Swirling Leaves at Free Motion Mavericks

Hi and welcome to week 405 of Free Motion Mavericks. I'm not used to posting quite so often but if you don't mind, then I don't either 😎. I can't believe that we are now in November! October was a whirlwind but I know that November will be calmer - because I will make it so 😊.

Walking foot quilting

This week I finished sewing up Swirling Leaves 2. Here's what it looks like so far.

Swirling Leaves 2 so far - quilted with the walking foot

In my first post of this project, I mentioned that I had picked leaves and made the template for the leaves within a few hours. It turns out that if you put them under books to dry, they shrink and become brittle, so it really is best to make the templates right away.

Making the templates

Stored templates from my
original quilt

I'm thrilled to say that I found the templates of the leaves that I used when making the original Swirling Leaves. I love it when I do something brilliant 😁 These templates were made on freezer paper and worked just as well. They were also more in the medium size range, so were better than that huge leaf that I picked!

Tracing the leaf from my tracing paper template

It was then time to appliqué those leaves onto the background. Did you know that your machine probably comes with a Satin Stitch Foot? Turns out it's really good because it's possible to see the fabric under the clear plastic foot.

I also took a picture of my stitching since of course I forgot that when you turn your machine off, that it resets to the original straight stitch. Of course you can take out your manual to see how to save your stitch, or you can take a picture, reset your machine and then use it for your post!😊

Appliquéing the leaf with the
satin stitch foot

Stitching setting for my appliqué

Once the leaves were all appliquéd, I used my walking foot to stitch-in-the-ditch. I've learned over time that my accuracy is better if I used the walking foot instead of my free motion quilting (FMQ) foot.

Knowing when to take a break

I was feeling quite proud of myself. I had taken the ironing board out, pressed the quilt, found the batting and decided on what to use for my backing. Good job 😎! 

After pinning the quilt down, I decided that I should trim my backing before starting to quilt. We don't like having that extra fabric in the back to get stitched under when we quilt...right? I trimmed the backing fabric, went to start quilting and noticed that my backing was no longer big enough. 😒

Stitching the back together again

Backing stitched

I was not impressed, but at least I still had the fabric to stitch it back together! I pinned it up, went to stitch it and my sewing machine chair slid right under me - THUMP! Nothing was bruised but my pride. So I listened to the Universe and took a break.

What I learned

• Sometimes we don't listen to our bodies and over do it. After supper, I came back and stitched the back together again and used my walking foot to stitch up most of the seams. I'm happy to report that I stopped before I was over tired. That's why this post is a little late and the FMQ is not finished - but that's a good thing. I do have to keep things in perspective!
• I found out that if your dried leaves are very brittle, but that you still want to hand them, that you just need to soak them in water for a few minutes. I've started a new hand-stitching project and learned a lot about working with dried leaves and such. I'm looking forward to working on it more and sharing what I learned.
• I was so happy to find those leaf templates. I have started saving my templates, because you never know when you might need them again! They were exactly where they should be (if I keep them!). See, I can learn 😉

Related links

Swirling Leaves 2 coming together, October 31, 2022

Playing in isolation, October 23, 2022

Swirling Leaves for Hello Fall Blog Hop, September 23, 2020

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties. Let's see what's going on out there....and remember to link up while you're here! Design Wall Monday, Midweek Makers, Needle & Thread Thursday Put your foot down, Peacock Party, Finished or Not Finished Friday, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?, Off The Wall Friday, 

* I linked up to Tips and Tutorials on the 22nd with Kathleen McMusing

Free Motion Mavericks

As I mentioned last week, I'm currently doing this link up party solo for a while. I hope that Muv will be back in a few months, but until then, just come by every Thursday(ish) to link up! Last week, Kathleen McMusing linked up her 4 Block Bee Challenge Quilt that she quilted with her walking foot. If you didn't see it, I recommend that you go to her blog to see what her colleagues in the challenge made, and to get your free copy of her foundation paper pieced pattern. 

Kathleen's 4 Block Bee Challenge Quilt

Now it's your turn!

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