Today I tried some border type FM quilting. I really enjoyed doing the leaves and I am quite happy with the way they turned out. The great thing about leaves is that they are never all the same size so if they are a bit wonky, they just look more natural. The spirals were getting better as I worked on them. It's hard to get them even but to me they look better if they are more even. Then I did a fern which maybe is a bit too dense with stitching but would be nice in certain areas of a quilt. I also tried one more feather but by the time I started it I was getting a bit tired and I can see that this job goes better when you are not tired. Finally, I couched some yarn around the edges just to see how the couching foot of my machine works. I learned a couple of things. First, don't forget to change the thread to match the couching yarn. Second, sew around the edge first to prevent stretching. I put a second row of couching inside the first one because some of the backing was not caught under the first row. I am going to throw it in the wash to see what happens to the couching when it's washed. Maybe it will sit a bit flatter.
On this one I sewed around the pattern on the fabric. It was good practise but pretty boring. I don't think I'd have the patience to do this on any larger piece of fabric, let alone a whole quilt.
