Up From Here Finished – Feathers and Sand Inspiration

When I thought about quilting Up From Here, I could picture feathers in the solid colored fabric areas.  Feathers that gracefully filled up the entire area and elegantly turned the corners.  Formal or floppy feathers – it didn’t matter, but it raised another question.  What about the polka dot areas?  How would those be filled?  I found inspiration from a website called Ivory Spring and Wendy in her Thread Talk feature.  Here are two photos I found inspiration from:

The pattern is called Sand Dune, and Wendy suggests it as a background filler around feathers.  Huh.  I don’t know how I found my way to this website, but did Wendy not just TELL me that this would work around my feathers?!!  You don’t have to hit me over the head with a big stick.  I happily said okay and thank you.  Wendy took it one step further and showed me how to stitch it.  Coaching further she adds to just stitch it out to the edge of the fabric.  My kind of stress-free stitching!!

Feather Pre-practice

I couldn’t just jump into feathers of any sort without some pre-practice.  Pre-practice?  Isn’t that rather redundant?  Well, no.  Practice before the practice, or pre-practice involves drawing feathers everywhere I can.  I have some papers to throw away at work – try a few feathers on them before you toss them.  With 20 blocks calling for feathers, the first 10 are actual practice in my mind.  By the 20th, I’ll have the technique down and it will be FMQ by then not practice!  Too bad I don’t have a few of these to quilt, huh.

Snow Day = Feathers

I posted the picture above on the right on a school snow day.  These are Beth’s floppy feathers from Cooking Up Quilts again.  The first time I tried these was on Garden Gate, and I find them even easier this time.  The blocks themselves had a built-in boundary along with a gentle curve.  It was almost easy peasy.  Once I finished one set of Up blocks, I launched into what I remembered the sand dunes to be.  I may have made just wavy lines, but in my head they were dunes!  I elected to sew the feathers in the brown squares with a closer matching thread.  The thought of that light thread on the darker brown fabric just didn’t make my heart sing.

Another Floppy Feather Finish

I had to share another picture of this beautiful backing fabric.  I just love it!  It’s from the Fat Quarter Shop, and it just feels so nice.  LOVE it.  Here’s another peek at the completed quilt top pre-quilting.

And a little binding action going on starting on Sunday during the Packer pre-game.

UPbinding

Ta-da!  Here is our version of Up From Here all quilted and bound.  It may not have exact sand dunes but my version thereof.

Up From Here quilt finished

Floppy Feathers and Sand Dune closeups

Here are two closeup pictures of the quilting.  We are pleased with how this quilt finished up!  It’s all squishy and soft too after a wash and dry.

We’ll have one last roundup of all the second sew along finishes before the end of the year.

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16 Responses

  1. Not just feathers, but feathers and filler! You’re nailing it, Roseanne.
    Well done.

  2. nanamickie says:

    Feathers! They aren’t easy to hand quilt much less with a machine! I love the sand dunes too! I love that you are always evolving and learning. You should be proud of yourself, these are wonderful!!!

  3. Way to go Roseanne!! Put on your feathered cap and do a dance:)😊❤️❤️

  4. This is contemporary quilting (as in both cloth design and stitching) at its finest…really impressive. Looks like it even ‘feels’ quilty.
    Great job, Roseanne.
    🙂

  5. Brenda Ackerman says:

    Hello Roseanne, (both hands waving), You are just becoming a pro at all of the FMQ you are doing! I have followed Wendy for quite awhile and she is a wonderful person. If I remember right, she had published a book or two and has shared some fantastic tutorials and patterns online. Plus, I also think she has a class on Craftsy. I have not seen her posting on her blog for awhile now. Now, How Much are you going to charge me to quilt my quilts? I am joking, but sure wish you and I were closer! I hope that you have a fabulous day!

  6. quiltinggail says:

    Whoo Hoo!!!! Fantastic quilting and another finish!!! Way to go!!! And feathers … wonderful!
    Happy Quilting! 🙂

  7. Kathryn says:

    Lovely work – practice makes for happy quilting. I am with you for the darker thread on the brown.

  8. Rochelle Summers says:

    Your quilting is great and only exceeded by your enthusiasm. I appreciate you sharing all the websites that have inspired you and the tips like pre-practice and practice. The number of quilts you have finished this year has certainly provided lots of time to hone that FMQ skill.

  9. This is so beautiful and your feathers so gorgeous! I am so glad you just go for it and jump in after some pre-practice and practice… that’s exactly how you get better at FMQ. It’s such a great pattern too, isn’t it. I know I loved making mine.

  10. cheriec12 says:

    It’s fantastic! I’m sure you are happy with a finish. WooHoo!

  11. Brenda @ Songbird Designs says:

    Great, great job on the quilting!! I love it! Feathers are something I really need to practice more!

  12. Shannon Fleming says:

    Look at you go, girl! You’re quilt and quilting turned out fabulous!

  13. Way to go on those feathers! The quilt is so pretty and I love the look after washing. I hope you curled up under it and watched a good show or something to celebrate the finish!

  14. Wow Roseanne your quilting is awesome…I truly am impressed — glad Wendy was able to help you out. Your up from here quilt is beautiful — great job!

  15. Your quilting turned out wonderfully on this quilt. I honestly can’t imagine how much time goes into that detailed and dense quilting. Great job! Take care, Mary.

  16. Vicki in MN says:

    So proud of you for jumping in and getting your feathers on!! Don’t you just feel more comfortable and confident now with feathering. The sand dunes was a great idea too.

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