Good morning,

The new February tutorial with Diane Gaudynski is out as of yesterday, and it's fabulous.  If you still haven't joined the challenge, I urge you to do so.  It's fun.  And the best part is that it gets you quilting and practicing.  And yes, you will get better at it.

Here's SewCalGal's website:  http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/

Diane's tutorial focuses on simple feathers. 

Doesn't it look fabulous?  Also, look at the piece of fabric she used to make her sample on.  It's probably a piece of purple silk dupioni.

I always tell people to practice on pretty fabric.  There's something to be said for the feeling it gives you to have a piece of pretty fabric under the needle.  And it doesn't matter if you don't have much practice.  Your sample does not have to be perfect.  Practice and repetition will make you perfect.  So don't just make one feather sample, make a few.  And then modify the pattern or change the curve and make a few more.  Don't forget to practice on paper before you switch to fabric.  It helps you get a better idea of what you need to focus on and the path to take when you go to do it on the sewing machine.  And when you practice on paper, don't lift the pen or pencil off the paper.  Keep it moving as if you were actually using the sewing machine.  That gets your hands, eyes and brain trained for doing a continuous line without breaks.  If you need to break somewhere in your drawing, you'll need to do the same when you are actually sewing the design.

And if you do join the challenge, send me a photo of your finished sample.  I'd love to see it.  In the meantime, enjoy the day and above all, keep quilting.

Ana