Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Practice....more practice

I've been in a bit of a "funk" the last few days.  It's probably just the January doldrums, so I thought a little free motion quilting would help.  As you may have seen on a previous post, I'm following along on the 2012 Free Motion Quilting challenge and have been drawing out this month's FMQ motif on paper.  Tonight I made an attempt on the sewing machine with actual fabric and thread.  Uh huh... here is my first attempt at that motif!
Definitely need more practice.  So I tried something simpler that I saw on Leah Day's blog for her quilt along.
I quilted with the white thread over top of a scrap piece from a previous attempt. I grabbed another quilt sandwich and tried again.  I stuck with it for a good hour.  Here is the result.
and here is a close up
I got a little courageous and tried something different. 

After all of this FMQ, did I learn anything?  Yessiree!  I discovered that by slowing down the speed of the machine it was easier to stitch over the same line when I sewed the veins of the leaves.  I also learned to recognize the sound of the machine which helped my "hand to machine" coordination.

Oh yes I also learned that FMQ has a way of lifting me out of my" January funk."  Now I'm off to work on something else.

7 comments:

What Comes Next? said...

look at that! those stitches are looking really good. I know all about that January funk - it's being FMQ'd away around here, too!

Marjorie said...

Great progress. I've been in the same slump myself. I'm blaming politics though b/c the TV is in "my" sewing area - Bah. Maybe tonight after work?

Peggy said...

Looking good. Sometimes a little kick start works, doesn't it!

Cathy, Joy Swiss said...

Looks like you came a long way in one hour! I have been working on my heart/leaves for about four or five hours now, at different times. It's fun! Just think how good we will all be by the end of the year, oh yeahh!

Vicki Miller said...

Yes, you can come a long way in an hour, it's like drawing, the more you do it the better you become. Perhaps I should do a bit, since I'm a bit blue today, too

JB said...

WOW, what an improvement! Is there hope for me?
I am still a coward about FMQ. I took one brief class and was so intimidated, I have only practiced a little.

Catherine said...

So, glad that your practice has gone well. My attempts on Leah's practices have been less than stellar....I'm now in a snit and pouting....here's hoping it doesn't last long.