Art Lesson - The direction and density of lines draw the viewer's eye to a specific area(s) of the quilt.

Look at my first attempt to depict sky and water.  I placed a simple horizon line to separate the sky from water.  Now the the quilting lines have to do the work.

The first quilted lines are the ripple in the water and then subtle curving lines around to ripple to depict the wavy water.  This worked! Very calm water, soothing water.

 What happened next doesn't work.  The quilting in the sky works against the calm of the water. I quilted the sky with wind and lots of movement.  To my surprise, the more densely quilted sky and the turbulent quilting lines takes your eye from the calm of the ripple to the intense movement of the sky.  Oops! Try again.

The sky in Little Pebble II consists of horizontal quilting lines more dense near the horizon and farther apart as the sky broadens upward. The quilting lines in the sky are calm.  The sky becomes a secondary element to the calm water.

What would I do differently in Little Pebble II?  I'd make the ripple tilt up as in Little Pebble I to keep your eye draw your on the quilt.  See how the ripple tilts slightly down and to the right.  That draws your eye off the quilt.  Line matters!  The direction and density of the quilting lines make or break the quilt.

If I could only combine the bottom of Little Pebble I and the top of Little Pebble II.  But I ran out of these fabrics, so onto another project and another lesson learned.

Successful Quilting Starts by Looking Down the Road

The best analogy for better free motion quilting is from Harriet Hargrave.  Think about free motion quilting as driving.  If you drive by looking at your hood ornament, you’re likely to crash often.  Looking down the road and anticipating the next curve or stopping point is a much better driving plan.  Periodically check your mirrors and blind spot and slow down when you’re stopping or parking. 

The same philosophy applies to quilting.  Don’t focus on the needle hitting the fabric, not even when you’re quilting a marked line.  Look ahead for changes in a curve or towards the next point in your design and quilt towards it.  Trust that your peripheral vision will help guide you.  Slow down when you have to hit a specific point.  Look at the needle hitting the fabric only occasionally.