Holice, Thats what I thought at first, however now I realize you can do anything you want or can to achieve what you want.

Free Motion quilting, IMO, refers to the machine, not the sewn pattern. in other words, there is no top pressure from the foot and no underside pressure from the feed dogs... thus Free Motion

I never use stencils for FMQ....I could stay on the lines, anyway! :D:D:D. Sometimes I do mark dots on the quilt to remind myself where to go next.

I've seen the same. I even saw a person post once that if using a stencil or marking of any kind it is not FMQ.

FMQ only means that the MACHINE is in free motion. It has nothing to do with whether the quilt was marked in any way. The quilter can choose to use a stencil, chalk, pounce, golden thread paper, pencil - or just "wing it".... whatever. But once she/he takes the feeding mechanism off the machine and starts moving the quilt by her/himself ... that's FMQ.

Yup, this is it for me, too. I've done a meander without a stencil, other fillers (like swirls, hearts and flowers) without stencils, and then I've done other shapes with the help of patterns on golden threads paper or chalked in from a stencil. All of that is FMQ for me. If I have to get out that darning foot, it's FMQ!

Thanks DHMom for getting here first and saying exactly what I would have said ... but probably not as clearly as you just did! :)

It's the way the machine is working that is FMQ .... with or without markings to follow!