Friday, September 6, 2019

My FMQ motif book

Hot here.  Hot temps.   Hot winds.   No hurricane this far inland but I still keep an eye on the events.  Prayers for our coastline and Charleston right now.

  No time like the present to face the latest top ready to quilt.  It is the lattice quilt.  But I was sort of at a loss as to how to quilt it and be happy with it.
  Challenges I saw were  the busy floral prints....nothing much would show,  there isn't something to feature....it's the overall effect, and lastly I don't like heavy dense quilt patterns on large quilt....it makes them too stiff for me.
  I debated on wavy lines flowing thru the diagonals, and almost started on them yesterday.  Then I saw a leaf motif this morning and remembered the meandering leaf vine I used before.


   I went to my FMQ motif book.  No, it isn't really a scrabble game....just the board from an old game.  We bought the "recycled book" a few years ago at a gift market.  The gal used old game boards for the covers of the books, and the inside pages are also recycled paper---nice weight business or office discarded letterhead papers.  Some have printing on them and others are colored, but who cares.






  I use it as a place to record/store/transfer/ and practice free motion motifs.  Here is a leaf cluster I printed off and then taped into the book.  Then I practiced it a bit by drawing on the next page.  This one is going to take more practice to get the hang of it.









  But anyway, I looked back and found the trailing leaf vine motif I remembered.  It works great to quilt on the diagonal thru the lattice blocks. On this quilt I am making the leaves a bit larger and spaced farther apart than I have on other quilts.   

   Ok, well, it looks good in person, even if it doesn't show up too well here.  It is nice to stitch across the diagonal....working from edge to edge like that  allows me to easily stop for a break.  And the bulk of the quilt doesn't end up in my lap but off to the side.


  I jumped the gun a little bit for fall....I pulled out several table runners, and wall hangings.  I am so ready for cooler days that I want to urge the weather to agree with me.  For now they are stacked on the guest bed, waiting for a tumble in the dryer to fluff them before hanging.  That is my weekend plan......along with this quilting.
Happy stitching.

16 comments:

Julierose said...

Lovely lattice quilt--that quilting will look great. I don't like dense quilting either--I like a soft drape to the quilts...have fun quilting hugs, Julierose

Linda Swanekamp said...

Love the riot of flowers in the quilt. The colors are all so fresh together. The book is a genius idea. I have scraps of paper everywhere with ideas. Makes perfect sense to keep them in a book. I am stealing this idea.

Mary said...

Love your idea of a motif book and love the recycled book you use. Both are clever ideas. Are you getting any rain from the hurricane?

sue s said...

I appreciate your quick comment about fluffing in the dryer. Why didn't I think of that?!

Love the lattice quilt however you quilt it!

Ray and Jeanne said...

I keep thinking I need a FMQ motif book - my ideas are really scattered. I'd totally forgot about the leaf vine - the perfect choice for your lattice quilt. ~Jeanne

Gene Black said...

I have a couple of books of FMQ patterns in my quilt book library. I should make one of my own with patterns that are not in those two...and with my "go to" patterns.

MissPat said...

I could definitely use a motif book/journal. I have doodles of motifs on the backs of reply envelopes I keep for grocery lists and other quick notes. They're everywhere and not very usable in that format. I also have lots of FMQ motif books. I could make a an index on a page in the motif book with a list of my favorite ones and which book/page they are on. That would save hours of searching. We're in for a weekend in the 60's as the backside of Dorian pulls cold Canadian air down on us.
No wind or rain though.
Pat

Cheree @ The Morning Latte said...

I love that board game/recycled paper idea for journals! I always jump the gun on fall stuff--it's my way of pushing the season and I'm never ready to put it away when it's time for Christmas decor so what's a few extra weeks? Got all of mine out (except for actual Halloween stuff) last week. Nothin' wrong with being prepared! lol I always like leaves for fmq but I guess that's because it's one of the few that I can do, though that extra outer leaf with the swirl would throw me. Keep thinking I'm ready try FMQ on the LA...but just not yet. I see so many creatively done quilts but I've just never been that "design creative". I know. Practice, practice. But so many people are just born with it! Not me! Enjoy your quilting time this weekend!

Nicki said...

That lattice quilt is so pretty. I remembered loving it while you were working on it & I still love it! Even though the quilting does not show up too well, I know it is very beautiful work from you. Happy Sewing!

Louise said...

That leaf motif is one of my favorites! It works really well on this quilt. Very smart to have a design book like that :)

LA Paylor said...

I love your motif book!!! The diagonal leaves are a great idea for this. I've been thinking about this too as I near the time of quilting mine. I will have to quilt in sections so making it look uniform is important. I agree a bed quilt doesn't need dense quilting, IMHO. Soft is good. I wish the photos showed more how it looks in person. I want to push fall too... ready for cooler temps and the colors of the east coast trees. LeeAnna

Janet O. said...

Your leafy design will look great on your pretty lattice quilt.
I started a motif book once, but haven't kept it up. I need to get back to it. It is a really good idea.
Gotta say how much I love the book with the Scrabble board cover. So fun! I have played a weekly Scrabble game with my Mom for over a decade--maybe two!

Kerry said...

Love the leaves - love the quilt. Can't get better than that! :D

Quilting Babcia said...

Like so many of us I've begun a motif notebook but didn't keep it up,wonder if I'm too old to change bad habits! I love your trailing motif design and will try that out on a quilt soon. Looks so easy and lovely for columns or borders.

Mystic Quilter said...

Excellent idea with the motif book and I do think the motif chosen is a good one, not too fussy. I'm another who doesn't like the quilt to become stiff with heaps of quilting.

---"Love" said...

Your lattice quilt is very interesting, with so many lovely fabrics; it is beautiful. Neither do I like heavy quilting; it makes them too stiff for me! I'm sure yours is very pretty on this quilt! ---"Love"

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