Free Motion Mavericks - Week 79 - Smokescape

Unusual choice of subject, I admit, but this piece was an experiment to see whether two layers of thermal curtain lining would be suitable for stitched landscapes, instead of a calico and wadding sandwich.

Last week I had just a small section quilted, but the curtain lining was so resistant to folding and frilling that I was able to take the safety pins out from the corners and carry on working without them.

The material held so firm that I was able to quilt right up to the edges.  Here is a photo taken before I had straightened off the edges.

Another great advantage was that the work is easy to grip, so no need for gloves, and I shall be able to quilt landscapes in the summer without getting hot and bothered.

Binding was out of the question - it was far too thick - so I cut along the edges to get a clean line all around, and then attached the zigzagger to the treadle.  This was the first time for ages that I had used the Singer 15K for anything other than free motion quilting.

There was still about a quarter of an inch all round outside the zigzagging, so I then sliced off the surplus as close as possible to the grey zigzag stitching.

All I needed to do then was the hand stitched birds in the sky, and the job was finished.

I am not going to fret about the few stray threads at the edges.  I am going to convince myself it looks arty.  Otherwise I might resort to clear nail varnish, unless anyone has any better ideas.  Suggestions please!

Here goes for week 79...

The post in Week 78 that really caught my eye was Carole's fabulous quilting of a gorgeous blue top based on Haida art.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

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 and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
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 four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

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

Linking up to Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday
and to Connie's blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday.