FMQ Fears
 

Good Morning! Board members. I've been quilting (heavily) for some 15 years. Many times I will send my quilts to a long armer to have them quilted. However, at age 80 I find that it is difficult to make large quilts so I am making lap quilts or twin sizes and FMQ on my domestic Brothers machine.

I'm working on the last of 3 quilts that I am making for a good friend's daughters. He died tragically in September and left behind a wife and a 3 year old, a 12 year old and a 22 year old. They are lovely girls. I'm just FMQ the last quilt.

I spent, at least, 3 days fretting over a pattern to FMQ on this last quilt. I am not a great FMQer and I'm not a fan of heavy quilting but realize that it is essential to cover as many seams as possible. (I have had to repair 2 of my gifted quilts.)

This quilt has a great deal of white in it and I was terrified to mark it.

So with fear and trepidation, I made a large "practice piece" and drew many designs and started my FMQ practice. Well, I am amazed at how much this has helped me set my pedal speed and hand movement speed. (Normally, I have just practiced on a small block-size piece.) The FMQ is going so much better.

I am using white thread and for the first time am using Magnifico (100% polyester) from Superior Threads. I am in love with this thread. It is #40 and it has a beautiful sheen to it. It makes my FMQ look so much better.

So my advice for the day is; Don't be a worrier (like me). Don't fret hours over your FMQ pattern (like me). I used the Dritz purple marker that disappears with time. So far, it is working on the white. The pattern I spent hours making so that it would fit a specific number of inches, has just become an "idea". By that I mean, once I started FMQing, I have marked the pattern as I go along and it invariably does not fit the size that I spent days making. I love looking at the back and seeing the patterns take shape and present themselves well.

St. Matthew said (and I paraphrase), Do not worry for worrying does not add one minute to your life (it takes it away). Such true words. Sometimes (many times) I forget and my worry stifles and cripples me.

Have a beautiful day! Today (here where we are), the sun is shining and for the first time this Spring, the standing puddles are not frozen. Yeah!!! It will warm up. I'm sure of it!

I still don't do free motion. Really do need to practice, practice!! Good for you for making all those quilts.

Yolajean your words are inspiring! Been quilting since I was a young mother and sometimes I fear the FMQ part!!

Here are some photos of my project and how it do it! The first, is my quilt top, the 2nd is my practice piece, 3rd is my backing, 4th are my transparent copy of my pattern and the cardboard templates that I trace onto my top.

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Those look great Yolajean! Thanks for showing how you transfer your patterns and for the inspirational words!

Rob

your quilting is awesome! my CURRENT problem (changes all of the time ha ha) with FMQ is when I want to do something other than meandering or stipples. I need a guide and I HATE marking the quilt - it takes me sooo long to do the marking. Your template is interesting.. how do you use that?

Thank you YolaJean - your quilt is just beautiful! Your experience with FMQ is very familiar and your kind words are a wonderful reminder to let fear go and creativity run wild! We all wish for our quilts to be perfect (afterall, we're usually giving them to loved ones, right?) and fear can play an ugly roll in the process of what challenges us. Thank you for sharing your positive story and reminding us that there's never a perfect plan - we just need to trust in ourselves and everything will work out beautifully!

Christine

Thank you for sharing!

Beautiful FMQing! I have never got the hang of it yet. I think I'm to impatient & want instant results without the practice! :eek: Thanks for sharing how you are doing it.

Yolajean- you're quilting is beautiful !!!
And thanks for the kind words. I've made quilts for a long time and am still intimidated by FMQ.