Letty

I suppose because many quilters, like me have always hand quilted and either cannot afford to send their quilts to be done on long arm machine, and/ or don't have the confidence to do the designs on a home machine.I am learning to be more adventurous but it is not easy,meandering is the soft option I guess

DebraK

here ya go
http://www.interweavestore.com/log-cabin-slippers

If my link doesn't work, just google log cabin slippers and it should come up.

lberna

I have seen so many quilts with way too much FMQ that I think those quilts could stand all by themselves - tend to be stiff as a board. I don't like the quilting to dominate the quilt. It needs to compliment the quilt with the quilt pattern and fabrics dominating. Just my opinion.

KnitnutBZ

I AM WITH YOU. I DON't get into a lot of piecing in my quilts either. I do like to appliqué on my plain strip quilts or charm square ones and meander or do loops. I am a plain Jane quilter also.

KnitnutBZ

Forgot to mention I got a sweet16 this summer so maybe I will get brave and expand my designs, but not get tooo busy a design.

cricket_iscute

I do meandering on charity quilts for speed and easier handling of big quilts, but I also try out new fmq designs on charity quilts. I hardly ever meander on a quilt I'm doing for myself, a friend, or competition unless I want an area to stand out and do the rest of the area in a small meander. I take a lot of time and thought to determine what quilting patterns to use on most every quilt I do. I do take classes and study fmq done by others to learn more. I've been fmq for at least 20 years, probably longer. There is always more to learn.

cathyvv

My Mom had a book about the history of quilting in the USA for over 100 years. The book had a picture of a woman at a large quilt frame, which was loaded with top, batting and batting moving her sewing machine over it. Wish I knew where the book was and what it was named, but, of course, I don't. I think the picture dated back to the early part of the 1900's.

It wasn't a close up picture, so I can't speak to the design of the quilting.

Lori S

I think many start out using meander when they FMQ on a domestic machine, to get the feel of the movement, and to learn to regulate the stitch consistency. Many move on to other quilting designs , some stay with a meander. Just as in piecing you evolve as you can confidence and skills.
Personally I don't consider FMQ to be meander... rather FMQ is a method not the stitch design.

CarolynMT

I consider anything that is not computer guided to be free motion. Meander, stippling, microstippling, pantographs, what I have heard called "hand guided" all to me are types of free motion work. But I am a mathematician so free motion = moving something freely......sigh, sometimes I am too literal.

With my own work, I like to push myself, try new things. Thankfully my family all thinks my work is stellar even when I know it looks like a 3yr old quilted it. But each thing I do pushes my skills just a bit more, for me I have a goal (to be a winner at paducah or houston) and every type of quilting I do is designed to help me learn and push my skills. Again, think it is the mathematician/engineer that is coming out, always needing a goal and pushing the boundaries.

For me, the quilting is like the 3rd dimension, the depth of the quilt. It should (to me of course) accent and accentuate the piecing.

cathyvv

All that really matters is that you are enjoying what you are doing, no matter what anyone else calls it, and that your finished product is useful for something, be it decorating, sleeping under, wall hanging, etc, or just giving you the pleasure of creating.

There is no point in doing something in our 'free time' if you hate doing it.