Free Bird BOM Quilt

There is much excitement at The Thread House HQ this week as we prepare for our new BOM Club to start next week!

I first wrote about our second yearly Block of the Month Club in this post but I now have a finished quilt to share along with a few new samples made using the blocks and motifs.  Plus I am dying to tell you about me new favourite way of quilting using my Handi Quilter Moxie!

One of the main reasons I wanted a long-arm quilting machine was to achieve a straight line modern look to my quilts, expecially ‘matchstick quilting’.  I had never achieved this successfully on large quilts on my domestic machine and had been frustrated about that.  Though I absolutely adore the look of the matchstick quilting on my ‘Journey to the Centre of a Flower’ quilt it does make for a very heavy stiff texture. This is perfect for a wall hanging art quilt but less so for a bed quilt.

The Free Bird quilt is a busy pattern with a lot of hand stitched elements but it also has a very modern feel. So I decided to abandon my usually FMQ and go for straight lines again but with a looser feel than the matchstick.  I had used what I call ‘random plaid’ on my Medallion Quarter mini quilt and absolutely loved it. Since then I’d used it a few times on small items but now, with my Moxie, I had a chance to make it work on a large 72″ bed quilt.

 

As with the matchstick quilting I used the channel lock for the straight lines. This locks the wheels on the machine so it can only run side to side and not backwards and forwards (you can place the lock in a different place for a visa versa lock).  Then you simply walk the machine from one end to the other, take off the lock, move the needle down a few stitches, replace the lock and walk back again. It’s very relaxing to do with no stress!! I usually put my headphones on and listen to podcasts or BBC radio dramas and do a lot of steps!

And the randomness of the ‘random plaid’ means even less stress as no measuring between the lines (and of course no marking either!). It is incredibly forgiving and easy to do. Having to make the decision about where the next line will be gives that little extra bit of interest to the process. Once all the lines were quilted in one direction I took the quilt off the rails, rotated it 45 degrees and re-attached to do the intersecting lines.

I used Aurifil 40/3 in number 2000 which melted away into the background leaving the texture paramount. The finished quilt is lovely and floppy and not in any way stiff and I love the very modern vibe it adds. I love it so much I have just finished my next quilt in the same way (more on this very soon!)! I opted for a faced binding to accentuate the modern feel. I’m pretty addicted to finishing my quilts this way as I think it gives a better finish.

As we await the start of the BOM I’ve been experimenting with other fabrics to see how they work with the design.

I was eager to try out some of the cute applique motifs with some Liberty Tana Lawn and so I created this pillow using applique mixed with some scrappy log cabin. The background is an Essex Linen Yarn-dyed and I hand quilted it with Aurifil 12wt wool.

I’ve also been planning the fabrics for the quilt I’ll be making along with the Club members. I’ve decided on the gorgeous Eden by Sally Kelly for Windham fabrics, paired with coordinating solids and with a huge mixture of low-volume backgrounds.

My sample piece was this zinnia block and I’ve also just finished making the class samples for the poppy blocks ready for the first month (below).

As well as providing the block patterns and templates Lynne, Karen and I produce video tutorials for that month’s technique and block to provide our club members with expert tuition and tips. We made a little trailer for the monthly videos (with the help of Karen’s son!) which you can watch here.

Karen also finished her Free Bird Quilt, a little behind me as she was hand quilting hers. It was absolutely worth those extra hours as it looks so beautiful with the hand stitching.

Of course Lynne finished her quilt ages ago!  She is the Hermione of our gang of three and always has her homework finished on time 😉

Her colourway also proved the most popular amongst our quilt kit buying customers by quite a long way (mine came in last!).

Have you signed up for The Thread House Club yet? If not then we have one more last minute offer that might just tempt you…

But don’t think about it for too long as the badge stock is limited and the first blocks drop on Monday!

Read all about our club offering on our website here (including FAQs) and follow the link on that page to purchase your membership. Or why not watch this short video on Instagram where we tell you all about it in person. I hope you can join us!

If you think you might be interested in finding out more about the Moxie head to Pinhole Quilting’s website here.  While you are their why not sign up for their newsletter. You will see a box on the sign-up form asking for a Moxie Mentor Referral Code.  If you enter my code JA102 you will get a big pack of thread and accessories worth over £100 if you go ahead and order a Moxie!