FMQ Friday - Practice, Practice, Practice

Friendship Braid Prayer Shawl

This week started out like any other week - a full week of work - with a little quilting thrown in.  As I got started on the week working on the backlog of work from being gone the better part of two weeks, I filled in some time teaching myself a new FMQ skill - feathers.  I really want to use it on my sister's gift. 









I took little bits of time - while waiting on hold, or while puzzling out some great bookkeeping mystery - to sketch out what I was trying to do.

I've never done feathers before and really wanted something special for the large center square on the braided shawl.  When I finally felt like I had the motions down, as time allowed I started to practice on the machine.

Practice #1



Practice #2



Practice #3



Practice #4
 

I figured I was getting pretty good at this - the feathers are almost the same size, the travel stitching is fairly consistent, and I was feeling pretty good about my efforts. Just when I thought - by Jove She's Got it - my machine decided it didn't want to wind bobbins any more! YIKES!  I can't wind bobbins?  What is going on here?  What the heck am I going to do?

I put Sis's present aside for now.  I guess I wasn't ready for this challenge just yet. 

Because I had a number of white bobbins already wound up, I picked up the Christmas stockings I'm making for deploying soldiers as part of a group over at Missouri Star and started quilting on the outside pieces.  Basically doodling around.  Because the stockings are going to be fully lined, I quilted on the top and batting only.



On set is swirls and loops



The other set is outlined and loops

As I was quilting the second set with the outlined stars the machine was jamming and breaking thread.  I used every trick in the book I knew to power through the last half of the last one. 

 My trusty Elna is now at the machine hospital for diagnostics.  I sure hope it can be fixed!

Linking to Leah Day's FMQ Project

Oklahoma Quilts finished and sent

I have been away from home and my computer for a couple of weeks.  When I returned last week, Southwestern Wisconsin was under heat advisories for much of the week. 

While I was away, I was able to present my Dad with his quilt: Bowtie Hugs & Kisses.  He was thrilled with the letter, telling me he was saving it in his treasure box.  I also finished up the two quilts I was working on for Oklahoma.



Bright Days and Smiles

 

Bricks of Love

Bricks of Love Label

Each of these quilts included notes to the recipients telling them why I made the quilts, and closed with the following words:  "As the pieces were being stitched together, I prayed for peace and comfort for you and your loved ones.  Please find comfort in its folds and know that you are loved."

The process was somewhat cathartic for me.  I've always wanted to help people and didn't know what to do or where to start.  I was put into contact with Janice Grimes of Quilts of Compassion, who told me of her ministry to people affected by the Tornadoes of Joplin Missouri and Moore Oklahoma and surrounding areas.  These two quilts were shipped out on July 15, 2013.

I will continue to make quilts for others because it feeds my soul.