Free Motion Mavericks - Week 100 - How to Quilt Jacobean Leaves

One of my favourite designs, Jacobean style leaves, which are making a frequent appearance on the Secret Project.

Here is this week's sample, which shows three good leaves and a fourth which encompasses the whoops factor...

... and here is this week's video, which shows how straightforward this design is, so long as you don't stray too close to the edge.

Here goes for week 100...

A big welcome this week for Olena, the first quilter to link up from Ireland!

And it just so happens that the project in Week 99 that caught my eye was Olena's seashore quilt, with appliqué sea creatures and free motion quilted pebbles and shells.  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, Macau, Russia and Ireland have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quits, Art...  Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday .

A Picture for Sunday - White Pigeon

This pigeon might look all whiter than white, but he was being very naughty and pecking at the flower buds on the tree.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 99 - How to Quilt Shamrock Leaves

Easily adaptable, this pattern can be shamrock or clover leaves.  Shamrock leaves are featuring in the Secret Project, and I have really enjoyed stitching this design.

This is the latest sample for the pattern collection.  The stitching isn't particularly neat...

... but I managed to shoot the video in one take, complete with rather grumpy commentary.  I must try to be more gracious when I make the next video.

Here goes for week 99...

The project in Week 98 that caught my eye was Afton's fractal quilt, which she had quilted by Trisha Cavanaugh in a combination of free motion and ruler work.  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, Macau and Russia have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog for Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art.... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday

A Picture for Sunday - Seagull

Very handsome and very irritating.  Gulls make such a dreadful racket.  This one was lording it on the walls of the castle above Alicante.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 98 - How to Quilt Serrated Leaves

Easier than they look - these serrated leaves are one of my favourite designs to quilt.  This photograph is of a detail of the Free Motion Sampler Quilt.

And here is this week's finished sampler, which took only a little over ten minutes to stitch.  Ideally I would have liked to have shown a larger leaf with five fronds rather than three, but as soon as I sat down to start sewing I realised that there wasn't enough room.

As for the video - last week the bobbin thread ran out twice, and this week, just to keep everyone entertained, I casually broke the top thread.

Meanwhile, the Secret Project continues... three panels finished and another eight to go.  No rush yet, thank goodness.

Here goes for week 98...

The project in Week 97 that caught my eye was Lynette's glorious vintage Bo Peep quilt, the top of which was made in the 1930s by a member of her husband's family, and which has now been quilted by Lynette for a great aunt's 90th birthday.  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, Macau and Russia have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

A Picture for Sunday - Moth in the Bathroom

For the moment I can't identify this moth, which I photographed a few days ago.  I am rather taken by his furriness.

Welcome to Mary Nocker and Sandi, the latest followers - thank you for joining!

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 97- How to Quilt Honeysuckle

Only a tiny glimpse of the Secret Project, which is turning out to be a great opportunity to try out new patterns, or revive ones I have used before - in this case honeysuckle, which I haven't used for nearly three years.  Last time I quilted it on a cream background, today I quilted it on blue...

...and for the collection of test pieces, I quilted it in brown on calico.

Here is the latest offering on video, which shows me running out of bobbin thread twice, for the true to life touch.  In truth, I needed to empty a couple of bobbins so that I could fill them up ready for work on the Secret Project.

Here goes for week 97...

The project in Week 96 that caught my eye was Margarita's beautiful quilt, her first bed-sized quilt!  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, Macau and Russia have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art...  Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday
and Afton's blog Quilting Mod for Lessons Learned

A Picture for Sunday - Palms and Balconies in Alicante

Not five minutes' walk from the beach.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 96 - How to Quilt Rudbeckias

Egg yolk yellow makes the perfect background colour for one of my favourite free motion designs.  This photo shows a small section of the free motion sampler quilt that I recently completed.

This week I have made a quick sample piece so that I can share this design.  So I now have page 2 for a pattern book, and a new video.

Making the video was a little less eventful than it was last week.  Rather than using two layers of thermal curtain lining, I used curtain lining for the backing and laid a piece of calico on top.  Less bulk to stitch through, so the thread didn't break once!

Here goes for week 96...

The projects in Week 95 that caught my eye were Janine Marie's two gorgeous quilts made for the Hands2Help Challenge - here is one of them catching the sunlight beneath a dramatic sky.   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, Macau and Russia have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina-Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.