your beautiful work, I get so scared I will never be able to do this, but I keep reminding myself you all started out as a newbie at one time or another.

Bekah

Shepherd's Garden Quilting

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Originally posted by quiltaholi_518

Where do you go to edit a post? I accidentlt posted a big pic and wanted to fix it.............

Hi Caron,

Only YOU will see the Edit button next to your own post. Look at the top right side of your post. You will see Edit, Quote, Report.

Click on Edit. Change what you want to change and then click on the Edit button at the bottom of the message area.

It even lists your picture and there's a Delete button and I think also a "Replace this picture with this one:....." area.

I'll check that out and edit my own post if I'm incorrect.

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Jeri,

Were you in Dawn's class on Feathers back in March, or did you just come to the Custom class?? With all this talk of feathers - plus that beautiful picture of the Dresden Plate - I have been inspired - I will start ppp on paper today - and in about 3 years I should be able to start on a practice piece of muslin:D

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Hi, I just did the lst day heirloom class. Now that I've trained myself to go a different way on some types of feathers, I really like them Sherry's way. It sometimes just takes spending some time practicing. Definately not yet perfect but getting better :P

A friend with a Mille and I spend Friday afternoon just playing with various freehand things and trying rulers we hadn't gotten around to. What a great day!!! We decided that we'd put a play day in our busy schedules more often. jeri

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