Several months back, prior to my hip surgery, I made two, three yard quilts using one of the popular patterns in the Three Yard Quilt family of patterns.
And now, I finally have one quilted up!
First, I need to say that taking 4 months or so off from free motion quilting (FMQ) is not going to do your FMQ any favors! Oy! It felt clumsy and tedious getting back to FMQ, but the only way to get past this impediment is to DO it, put in some time and get back in the grove.
This was a good project to start FMQ again. It was not a commission or a “special” project like an anniversary or other milestone event for a relative. Less pressure to ‘be perfect’ and just try relaxing a bit.
Feathers were my choice for the large blocks, using a dark purple thread that would not stand out, and quilting 1/4 of the block with each feather section. Did I get going the wrong direction? Of course I did! I took one partial wrong way square out and left the other (less noticeable) but full wrong way square in. Will a civilian notice? Unlikely.
Sashing was FMQ with small, traveling swirls, which I love for a border. The aqua and purple side by side pieces are really quite small (less than 1″), so I did not pre-mark them and did the completely freehand.
The purple borders, done in the same style, were marked before quilting with a stencil to achieve nicely spaced swirls. The purple border/sashing are done using a 40 wt green/blue/purple variegated high gloss thread (Fantastico by Superior Threads). The aqua border/sashings are stitched with a 40 wt high gloss gold thread (Magnifico by Superior Threads) to compliment the gold in the metallic grunge fabric.
The floral border is done in a simple, straight line feather with a swoop on top (the easiest feather in my opinion) in the same gold thread to compliment the metallic elements in the Japanese style fabric. I find this an easy, relaxing and very forgiving feather style motif. Perfect for a rusty quilter!
Am I back in the grove yet? Not quite, but I will get there.
Happy quilting!
Lennea
Handmade by Lennea 
My quilting is never very accurate, which is why I avoid it. Seeing how you started back, getting into the groove, actually was encouraging for me. Thank you. And, your fabrics are absolutely lovely.
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Thank you! One secret of great quilting is to have wonderful fabrics so that no one notices your FMQ! 😉 Best wishes! You don’t need to do everything, all a quilter needs is one good move. For several years, all I did was swirls. I still love to do them.
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