FMQ Friday

Ok, everyone is just having too much fun free motion quilting lately, so I had to jump in and try it again.

If you are having a really good day and generally feeling pretty good about yourself, don't FMQ. It will definitely knock you down a peg or two. Wait until you're having a mildly crappy day, then it just might lift your spirits a bit.

I decided to join in FMQ Fridays with Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting. Each week she chooses a pattern from the Free Motion Quilting Project by Leah Day for everyone to attempt, then we can encourage (and laugh with) each other and not feel quite so bad.

Here is this week's pattern:

Appropriately enough, it is called Drop Art. Doesn't look too hard, right?

Here's my first attempt. I started off using cheap green thread so you could see a little contrast, but it kept breaking, so I grabbed the closest better spool which happened to be white. My fabric is aqua, so I thought it would show up a little better than it does.

Here's the back of that one:

And my second attempt:

Front

Back

 Why do my raindrops look like sausages?? Obviously I need to adjust the tension a bit, but I really didn't want to touch it.

I decided to try a different pattern...

 Not terrible, but it just seems like it should be much easier, especially after watching the video! She has such a calm, soothing voice when she is explaining it to you, and her speed is always so consistent. She has such fluid motions, too. Basically the complete opposite of mine!

Here are some things I've noticed...

I feel like if my machine is moving fast then my hands should be, too, but that's not really how it works. For some reason, I have a hard time taking my foot off the pedal. Even when I get stuck and aren't sure what I should do next, my needle is still moving, so I feel like my fabric should be moving, too. It's a vicious cycle, really. Must take foot off pedal!!!

I also need to find that spot where my needle speed and stitch length are happy together. Debbie told me to set it so I can "floor it" and not have to worry about moving my foot, just my hands. I think that is great advice. 

Also, I need the left side of my machine to stick out farther. When I come to the point in the pattern where I need to push the fabric that way, my left hand tends to slip off and mess up everything. I think I may set up some books or something to kind of extend my sewing space next time. One of those sewing tables where your machine is sunk down into the table would be sweet, but I don't see that happening here anytime soon.

Now let's see how everyone else did with their "drops". Stop by FMQ Fridays and leave some encouraging words for the other brave souls!