Welcome to Mountaintop Quilting Studio

This is where you find me exploring a variety of creative adventures mostly about but not limited to quilting. I'm a firm believer that one increases their creativity by being open to and playing with a variety of cretative endeavors ... at least that my excuse for today. Enjoy your sourjourn through my studio playroom. May you find encouragement and inspiration, and on occassion, a little pin-prick that may be thought-provoking or spark your imagination. Thank you for stopping by.

Dreaming of flowers during our February windy snow storm and a special request from Mitzi inspired this fun play exercise designing with Creative Studio. What better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon than playing in your studio.

You need:

• Creative Studio ready to go starting a new project.
• 1234 RIPPLES AND FLOWERS
• 1475 SIMPLE FLOWER (a brand new freebie)
• First: add the two patterns and save your project

Second: choose 1234 Ripples and Flowers so it is hi-lighted and then choose Repeat Pattern mode. Change Repeats and Rows settings to 2 ROWS and click OK to place the ripples pattern on the cad screen. Choose the pattern and move it away from the point of origin spot so you'll have room for the next step. Designer's Tip: work with 2 rows so you will have an idea of the design space available between the two and use that space to your advantage in creating a pleasing flow from row to row.

Third: Hi-light 1475 Simple Flower and choose Repeat Pattern mode. Change Repeat settings to 8 repeats and make sure to change Freeze Aspect back on the "on" setting. Click OK and 8 little separate flowers should be added to your drawing screen above the Ripples and Flowers rows.

Now this is the tricky part ... you need to think about how this will stitch out ie: the sewing order. Also, we're going to going to be saving only one row. Remember the second row is there only for design purposes.

Notice where the "start" is located; when you are actually quilting the quilt you will stitch to the end of that row and then work your way back across that row with the little flowers you're going to add into the ripples. But for now we're just designing trying to keep everything in mind for when the actual stitching occurs. So ...

Grab the first little flower on the left that has "next" by it; place where you like it near the end of the first row of ripples. The idea is that you don't have thread dragging back and forth across the quilt as these little flowers are stitched out.

Grab the next little flower on the left side of the flower row and place it in the ripples working your way back from the right near the first little flower you placed in the row. Continue grabbing and placing these little daisies until you have all 8 of your little flowers added into the row. Remember, you can resize and rotate the little flowers to creat more interest in you new little garden. AND ... we did not place any flowers in the second ripple row.

Once you have finished arranging the flowers delete the second ripple row and check your sewing order. If everything looks good, you're ready select the new pattern by  holding down your left mouse button and dragging  your cursor from the lower right across all of the patterns. Let go of the left mouse button and your pattern should be hi-lighted indicating it is selected. Right click and choose "export to CSQ." YEAH!!! you just created your very own version of 1234 Ripples and Flowers.

Keep learning ... Keep creating ... and Keep it fresh!

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Comments

• I think Miso could use a good long walk - we'd best get started before the snow starts for both of us :)
  by Kay on 20 February 2011 at 2:30 p.m.
• I'd rather walk the dog!
  by Ann Beeman on 20 February 2011 at 2:11 p.m.

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