Cars, trucks and mixed media collage on Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 426 of Free Motion Mavericks. I even got a little bit of free motion quilting done, even though my machine is not cooperating 😒.   

FMQ Cars and Trucks

This is my last row of designs by Lori Kennedy.  I can't FMQ a baby quilt without some cars and trucks....zoom!

A mini bus?

I drew a whole bunch of cars and trucks on paper and then FMQ them.

A little red car

Another car

There are the FMQ designs that came out the best for photos. There is also a truck in there, of course!

Mixed Media Collage

I played with some mono-printing for the first time. It wasn't as messy as I expected. 😊  This was part of a workshop with Helen Hallows, "Landscape-inspired mixed media layers", through TextileArtist.org. 

I spread Rollerball ink on parchment paper over my cutting mat in my studio. I mostly used cutout pages from a book whose hard cover I'll be using in a new handmade journal. 

Since I really didn't have a clue, I followed Helen's instructions and some of her design ideas. I was truly playing.  I really love her birds!

Some of the black marks

I started with some black ink and used a pencil to make the marks. I found these rather wide and dark.

These are images of the collages that I put together in my Traveller's Journal. 

I also used yellow and teal ink. Some I added to those printed pages and others to scraps of hand-dyed fabric. There is a little bit of stitching on each page.

Mountains, birds and sun

On some pages, I added the excess paint from my roller. That was cool and has lots of potential. 

I started out stitching directly on the left hand side of the page below. It's tricky but fine if you don't have anything on the other side of the page. I just made sure to glue the image over the stitching on the other side.

Learning to stitch onto paper and two-sided pages

However I got carried away with gluing and then wasn't sure what to do. One of my solutions was to stitch pieces on top of a background paper. Once stitched, I glued the background paper onto the page.

Ghost prints, marks and stitching 

Another way of dealing with stitches that show up on the other side of the page is to then glue something over those stitches. That can be tricky, depending on the designs.

The journal I used

within the Upcycled traveller's journal 

What I learned 

• It looks like I have to take my sewing machine in. It seems to get caught underneath when I FMQ. It isn't the thread, the tension, the needle or the bobbin, so there's not much else for me to try.
• I may not be able to finish up my FMQ, but I can practice the next designs for the Wild Hexies quilt. 
• Making these collages in my journal was a great idea. I didn't feel like I had to have a "finished" piece. It was just for experimenting.
• I also learned a few things about stitching in a journal (see above) and layering.
• I'm relieved that mono-printing with the Rollerball ink wasn't messy and that I could do it in the studio.
• Spreading out the ink on parchment paper worked really well and was very easy to dispose of.
• I'm trying to psyche myself up for some gelli printing next!

Related links

• Helen Hallows: website, Instagram and article
• Upcycled Traveller's Journal
• Making Journals on Free Motion Mavericks, March 23, 2023

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun parties. Check them out after you link up below. Sew & Tell, Midweek Makers, Put your foot down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off The Wall Friday, Patchwork & Quilts, Slow Sunday Stitching, Oh Scrap!, 15 Minutes Of Stitching 2023, Design Wall Monday, 

Free Motion Mavericks 

It's been a busy week out there in quilting land 😊

Sandra of mmm quilts finished up a commission - what a lovely quilt! It took me a second to see the cats 😁 She FMQ large swirls that give a great texture and remind her of cats' entwined tails.

Kool Kats Kwilt by Sandra

Anorina, aka Samelia's Mum, quilted up a really beauty for a little girl named Evie. It was made during the March challenge, "It's All Up To You" with Island Batik.

A Quilt for Evie by Anorina (Samelia's Mum)

Melva made another mini - this one using match-stick quilting and variegated thread. 

A 5" x 7" mini by Melva Loves Scraps

Denise finished her Crazy Quilt runner - what a beauty! If you didn't catch her post, check it out here.

Denise of the Quiltery - a crazy quilt runner for Island Batik

It's now your turn 😊

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter