Wednesday, 10 September 2014

FMQ - WIP

In the final stages of piecing my Drift quilt top I noticed that this clever pattern would give me the opportunity to practise some FMQ (free motion quilting).  

 So I got practising!

 I started with a vertical figure 8-ish design ...


Then jumped into some pebbles (boy does that use up a lot of thread!)\

Front

Back

Onto a clam shell-ish design (or sliced hard boiled egg as my hubby calls it!)

Front

Back
Some wondering flowers ...

Best seen on the back
and finally feathers (well, my version of them lol!)

Front

Back
My original fear of FMQ-ing an entire quilt has been squashed with this quilt due to the fact that I could clearly see where I could break up the design.  Somehow working on small bits at a time seems more manageable and in turn good for my self confidence.  I think I would have freaked at the prospect of a large amount of 'negative space'.

 I don't want to give the impression that everything has gone smoothly though ... there's been unpicking and broken threads and the odd oopsie with getting the backing all caught up!

Oops!!
My actions or motions are still quite jerky through the curves and my stitch lengths are still a bit irregular ... but hey, that's what practising is all about and I'm hoping (read: wishing and pleading) that it will all crinkle out in the wash.


I've got a few more rows to go, then I'm onto binding this baby - hooray!

 Looking forward to seeing what you've been working on over at WIP Wednesday and Let's Bee Social!

 Serena xx




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21 comments:

  1. Joanna @ Riddle and {Whimsy}10 September 2014 at 16:47

    It's looking good! Your feathers are much better than mine!!

    Angela Walters has been posting some FMQ video tutorials on her blog which I've been finding helpful to watch! I've found them easier to follow than Leah Day's, not that I've tried any designs yet.

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  2. Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore10 September 2014 at 17:37

    Looking good Serena. I've noticed a lot of people trying FMQ lately with varying results. Yours looks really good.

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  3. Ruth10 September 2014 at 17:52

    Great stuff - love your figure of eights and hard boiled eggs! I find starting and stopping very jerky and need to work on that. Your feathers are way better than mine too! Mine don't even look like something you'd find in nature!

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  4. Unknown10 September 2014 at 18:15

    I love your top and quilting. Lovely feathers! Do not mind irregular stiches, they will disappear with more practice. I love the look of the back.

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  5. Granny Maud's Girl10 September 2014 at 19:35

    Love the feathers! What a bother that the back got caught!

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  6. DeborahGun10 September 2014 at 20:35

    Brilliant FMQ! So adventurous :-)

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  7. Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl10 September 2014 at 22:37

    Oh, I really hate when my backing flips over like that. Happens to us all, though! I think your FMQing looks great and I love it when a quilt lends itself to multiple patterns that are easy to break up and change out patterns.

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  8. Judy@Quilt Paradigm10 September 2014 at 23:00

    Yup, been there done that with the flipping of the quilt into the quilting. . . I quilted the top to the bottom once. . . not sure I could do that again even if I tried LOL Your quilting looks fabulous and it is true, once you wash it you will be looking at it trying to see all those things you 'thought' were major mistakes - you won't find them!

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  9. Vera10 September 2014 at 23:28

    You are doing great! Well done!

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  10. Lorna McMahon10 September 2014 at 23:33

    Love all those close up shots... And the whole shot of the back. The quilting looks fantastic, Serena! You were not the only unpicker.... I had the same problem while quilting the minky on my Fox & Friend remake.

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  11. Jasmine11 September 2014 at 02:28

    I also really enjoyed the close up photos. The egg comment really made me chuckle. I call it a double loop, but now will be thinking of eggs. I also think that FMQ in smaller spaces is sometimes easier. This is truly beautiful.

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  12. Rachaeldaisy11 September 2014 at 03:39

    Wow, look at you go!! Anyone who can quilt feathers and pebbles impresses me!

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  13. Leanne Parsons11 September 2014 at 04:21

    Great work! It's all looking really good, and it's fun to see so many different designs in one quilt. I've stitched my backing into the quilting more often than I care to admit (once it happened three times in the same project. Uggh!).

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  14. Unknown11 September 2014 at 06:06

    FMQ I firmly believe is all about whimsy - not perfection. Have a great time with the thread party and don't think about it.

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  15. Gina11 September 2014 at 06:23

    Your FMQ is looking great!! I love the floral pattern you did and your feathers look super smooth! I have found that working with small amounts of negative space was helpful too. Looking at a whole quilt and trying to decide how to quilt it can be overwhelming :). Awesome work Serena!

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  16. Elizabeth11 September 2014 at 12:17

    I just love it Serena x

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  17. Liz11 September 2014 at 20:43

    Looks beautiful! I'd say your practicing is looking great! I like the feathers, and I like the way you broke up the quilt into different motifs. Great job!

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  18. Jessica Hadden12 September 2014 at 00:37

    Awesome quilting!!!

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  19. Archie The Wonder Dog16 September 2014 at 01:51

    Wow, your FMQ is wonderful!

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  20. Anonymous19 September 2014 at 03:48

    Your fmq is beautiful! I have done the same thing with backing. I hate when that happens.

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  21. Sarah @ mila+cuatro25 September 2014 at 12:49

    Check out your FMQ skills! They look awesome.

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