Neverending FMQ Practice

It has been a long while since I have done any free motion quilting. I had the itch a few days ago. Of course that itch wasn’t big enough to get me to baste and quilt either of the two quilt tops that are waiting patiently for me to finish them. I wanted a quick fix. Know what I mean?

I have a drawer where I toss extra HST blocks that seem to accumulate from time to time. I sewed a dozen together and ended up with a cute little block.

IMG_6818

I quilted every inch of it with little flourishes in the triangles and flowers in the center of the four diamonds. At first I didn’t plan to bind it, since it was just a quick practice piece. But is that fair? To just throw it away??? I think not. Leave it in the sewing room cluttering up my desk? Nope, that doesn’t work either. I can always put it under a vase of flowers. So I trimmed it to 12″ square and found a little scrap of polka dots to use as binding. The binding was actually the hardest part. I cut it too narrow and it pulls in spots.

IMG_6817

Stitching this was so gratifying. One evening of play and practice.

IMG_6819

I switched between blue and cream thread but didn’t change the bobbin. It looks kind of funky on the back side.

IMG_6822

Now that the itch to FMQ has been scratched, it is time to move on to something else. Hope you are all enjoying some time at the sewing machine.

Linking up with Muv at Freemotion Mavericks because I haven’t done that for a while and I have been missing her lately. 🙂

14 thoughts on “Neverending FMQ Practice

    1. Bernie Post author

      I do like to look at the stitching from the back. The design is often obscured on the front.
      Yes, you are right tho…. I do look at the wobbles. My own worst critic, right?

      Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thank you. I was feeling like I needed to do a quick bit of practice because I didn’t want to get rusty. I don’t FMQ with enough regularity and want to incorporate short practice sessions in where I can.
      If you get a sec, will you take a look at today’s post? I would love to hear some quilting ideas on the pink striped project. 🙂

      Reply
  1. Tish

    I love small little pieces that I can play around with FM motifs. This turned out so cute. Glad you decided to bind it. It was definitely a keeper piece.

    Reply
  2. JanineMarie

    What a perfect size project for FMQ practice. I’m glad you took the time to bind it because it looks adorable as a coaster for a vase. If you are like me, practice with binding is always a good thing, too. Your binding includes two of my favorite motifs for binding–dots and some sense of stripy-ness.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Exactly. Binding should be so simple but for some reason, there is usually a spot or two that just won’t cooperate. I love the little dots too Janine.

      Reply
  3. Afton

    I know what you mean; sometimes you just need the satisfaction of closer-to-instant gratification. You binding is a great fit. Those flowers are gorgeous too!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thank you. I love doing those flowers. Have you looked at Lori Kennedy’s site, The Inbox Jaunt? She’s has so many great FMQ tutorials.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.