The pair of "Pirouettes Fantastiques" wall hangings - my first FMQ feathers in the borders (after alot of practice!)

Awesome! I just love this pattern.

This is called "Will-o'-the-Wisp - very difficult to photograph - cannot do the colours or the threads justice, I tried outside and in the house. My first FMQ with gold metallic thread around the borders. And the black fabric picks up every titchy bit of stray thread!!

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WONDERFUL

And lastly the "Chrysanthoscopes" - more FMQ - tried to do some chrysanths in the borders, well ragged chrysanths anyway!

Hiya my friend! Those are absolutely drop dead gorgeous!!! Your FMQ is stunningly fabulous, can't pick a favourite, I'll have 'em all! :D :D :D

They are beautiful.

I admire anyone that makes these OBWs...they look so great when finished. I'd like to try the 4-patch posy style.


ranger

Thanks Kathryn - I purposely waited until I had all these to quilt one after the other as I am better if I do loads of FMQ at the same time and don't leave a week in between. And my obsession with OBWs is mainly your fault for persuading me to have a go!

I just received this fabric today for another - it is beautiful a real deep red and stunning orange, all with gold highlights, 12" repeat.

Ranger, I am going to do some 4-patch posies too I hope - keeping an eye out for some fabric!

I don't mind taking the blame! :lol:

Those crysanths you quilted are brilliant, raggedy or not. And I know what you mean by getting into the FMQ groove - obviously I'm light years behind you but I just did two lap quilts in a row and on the second one I even felt brave enough to try some FMQ hearts! Hans said some of them looked more like kidneys :shock: but I was pretty pleased with myself. :D

I thought your hearts were great. I spend ages playing on scraps building up enough courage to actually start on the quilt itself and usually after a few nervous minutes I can relax into it. I think freehand is such fun and no-one gets out a measure to check anyway ...

I wrote the word 'sudoku' freehand on a lap quilt - thing is, the practice I did was miles better than the actual one! :oops: :lol:

WOW!!! Beautiful! You have done a fabulous job with you FMQ too!!

Unbelievable! Simply gorgeous! I can only dream to do this well. I just recently started making the obws. What a great invention! Your fmq work is as good as any longarm great job!

Thanks Marcia and Suzi - Suzi, if you've started doing them I'm sure you'll find they are not as difficult as they would appear - just care in lining the repeats up and cutting and off you go. And such fun seeing what the blocks end up like.

All of you OBW people are doing such beautiful work that this whole OBW thing is really growing on me. All of your quilts are beautiful.

Just spotted your new avatar of the boys in little red coats! Are they practicing for Santa? The little cuties! Give them a hug from their Auntie Kathryn :D

There's a story there K, the last few months I have been knitting dog coats for the charity helping the galgos in Spain who are dreadfully abused and mistreated. And Rascal and Coco were really worked up over the red balls of wool and thought they were toys and kept stealing them. Soooo - I made them little coats and to see their excitement when we put the coats on them was just so funny.

Go on Lisa - have a go at one!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

They both have an expression on their faces like ' don't we look the bees knees!' :D

These OBW quilts fascinate me! Yours are all beautiful, and your machine quilting sets them off perfectly!

I did wonder though if it was "surely we dont have to go down the road in these!"

Thank you Harmony - I am getting braver slowly with the quilting.

Absolutely stunning! I am so impressed...do you see my bowing head?? Are they gifts, or all going to hang on your walls, or what?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I think your DH would have been rather more embarrassed than the doggies! :lol:

Esqmommy - I think I have a friend who wants to buy one but she saw them altogether yesterday and couldn't pick so is coming back with her hubby next week. Obviously I am happy to sell (cos then I can buy MORE FABRIC and make room for more) but equally happy to hang them, although my DH is beginning to think we need to move to somewhere bigger! And I do value your comments as your work is so good.

Gorgeous work Katrine! I really like the crysanth border quilting too. Someday I will learn that.
I am sooo glad I found this forum with so many of these to look at and drool over! I am a member of another forum and feel like such an outsider when I'm the only one doing these. Nobody understands the addiction untill you make one. I have 2 going now and love the fact that this site welcomes all my pictures!

Thanks Jenell, I think OBWs get great support on here too.
About the border quilting I just try to follow a theme from the quilt then use LOADS of paper doodling till I get something I feel I could try, then fmq on scraps and cut offs. My DH knows he cannot leave any paper lying around or it gets the treatment!

I have fabric here for three more but I'm being really disciplined and finishing up some WIPS first - it's nearly killing me, I have to say. I got the green leafy fabric out today that I plan on using first, just to give it a stroke. :lol:

Re the doodling, I read somewhere about something called 'muscle memory' - that the act of drawing the designs on paper kind of locks the motion required in your brain so that when you come to FMQ, it feels familiar. What do you think about that? Make sense? Or not?! :D

Just gorgeous!

Wow! Great job on all of them!

Wow! Absolutely stunning! Your quilting makes the center even more phenomenal. All three are wonderful, but I have to say I love #3 the most. I think it's the colors.

Fantastic job on all of them. I made a stack n whack several years ago, and sold it. Now I regret it. Guess I need to make another one and also try OBW's. I have so many things I want to make after Xmas. It is mind boggling. This site gives me lots of ideas and not enough time. I guess my brain works faster than I can.

Thanks Hunnib!

Yeah K, it definitely helps me playing with pencil and paper - BUT I do get through an awful lot of paper!
It does help with the "flow" action when you come to the machine - and I draw in the same direction as I quilt. For instance I descend down borders, so I draw down in columns when practising. I also find if I am FMQing something I am not too confident with, it is better to use a very fine thread, cos any wobbles wont show!

Thank you pv, ducky and sewnsewer. I am very encouraged by your comments.

The quilts are gorgeous!!
Love your FMQ.
Amazing!!
Also love the pups in their little red coat!
My sis-in-law has two of them & I wanted to take them home.
Just adorable!

They're all beautiful. I particularly like the second one. Good job on the FMQ also.

Your quilts are beautiful and your quilting is awesome. Great job on all of them.

Thank you Littlehud, Dunster and Justquilting. I am so pleased people like the FMQ because I am really trying to do only freehand & not follow lines, so picking easy shapes so far. I only did a large stipple in the main body of the quilts as I didnt want to detract from the effect of the kaleidoscopes.

amazing quilts. you did good. :D thanks for sharing
happy quilting
cindy