fireworkslover - If you open these links I'll explain
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-27510-1.htm
The first two (Pirouettes) the meander was done in Bottom Line (top and bobbbin) Cream. The feathers in the border I did with Mettler Silk Finish top, and Bottom Line Cream in the bobbin.
"Will-o'-the-Wisp" I did the meander with Bottom Line black top & bobbin, but Superior Metallic Gold top & Bottom Line bobbin.
Chrysanthoscopes I used a variegated pink/lilac Superior King Tut in the whole quilt - but I was not so happy with the main body of it. Its fine in the borders but I considered unpicking the meander as I thought it looked too "heavy", but thought the needle marks would still show so I left it.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-27510-1.htm
This one I have been quilting today - will post when the binding is finished. I have done the body of quilt with Superior Masterpiece (a dk red), and the black border is a sort of feather motif done in three colours of Masterpiece, red, orange and yellow - and I'm very happy with it.
I played around with doing something more fancy in the main quilt, but with some blocks which have more background, and others "busy" with the flowers, I decided to go again for a meander.

I know Bottom Line is marketed mainly as a bobbin thread but it really is so good for fine quilting, and there is a good range of colours too.

Thanks Sandpat - still learning, don't look too closely at the stitches - but I want to do fmq without having to trace or draw the pattern on, so there's a bit of artistic interpretation!!

No pic. yet but the original fabric is macaws,parrots, toucans and other tropical birds all sitting in green leafy foliage. Thus the title is "Parrots, Toucans, Macaws, Oh My!" There's 16 colors in the print. And the OBW effect really works, even with all those colors. Look closely at my avatar and you can find parrot heads, bodies, tails, etc. So Fun!

Thank you so much for the info. You know those designs in the border of "Chrysanthoscopes" look an awful lot like fireworks bursts... I've done very similar stitching on a black border of the first fireworks quilt challenge quilt I made.

ssshhh I meant them to look like chrysanths!!

I know and they do, but...

OH my, those OBW's are beautiful. It is not at all what I thought it was. I think I have a book for OBW's. I'll have to check my library when I get home.

FWL I would love to see more pics of your avatar quilt. I think I saw that fabric in a QS in Holland a while back - wish I'd got some now!

I can't add to what Katrine said (SHE taught me!) except to say that I do meanders in the main body, sometimes I go 'swirly' round a particular block to emphasise it. In my Turning Over a New Leaf one I posted recently, I did FMQ leafy shapes in a variegated thread but you have to look close to see it. As for the border treatments - see Katrine's! I can't come anywhere close! :D

Do you do your stitching from the front side or the back?

From the front. Having said that, this afternoon I've been quilting a chicken one with a toning variegated thread and it's the very devil to see. I'm short sighted and in the end I took my specs off and practically had my nose pressed to the quilt! My FMQ is not usually that bad but today for some reason it REALLY stinks! Oh well it's done now and luckily it tones so well it hardly shows! :D I'm going to do a couple of parallel lines round the 3" border then just got to bind it and I'll post pics. :-D