Free Motion Mavericks - Week 271 - A Break From Sewing

Over the past fortnight I have done hardly any sewing.  After six months of relentless rain we had a brief break in the weather ten days ago, with blue skies and a definite feel of spring.  On Monday last week I took a solo exploratory trip to Shapwick Heath, part of the Avalon Marshes, a nature reserve on the marshes near Glastonbury.  It is about an hour's drive to get there, taking the scenic route on back roads.  It is a birdwatchers' paradise, which means I am happy for hours, but my husband tends to switch off.  However, he was keen to see a murmuration of starlings, and Shapwick Heath and the surrounding area is one of the best places in the country to see it.  Last Friday we took a trip out and were fortunate to see a flock of starlings swirling around in the sky at sunset, and then diving down to their roost for the night.

Then after a few bright days the wind and the rain returned.  Just when I thought I could start looking forward to starting a few outdoor jobs.

The skirt-into-a-cushion project has progressed, slightly, but not enough to merit a photo.  I have decided not to use wadding, because the wool/synthetic fabric is thick enough.  All it needs is a backing.  The embroidered section of the skirt is just the right size to make a medium sized cushion.  I decided I was going to be thrifty with the backing too, so I have recycled a mock up of the skirt I made for my Mother of the Groom outfit.  The mock up has spent three years rammed in a plastic bag in the sewing room.  I was glad to put it to good use.  So there has been progress, but nothing worth a photo session!

This week I have spent three days solid on an alteration job for somebody else, which involved mitred corners with decorative braid.  It has been hair raising at times, and I was slightly dreading it.  It is nearly finished, but sorry, no photos.

Will a dreamy photo of the Avalon Marshes do instead?

Here goes for week 271:-

 

This week's featured project comes from my co-host Andrée, who has been working on the theme of books and has made this beautiful variation on the theme.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.

3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for five days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Tuesday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.