Free Motion Friday -- Kathleen's Magic Shape

Happy Friday Peeps. I am, right now, in Edmonton taking Karlee Porter classes at Sparrow Studioz. In the midst of a crazy quilting spree preparing for market. Things are a bit nuts... but sleep is for the weak... right?

Today, Kathleen's Magic Shape! I've been talking a lot about my new favourite design, which I have dubbed "Kathleen's Magic Shape", and so here we go. 

It starts with this bracket/flame/whatever shape. I try to get it reasonably even, but don't spend a lot of time worrying about it being perfect.

Make sure you stop your machine at the point -- this keeps your point nice and pointy :D Rather than having a round top (though if you want a round top, go for it.)

Then, I feather up the side of my bracket,

And then trace down the other side to get back to the bottom

And then feather up the other side.

I these pictures, I have done fairly (by my standards anyway) even feathers. However, I think it looks a bit nicer with un-even feathers.

Something like this. To do this,

I sort of imagine a line going through my design, and have the bottom feathers reaching up to this line, and the top feathers reaching down to it.

Then, I echo the inside line. Sometimes, I will follow the seam about 1/4" to create an even echo,

Though usually I just start from my endpoint, and have an un-even echo, so I can avoid the backtrack. Then I fill in the center with a fill... in this picture I did loops, but I've also done swirls, back and forth... whatever floats your boat.

Here I filled it with feathers :D

Here are a few pictures where I have used this design:

In the houndsteeth.

In the setting triangles, the sashing & the blocks,

Here it is in the negative space

And the one that started it all, on my Jackson Hole quilt :D

Hope you have as much fun with this as I do! Remember, if you have any trouble with this, or any other design on the blog, send me an email to kathleen(at)kathleenquilts.com

If you want to be a part of Free Motion Friday, email a picture of your quilt top to kathleen(at)kathleenquilts.com!

Later days! Kathleen.

Free Motion Friday is Sponsored by Sparrow Studioz and APQS Canada!