Welcome to week 414 of Free Motion Mavericks. Are you busier than you expected after the holidays? I was anticipating a quiet week in the studio but it's been busy for all kinds of reasons. I hope that you got some quality playing time this week 😊
FMQ an Agenda Cover
It's a new year and since I'm not at my computer every day, I can't live without some kind of agenda. Over the years I've made a few agenda and journal covers and it's finally getting easier. 😎
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| 2023 Free Motion Quilted Agenda Cover |
For this year's agenda cover, I wanted to use fabric that I had created, so I started by looking at this summer's sun printed fabric. I really love this piece and it's large enough! Here is how this fabric came to be.
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Day lily leaves, a fern and leaves of all sizes
on a yellow/orange background |
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| Some lovely sun prints |
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| FMQ on the sun printed fabric |
I used Christina Cameli's Free Motion Quilted Gifts course on Craftsy again. It was a real pleasure to make, especially since I have extensive notes and experience!
I wasn't sure how to fill in the leaf outlines on the FMQ fabric, so I left them empty and added this year's intention using a Prismacolor pen. It was a lot more effective than if I had tried to free motion quilt the words. You can double-click on the image to see a larger version, but here is my intention for 2023: learn by playing, with mindfulness and contentment.
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| Adding my 2023 intention on the front cover |
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| The back of the cover |
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| The agenda with matching fabric for the inside panels |
Version 2.0 Update
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Need to finish the
Travel Adventure |
I had run out of fabric for the binding, so I had to wait until the shop opened to get more of the Kona burgundy. I could have ordered it but I wasn't 100% sure that it was burgundy, so I preferred to take a scrap of the fabric with me. The fabric was purchased this week, washed, pressed and cut! I cut 8 rows of 3" binding and it fit just perfectly 😊(I love it when my math works!)
I watched a bit of a course on Craftsy about bindings and it was very complicated and much more fiddly than I like. I did learn a couple of tips that I'll include below.
I still have three small sections to finish FMQ. I started last night but my machine was not cooperating - so it's getting a time-out until I do some practice FMQ to get my tension back to normal!
January's One Monthly Goal (OMG)
Totally finishing Version 2.0 is my January OMG. I'm hoping to finish by the end of the weekend....so we'll see!
I didn't get any fun fabric but my daughter and I splurged on some lovely #12 perle cotton. I played with it a little before putting them away 😊
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| #12 perle cotton |
What I learned
- I took the time to read my post about the last time I made an agenda cover (in April - see related links below). I also found my notes so this really helped the process along.
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Place binding straight
and follow the quilt |
As I did the last time I made an agenda cover, I used some of the left over sun printed fabric to make the inside panels. For the middle panel, any fabric can be used. This is a great way to use up fabric that you don't really like, or fabric that you have tons of and doesn't seem to disappear, ever!- For the binding, I learned that you should also press your binding once you have sewn it on to the quilt. Since I don't have extra width, this should help me make it wide enough.
- I also got a couple of tips about doing the mitered corners for the binding. I didn't realise that if you fold the binding straight out before attaching it, that it will turn out great (see picture since it's hard to describe.)
- When you press the attached binding, put the tip of your iron in the mitered corner to sharpen the miter.
Related links
Linking parties
Project details
2023 Quilting Agenda cover
6¾" x 8¾"
Materials: sun printed fabric, variegated thread
Techniques: Sun printed fabric covered with Pebeo Setacolor light fabric paint, FMQ and sewing
Free Motion Mavericks
Thanks for linking up! We saw many lovely quilts made of 2022. What a productive bunch we are 😁.
I hope to make a casserole carrier as part of the 2023 Table Scraps Challenge this year. Frédérique used her guide bar to quilt it. That made for lovely straight lines! It's a very useful item to make for yourself or as a gift.
Donnalee's two runners came about because she didn't have enough fabric to make the four blocks required to make a wall hanging. I think that her
table runners are a huge success and will make great Christmas gifts next year!
It's now your turn to link up 😊
Merci ! Thanks for featuring my casserole carrier ;))
ReplyDeleteBonne et heureuse année 2023 Andrée, bises
Merci Frédérique - pour encore avoir lié un projet. J'aime vraiment ton coussin. Il sera mise en vedette jeudi :-) Bises
DeleteOh, your agenda cover is beautiful! And I love the fabric you created. I’ll be reading that post too. And cool! A new link party. Thanks for hosting. You’ve already read my latest post, but I’ll be linking it. :D
ReplyDeleteMichelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
I really like your agenda cover. I made a basic cover for my journal, but never thought to quilt it. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I hope that you'll consider quilting your next one. They are so much fun to make! Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteVery nice agenda cover! I love the fabric you made, the quilting and the intentions on the front. A nice way to begin the new year. I have started pressing bindings and it is a help, I think!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen, I'm now in the process of hand-sewing the binding to Version 2.0. I have to say that pressing it after applying has helped. As much as I dislike ironing, I'm going to keep doing it! Thanks for dropping by :-)
DeleteI love your agenda fabric! I should try that one of these days...the agenda turned out beautifully. It's great when we can get smoother and more efficient when we recreate the same or similar items, yes? I get a planner every year, helps me keep on track (more or less, ha!).
ReplyDeleteI love making the agenda cover and doing something once a year, with lots of notes, is a great way of getting better at it. My only problem is that once I've done something once, I don't generally want to do it again. At least with the journal and agenda covers, I get to FMQ them to my heart's desire :-) Thanks for linking up.
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