Did you ever have one of those SLOW days? Days that you don’t even want to get out of your pajamas? Tommy the Turtle has them all the time–but he knows the secret….
Slow and Steady Wins the Race!
In honor of Tommy – and embracing his motto–let’s stitch a new motif!TOMMY the TURTLE –THE TUTORIAL –Say that three times fast!
It is helpful when learning any new pattern to use some guidelines. This helps keep a motif in proportion. If you are sewing a quilt with squares–no need to draw lines-use the seamlines.
Begin by drawing any size square. In the sample below, the squares are 3- 1/2 by 3-1/2 inches.
Next, draw a circle in the middle of the square. I used this ruler – found at an office supply store and drew a 2 -1/4 inch circle. You could use a cup or a small plate…
Begin by stitching around the circle (Start where you want the neck to be positioned.) Then stitch the neck and head into one of the corners of the square.
Next, travel around the circle and stitch a rounded leg. Stitch around the circle and close to the previous line of stitching.
At the opposite corner, stitch a leg, a curved tail, and another leg before proceeding around “the shell” again.
Stitch the last “leg” and then cross into the circle.
Spiral into the center of the shell and stop.
Next, spiral out – but add a scallop as you go…(this is actually Tammy the Turtle…?)
For a boy turtle–simply spiral out and back toward the neck. Knot off at the base of the neck somewhere.
NOTE--I was unable to find a nice looking way to transition to another turtle–so I knotted off between each turtle. (For more on knots see HERE and HERE.)
Make a pair of turtles…
and maybe a baby…
Or line them all up in a row…
The turtle’s shell is an opportunity for creativity. Add any embellishment here…Give your turtles personality!Tommy the Turtle would look darling on any border and in the center of any quilt square. Or–make a pillow or a pin cushion with a single turtle!
TOMORROW–
Check in tomorrow to see a little quilt I made with Tommy the Turtle. I think I’m going to have it framed!
Lori
MATERIALS
This turtle looks great on Kona cotton from RJKaufman’s New Summer Collection…Stitched with Sulky Rayon thread on top and Aurifil cotton 50 wt in the bobbin on my Bernina 820 without a stitch regulator…
PS… All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to Pin, Blog, Tweet with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
http://theinboxjaunt.com/2014/05/13/tommy-the-turtle-a-free-motion-quilt-tutorial/
See Lori's blog for more fantastic inspiration!
